midges, how not to get bitten

Quoted message said:

I have never been camping in the highlands much after
easter.Stories of the midges rather put me off because I am
one of those that gets bitten a lot and i put up a good
reaction to every bite.
I am old enough to remember my first bottle of DEET in the
70's.What fantastic stuff that is.It transformed my enjoyment
of the great outdoors.
The trouble with asking natives for advice is that I have the
impression that one's reaction to bites is lessened by many
repeats.

So if I go this summer what should I do?Long clothes must
work.Does deet do well enough?
Is it worthwhile soaking clothes and tent in permethrin or
deet?Mossie candle in the tent any use?
I am rather dubious of garlic and marmite munching.
How about leaving the inner tent at home and relying on deet?
Advice please.

TerryJ

There are different species of midge that bite and some are worse than
others. I find that some areas are worse than others, Skye was always the
worst place for me.
Staying close to someone who smokes a pipe sometimes works and I've heard
that they don't like bog myrtle but camping on a bog is not a good idea.
Your best hope is for a light breeze.

Bill Oddie suggested, on his wildlife program last night, being with someone
that attracts them more is good.

Don't let them put you off going to the Highlands.
--
Mark

1x1 wheel, 3x2 wheels & 1x3 wheels.

Quoted message said:

I have never been camping in the highlands much after easter.Stories of
the midges rather put me off because I am one of those that gets bitten
a lot and i put up a good reaction to every bite.
I am old enough to remember my first bottle of DEET in the 70's.What
fantastic stuff that is.It transformed my enjoyment of the great
outdoors.
The trouble with asking natives for advice is that I have the
impression that one's reaction to bites is lessened by many repeats.

So if I go this summer what should I do?Long clothes must work.Does
deet do well enough?
Is it worthwhile soaking clothes and tent in permethrin or deet?Mossie
candle in the tent any use?
I am rather dubious of garlic and marmite munching.
How about leaving the inner tent at home and relying on deet?
Advice please.

TerryJ

The only real advice in midge season (June-August incl) is don't. There
are products like Eureka that are claimed to repel the ravenous swarms
but its not worth it IMO.

Tony

Quoted message said:

I have never been camping in the highlands much after easter.Stories of
the midges rather put me off because I am one of those that gets bitten
a lot and i put up a good reaction to every bite.
I am old enough to remember my first bottle of DEET in the 70's.What
fantastic stuff that is.It transformed my enjoyment of the great
outdoors.
The trouble with asking natives for advice is that I have the
impression that one's reaction to bites is lessened by many repeats.

So if I go this summer what should I do?Long clothes must work.Does
deet do well enough?
Is it worthwhile soaking clothes and tent in permethrin or deet?Mossie
candle in the tent any use?
I am rather dubious of garlic and marmite munching.
How about leaving the inner tent at home and relying on deet?
Advice please.

TerryJ

Whilst I was in Tomintoul last August I used Boots ownbrand repellent
and it worked.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have never been camping in the highlands much after easter.Stories of
the midges rather put me off because I am one of those that gets bitten
a lot and i put up a good reaction to every bite.
I am old enough to remember my first bottle of DEET in the 70's.What
fantastic stuff that is.It transformed my enjoyment of the great
outdoors.
The trouble with asking natives for advice is that I have the
impression that one's reaction to bites is lessened by many repeats.

So if I go this summer what should I do?Long clothes must work.Does
deet do well enough?
Is it worthwhile soaking clothes and tent in permethrin or deet?Mossie
candle in the tent any use?
I am rather dubious of garlic and marmite munching.
How about leaving the inner tent at home and relying on deet?
Advice please.

TerryJ

I read marmite worked. Ate loads of it last summer and got bitten to hell
whilst staying near bay d'archachon by jumbo mosquitoes. Good sales ploy by
Marmite ltd.
Will take advice and used DEET next trip. Google search seems to back it up.
Thanks for your info.
Regards
Chris

In message <[email hidden]>, Chris Nowak
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I read marmite worked. Ate loads of it last summer and got bitten to hell
whilst staying near bay d'archachon by jumbo mosquitoes.

Maybe you're supposed to smear it over your body.

--
congokid
Good restaurants in London? Number one on Google
http://congokid.com

Avon's so soft spray works at keeping them from bitting you or so I read somewhere

in message <[email hidden]>,

(') said:

I have never been camping in the highlands much after easter.Stories
of the midges rather put me off because I am one of those that gets
bitten a lot and i put up a good reaction to every bite.
I am old enough to remember my first bottle of DEET in the 70's.What
fantastic stuff that is.It transformed my enjoyment of the great
outdoors.
The trouble with asking natives for advice is that I have the
impression that one's reaction to bites is lessened by many repeats.

So if I go this summer what should I do?

Stick to windward coasts - they don't like wind.

Quoted message said:

Long clothes must work.

No.

Quoted message said:

Does
deet do well enough?
Is it worthwhile soaking clothes and tent in permethrin or deet?Mossie
candle in the tent any use?
I am rather dubious of garlic and marmite munching.

You're wrong. Midges choose their targets largely by smell; eating
things which significantly change your body odour will change your
attactiveness to midges. So if you already are attractive, garlic is
likely to make you less attractive. Of course this is the same idea as
slathering yourself with smelly midge repellent.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

-- mens vacua in medio vacuo --

Drink Loads of Gin and Tonic...... or just the tonic water as they don't
like the quinine

cheers
Jon_H

Quoted message said:

Is it worthwhile soaking clothes and tent in permethrin or deet?Mossie
candle in the tent any use?

Deet certainly works for me when applied to skin. I'd be very wary of
soaking clothes or tent in it tho' since I believe it dissolves most
synthetic fibres - there tend to be warnings on the packaging about
this. AFAIK permethrin kills them but doesn't actually repel them - so
plenty would still land on exposed bits of skin and bite you.

Apart from the other suggestions, note that you'll be fine when
actually cycling (or even walking at a reasonable pace) because they
hate any sort of air movement.

Also, if you don't want to cover yourself in nasty chemicals, the
midge hoods obtainable pretty well anywhere in Scotland are very
effective. You look a bit strange when wearing one, but quite a lot of
folk use them so you won't be the only one ...

--

John
change xx to uk for email

Jon_H said:

Drink Loads of Gin and Tonic...... or just the tonic water as they don't
like the quinine

I thought quinine was an anti-malarial. I don't think it stops you from
being bitten. Just stops you from dying afterwards!

Jon

Jon Senior said:

Jon_H said:

Drink Loads of Gin and Tonic...... or just the tonic water as they don't
like the quinine

I thought quinine was an anti-malarial. I don't think it stops you from
being bitten. Just stops you from dying afterwards!

Jon

That was my experince in Kenya (may have been the anit malaria tablets
actually)

[email hidden] wrote in news:1106997814.034309.147190
@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

Is it worthwhile soaking clothes and tent in permethrin or deet?

Not sure about the effects of permethrin, but only use DEET for soaking
clothes or tents you don't plan on using ever again. DEET (diethyl
toluamide) is used as an industrial plastics softener, it's use as an
insect repellents seems to have been a useful sideline. Many a decent tent
or waterproof jacket has been rendered useless by careless DEET spraying.

Quoted message said:

Mossie candle in the tent any use?

Don't know about the candles, but I've used mozzie coils in tents before
(the green smokey ones) between the two skins of the tent. Yes, I know the
smoke is meant to be carcinogenic, but it was that or set the tent on fire
to kill the little ****ers!

Graeme

Simon Brooke said:

Stick to windward coasts - they don't like wind.

Indeed. Such that if you're underway on the bike then you're okay. If
you're camping, unless it's blowing a real hoolie, aim to pitch the tent
/away/ from shelter.
Almost any breeze will get rid of them, but for such a windy country
it's amazing how often it's completely still in summer.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Long clothes must work.

Quoted message said:

No.

Oh. They do for me. Even something thin like Helly Lifa stops them
from munching me.

Physical barriers are, IME, the best approach. A midgy hood (Saunders
the tent folk do a good one built into a cotton beanie hat for a tenner,
plain hoods are widely available in Scotland for about £6) is well worth
having and they work very well. And unlike noxious chemicals, they're
not being a nuisance when not in use.

They're not generally keen on going inside buildings, so a B&B can be
used as a refuge if the camping does entail being eaten alive.

I have heard the theories that they don't "do" altitude or rain. Both
are complete bollocks (in fact it's their /like/ for wet conditions
which makes the East coast far less midgy!).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> wrote in news:3669heF4snl9tU1
@individual.net:

Quoted message said:

Oh. They do for me. Even something thin like Helly Lifa stops them
from munching me.

As a true outdoors type Peter, you should know well that the Smelly Helly
repels ALL forms of life, even your nearest and dearest (unless they're
wearing one too).

Graeme

Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> wrote in news:3669heF4snl9tU1
@individual.net:

Quoted message said:

I have heard the theories that they don't "do" altitude or rain.

I think the altitude thing is just down to the higher chance of a decent
breeze to stop the biting. I've certainly been bitten on mountain tops, but
more often than not I've been bite free up there. As for the rain, I'm with
you, total bollocks! The buggers would starve if they never flew in the
rain!

Graeme

Graeme said:

As a true outdoors type Peter, you should know well that the Smelly Helly
repels ALL forms of life, even your nearest and dearest (unless they're
wearing one too).

Fair comment... Will have to see if my smart new Merino base layers
keep them out!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Graeme said:

As a true outdoors type Peter, you should know well that the Smelly Helly
repels ALL forms of life, even your nearest and dearest (unless they're
wearing one too).

One that's even smellier :-)
There seem to be something about my sweat that reacts very fast with any
polyester based fibre...

Roos

Peter Clinch said:

Graeme said:

As a true outdoors type Peter, you should know well that the Smelly
Helly repels ALL forms of life, even your nearest and dearest
(unless they're wearing one too).

Fair comment... Will have to see if my smart new Merino base layers
keep them out!

Been shopping at Rohan? 🙂

Graeme said:

Quoted message said:

I have heard the theories that they don't "do" altitude or rain.

I think the altitude thing is just down to the higher chance of a decent
breeze to stop the biting.

Don't think so. We just don't have altitude in the UK. It definitely
works in Norway and Italy (to name two countries I'm familiar with),
although in the latter it's more closely linked to vegetation.

--
Nick Kew