Fungus the bogeyman for Scotland's £300m midge bite menace

However, midges may have finally met their match after scientists in Wales discovered a fungus which they believe could tackle the annual insect invasion.

A team from the Forestry Commission in Wales and Swansea University has carried out research on the fungus which already grows in insects and kills them.

The scientists hope to grow large quantities which can be sprayed by workers, tractors or even helicopters in areas that are popular with humans and midges. One plan also involves using an artificial substance similar to the midges' favourite food - animal dung.

Piles of the substance, covered in the fungus, would attract the midges which would then pick up the fungus and pass it on to other insects.

The research was carried out by Dr Minshad Ali Ansari, from Swansea University, who said: "I think there is a great opportunity to use this fungus. It could be of great benefit to Scotland, where midges cause huge damage to the tourist industry.

"We already have a licence to use this in England and Wales for trials and we could soon have a licence to use it in Scotland. We are also looking for a company to invest money to develop its use."

Dr Alison Blackwell, from Edinburgh University, who is one of the UK's leading experts on midges, said: "This is exciting news. Midges are incredibly resilient creatures and scientists have spent many years trying to find a way of killing them without harming other wildlife.

"Although it's difficult to estimate exactly how much they cost the economy, it's certain that they do affect the tourism industry in Scotland.

"Given that a number of people will often pack up and go home early from campsites and hotels due to the midges, there must be some level of lost income. In Scotland, the forestry industry once estimated that they lost 20 per cent of their working time during the summer time due to midge attacks. At the moment, there are no widespread controls. Adult midges are very mobile and cannot be easily targeted.

"The only defence currently is for people to use good insect repellents, but these do not actually kill the midges."

The fungus, which is called "Metarhizium anisopliae", has undergone international tests, and scientists say it is safe for humans and other mammals.

However, there are fears that killing midges could affect other creatures, such as bats, which feed off them. Prof Hugh Evans, who is in charge of the project, said: "We are aware that midges are a food source for a number of animals.We will take this into account and aim to be very selective in how we target midge populations, which realistically would provide local rather than widespread reductions in their numbers.

"The plan would be to start with small-scale field trials in Wales, but, later on, Scotland would be an obvious target because of the large populations of midges there."

Facts

40 species of biting midge in Scotland.

5 species thought to regularly feed on humans.

10million midges per acre in parts of Scotland (estimated).

8,000 years midges have been biting Scots.

5mins is the time it takes a midge to become engorged and stop feeding.

25 days is the typical lifespan of an adult.