How to Keep Midges Away | 5 Common Midge Mistakes to Avoid

If you’re wondering how to keep midges away from your garden, the answer is often avoiding a few common mistakes. Midges thrive in warm, still conditions and can quickly turn a relaxing summer evening outdoors into an uncomfortable experience. Fortunately, a few simple changes can help reduce midge activity and make your outdoor space more enjoyable.

Waiting Until Midges Are Already Biting

One of the most common mistakes people make is waiting until they are already being bitten before thinking about protection. By the time midges are noticeable, they have often already settled into the area, making it much harder to enjoy your time outdoors.

Midges are most active in calm, damp conditions, particularly at dawn and dusk, so it is important to anticipate this and prepare your outdoor space in advance. Setting up protection before guests arrive or before you sit down for the evening means you can relax from the outset rather than constantly reacting to bites.

Ignoring Damp Areas Around the Garden

Midges are drawn to moisture, so overlooking damp spots around the garden can unintentionally make your outdoor space more inviting.

Standing water in plant saucers, buckets, watering cans, clogged gutters or poorly drained areas can all contribute to breeding conditions. Even small amounts of water can be enough. Regularly emptying containers, improving drainage where possible and refreshing features such as birdbaths can help reduce the opportunity for midges to multiply close to where you are entertaining.

Wearing Dark Clothing That Attracts Midges

Many people do not realise that clothing choice can influence how attractive they are to biting insects.

Midges are strongly attracted to dark coloured clothing, particularly black, navy and dark green, as well as high contrast shades that stand out against the landscape. Choosing lighter tones that blend more naturally with your surroundings can help reduce attraction.

In midge-prone areas, wearing long sleeves, trousers and even a hat offers added protection, while lightweight and breathable fabrics help you stay comfortable in warmer weather.

Sitting Too Close to Shrubs and Sheltered Areas

Positioning plays a bigger role than many people realise.

Midges tend to hover in shaded, sheltered areas with very little airflow, particularly near dense shrubs, hedges or overgrown planting. Choosing to sit right beside these areas can increase your chances of being bitten.

Trimming back foliage, allowing sunlight in and positioning seating in slightly more open or breezy spots can help make your garden less attractive to biting insects and more comfortable for you.

Not Creating a Dedicated Zone of Midge Protection

Even with good preparation and garden maintenance, midges can still be a problem during peak season. If you are looking for an effective way to keep midges away while enjoying your garden, patio or balcony, creating a dedicated zone of protection can help.

Thermacell® devices create up to a 20m² zone of mosquito and midge protection around outdoor seating areas. The device gently heats a repellent mat, releasing an active ingredient into the air that helps deter biting insects from the surrounding area.

Once fully activated, it provides reliable protection without sprays on your skin, making it ideal for relaxing outdoors, entertaining guests or enjoying summer evenings in the garden.

Looking for Reliable Midge Protection?

While reducing standing water, avoiding sheltered areas and choosing the right clothing can all help, these measures alone will not always stop midges from appearing.

Thermacell® provides a simple and effective way to create a protected outdoor space, helping you spend more time enjoying your garden and less time worrying about biting insects.

Explore the Thermacell® range to find the right solution for your garden, patio or outdoor adventures.