Scotland's midge forecast is to expand to include predicted levels of ticks. The forecast is due to resume next month - but this time with a 'tick watch'.
It will involve people reporting regional levels of the insect, as well as climatic conditions conducive to ticks, to build a daily map. Leading midge expert Dr Alison Blackwell, whose company runs the forecast, said the 'tick watch' was in response to growing numbers and health concerns over the insect.
The move comes after calls that tick-borne diseases in Scotland should be mapped in a similar way to avalanche hazards. The tiny spider-like creatures can spread viral and bacterial infections - including Lyme disease - to humans.
Dr James Douglas, a Fort William-based GP who also works in Lyme disease research, said ticks in particular areas should be regularly sampled. He said the results could be used to create a resource similar to the Scottish Avalanche Information Service. The service provides forecasts on avalanche hazards for six mountain areas.
Dr Douglas' call follows a warning of the presence of of tick-borne encephalitis in the UK. The virus is rare and most people do not develop symptoms, but swelling to the brain is possible. Sampling of ticks has been carried out before, but the GP said the testing was sporadic.
He said: "Longer term we need systematic analysis a bit like the avalanche service in winter time. "We need a similar sort of service that's sampling the ticks all the time in particular areas so we know what germs are in the ticks and how we deal with them."
Ticks are usually active from early spring to late autumn, but there have been warnings they have become a year-round risk. They can be found in public parks and even gardens, though traditionally "high-risk" places for ticks include grassy and wooded areas in southern and northern England and in the Scottish Highlands, according to the NHS.
There have also been concerns about high tick numbers in parts of the Western Isles. Not all tick bites result in an infection, and the diseases are treatable if caught early. Dr Douglas said people should familiarise themselves with how to safely remove ticks. Public Health Scotland is among organisations offering information on dealing with tick removal and health concerns.
The GP said gardeners, dog walkers and forestry workers were among those most likely to encounter ticks, and urged them to regularly check themselves for ticks.
Dr Blackwell said information about ticks would also be included in the new forecast. "There is growing concern and we will be building a map based on tick watch," she said. "The good news is that midge repellent works well on ticks. The climatic conditions that ticks like will be regionalised on the forecast, but we will be replying on people reporting their encounters with ticks."
Ironically last year's midge season registered record lows of that biting beastie. The infamous tiny insect struggled to survive in the dry summer, said the official midge forecast. Midges usually appear in two hatchings and thrive in wet and warm conditions.
Scientists behind the Scottish Midge Forecast said it was likely the dry weather in July and August had suppressed the second peak's numbers. There was also no "significant" third hatch in September - breaking a trend of recent years. Scotland has more than 35 species of biting midges, but one dubbed the Highland midge is the most ferocious, according to the forecast team.
Dr Blackwell said: "There were not a lot about in July and August - in fact in some areas they virtually disappeared. These were the lowest numbers we have recorded in 12 years. But I don't think the low numbers of the second hatch will greatly affect this year's hatch.
"We started having numerous reports of midges being out in increasing numbers in the north and west early on last season but the hot, dry weather was not ideal for adult midge survival. Midges prefer it wet and warm so hot but dry conditions will suppress the emergence of adults - and that is what happened."
The Scottish Midge Forecast is run by Dundee-based APS Biocontrol Ltd, which also makes an insect repellent, Smidge. The Scottish tourism industry is estimated to lose about £286 million-a -year because of the voracious and swarming insects - and that is based of the traditional five-month long midge season.
A previous study also found that many tourists said they would not return to Scotland at the same time of year because of the biting midges. But despite last year's poor midge season, Dr Blackwell says it is too early to celebrate.
"Midges like warm and wet weather and that is exactly what climate change is producing in Scotland and for longer," she said. "The midge season is getting longer because the weather they like is too. About 7C is the cut-off point for a midge to fly. The only good news I can offer is that midges do not like it hot and dry. The numbers fall quickly in hot spells. They only have a 2mm wingspan so they become dehydrated quickly."
Dr Blackwell and her team previously calculated the total number of midges in the Highlands and Islands for the first time. They estimated there were 139billion midges in the Highlands and Islands.
Half of them were females - only the female midge bites - but not every one of them makes it to maturity. So the number of midges seeking a "blood meal" over the summer around around 21billion.
The larvae of Culicoides impunctatus - the scientific name for the Highland biting midge - overwinter in the soil and usually begin to emerge as adults the following year.
These adults then lay eggs that develop relatively quickly to give a second emergence of adult midges in July. Two million midges weigh just a kilo - and one square metre of land will contain about 500,000 of the insects.
The flying midge lives for between two days and two weeks depending on weather conditions. During this time the female can lay up to 170 eggs in as much as three batches.
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