Tourist was bitten by the holiday bug

THEY are the nasty biting bugs which normally swarm in their millions to ruin Highland holidays.

But it took one solitary midge to send Tracy Macinnes scurrying for help after it became lodged in her ear.

Mrs Macinnes was driven mad by a constant fluttering sensation and buzzing noise in her right ear while on holiday on the island of Barra.

After brave but unsuccessful DIY attempts to flush out the insect using cooking oil, the 45-year-old, originally from Lochgilphead, Argyll, but now living in Corby, Northamptonshire, sought help from a local GP on Monday.

The mother of four, right, ended up being admitted to the hospital where staff blasted the beastie out with water.

Mrs Macinnes had returned north of the Border for a holiday when the incident happened. She said: ‘It was the first day of our holiday and I felt a fluttering and buzzing noise in my ear. It felt like a huge dragonfly was in there.

‘My auntie said olive oil would get it out but there was none, so she ended up squirting in cooking oil. However, that seemed to annoy it and moved it further in.’

Mrs Macinnes said a couple of hours went by as her aunt and sister-in-law shone mobile phone lights in her ear to see if they could see anything. Eventually she sought medical help at the local surgery before going to Barra Hospital.

She added: ‘Three nurses took a look with a magnifying glass and flushed out a midge. It was a huge relief to me but now we can laugh about it.

‘I’ll be wearing ear muffs from now on.’