Anyone who has visited, lived in, or worked in a midge-infested area realises just what a pain the tiny insect can be.

Because it is found in such dense populations - it is estimated that in some parts of Scotland, one single hectare of land can host up to 50 million biting midges. This means the equivalent of ten midges for every man, woman and child in the country. The midge really punches above its weight.

The Impact of Midges on Scottish Tourism

The biggest problem is that in areas such as the Scottish Highlands the midge season coincides with the tourist season.

Throughout the summer the Scottish economy suffers because of the midge problem. Tourism is vital, worth around £2.5 billion per annum to the country, yet a survey carried out by a team led by Edinburgh University's Dr Alison Blackwell indicated that the majority of tourists visiting Scotland for the first time, during the height of the midge season, are discouraged from returning to the country at that particular time of year. Furthermore the study suggested that 86% would warn their friends not to visit Scotland during the key summer months of July and August.

It is estimated that each day of the tourist season is worth £286 million to the Scottish economy, so it is clear that the midge menace costs the country millions every year.

The impact of midges on the health of horses

But it is not just tourism that suffers. Midges cause sweet-itch, a debilitating and incurable condition which affects up to one in twenty of the UK's horses and ponies.

Unlike other propane fuelled insect traps the Midgeater Max is designed specifically as a midge catcher, it is not simply a mosquito trap rebranded for sale in the UK.

The Midge problem is different to dealing with mosquitoes. They are much smaller and occur in much denser populations. The sheer volume of midges - scientists have recorded more than half a million emerging from a two metre square area in just one night - presented the Midgeater designer team with a real challenge, as did their tiny size - a midge's wingspan is less than 2mm across.

What was needed was a product capable of catching the insects, without letting them into the mechanical and electrical parts of the machine. With the support of Scottish Enterprise, Calor funded a study of the potential of a propane device to help manage local midge populations.

A team of scientists led by Edinburgh University's renowned midge expert Dr Alison Blackwell conducted the research.

After examining Dr Blackwell's findings, Calor commissioned Scottish engineering company Texol Technical Solutions to design the Midgeater range specifically to address the problem of the biting midge in Scotland. In the summer of 2003 the first Midgeater was introduced and within weeks the entire stock was sold out. Four years on, their popularity continues grow as more and more people discover the effectiveness of the Midgeater range.