Midgies - repellents that work

[Shewie]

Well they certainly seem to have made their comeback round here over the last few days, I've been savaged a few times already whilst out and about this week.

Being a smoker and an open fire fanatic camp life isn't too bad but walking and paddling can be a pain sometimes. I'm going to be heading north quite a lot this year so it would be good to hear what people use effectively.
I've got a mozzie headnet which works but is a little distracting over long periods, I've looked at the bug jackets but not bought one yet.



Some methods I've tried .....


Avon - Skin-So-Soft (tried it at Loch Long last year, garbage tbh. In fact I think it even attracted them)

Jungle Formula - Spray and gel - okay but not brilliant

Whisky - worked quite well but I stunk like a tramp for three days


So what are the tried and tested repellents which actually work ?

 

[PJMCBear]

I've also tried Skin So Soft - with the same results. I have found Nordic Summer to be effective, but not when they are swarming. Nothing seems to stop them then.

 

[Shewie]

I've also tried Skin So Soft - with the same results. I have found Nordic Summer to be effective, but not when they are swarming. Nothing seems to stop them then.

Nordic Summer ??

Thanks Paul not heard of that one before

 

[Toddy]

A recent success with Vitamin B3, Niacin, has me absolutely delighted
Normally I'm covered in lumps from the blighters and I dread the onslaught of clegs.

So far, touch wood, not one bump

atb,
Toddy

 

[gregorach]

There's a really evil WWII vintage (pre DEET) repellent that comes in a stick - it'll melt plastic, but it does seem to keep them off. Can't remember what it's called though... Stings a bit if you over-apply it, but it's better than the midgies.

 

[verloc]

After quite a bit of testing last year the most effective I came up with was the 3M Ultrathon brand - chemical as hell and a reasonably high DEET content but it kept the blighter's of me. Whilst there seems to be nothing completely effective the Ultrathon is certainly my choice. I bought a load of a chap on here and also a bulkish buy on ebay.

HTH
tom

 

[Cobweb]

I'll be dabbling with pennyroyal oil this year, but the B3 tip sounds good, thank Toddy, you always come up with great ideas

 

[Ogri the trog]

I hope you're not going to say that the vitamin B3 thing is.....






MarXXXX sorry, can't bring myself to type out the full name.



Ogri the trog

 

[Dogoak]

Have you tried bog myrtle also known as sweet gale?
Living in the land of the midge I have tried most things over the years and not found anything 100% effective. I am lucky as I only get a small red patch where the bite is, but next morning its gone, SHMBO is not so lucky, large lumps which last for days. It is more the irritation of the little blighters crawling on you that I have a problem with.
I have heard rumours of an experiment (poss. genetic enginering) which will introduce non-fertile females (females being the ones that bite!) into the wild and the idea is that it shouldn't take too long for them all to be wiped out.
No sign of the midge around here yet but the birch trees are now comming into leaf up here so the birch fly (similar to the Blandford fly) will be the next ones out and about, then the clegs (horse flies).

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, I've used Bog Myrtle quite a bit in the past, in various different ways. It does seem to help, but it's not anywhere near 100% effective on a bad midgie day. It does make for a good smudge fire though.

 

[Toadflax]

Washing with Coal Tar Soap worked for me - but it also seems to repel all females - or so my wife said!


Geoff

 

[locum76]

Skin so soft works for me. The wee buggers die as soon as they touch it. Bog myrtle seems to keep them out of yer tent. Constantly moving faster than 5 miles an hour seems to help as does standing in the middle of a ring of fire.

 

[EdS]

don't really bother me - there again I tend to be with my mate who is bigger and sweetierthan me.

Top tip - go with a big sweety bloke - they'll go for him instead

 

[sirex]

lifesystems stuff seems to do the job for me.

 

[dwardo]

The avon sss seemed to work last time i was north of the border. You do have to keep re-applying it though.

 

[Shewie]

A recent success with Vitamin B3, Niacin, has me absolutely delighted
Normally I'm covered in lumps from the blighters and I dread the onslaught of clegs.

So far, touch wood, not one bump

atb,
Toddy

So are these effective as a repellent Mary or do they just keep the irritation to a minimum ?

I guess you're taking them in tablet form ?

 

[ryback]

My girlfriend swear by Mygga. I don't bother with repellants.

 

[MickG]

I have used Avon skin so soft and seams to work, unless there were non about on the days I tried it
A friend goes to Thailand for holidays and was bitten so bad by their flys that she spent time in hospital
Was told to use Skettoline and over the next visits had no problems
She brought me back a bottle to try as I told her I was bitten and swelled up with midge bites
I have used it a few times and seems to work for me even a week in Cyprus
Mick

 

[Nagual]

My nephew and I both tried Avon, when up the hills a couple of years ago, we were exhausted , sweating tons and knackered. No sooner had we made camp than the wee buggers came out of hiding and started their evening meal. We ran for our packs and dug out the Avon stuff.. worked instantly, for both of us. we went from having what looked like black crawling skin to clear shiney skin in moments. Not tried it since then though.

 

[Toddy]

So are these effective as a repellent Mary or do they just keep the irritation to a minimum ?

I guess you're taking them in tablet form ?

My skin flares up in the most horrendous reactions to some things I have a permanent prescription for anti histamines......however, long story but I tore the tendons off my right ankle tripping over a Neolithic clearance boundarry as one does the result is that sometimes the cramps can be sorer than giving birth (been there, done that, at least those contractions ease off ) HWMBLT bought me crampex tablets and they worked
So he went reading and it turns out that they are B3 really. So instead of a fiver a packet we bought a tub of B3 for £1.29

The first tablet stopped the cramp but had no other effect, the second one left me with a whole body flush that was actually painful on my arms and legs, but since then no bite has flared up into a rash or a weeping sore

Turns out that Niacin (vitamin B3 ) can produce a 'histamine flush' in those individuals who naturally seem to run high, and thus have a bad allergic reaction to things.
Reduce the background histamine and reduce the problem

No idea if this is how it works but so far it has been effective.

I'm not a pharmacist or medical herbalist and cannot advise or prescribe these tablets, I can only say it seems to work for me.

Funnily enough, the dreaded Marmite, that I love , is rich in B vitamins, just not enough to tip the balance for me.

atb,
M