Midges have started

[beezer]

my latest smidge test was a success. i had to do some last minute marshaling yesterday for a rally which involved standing in a forest with perfect midge condition for about an hour. i had left my head net in the van as i was in a rush so the only protection i had was the magic spray. yet again i made no contribution to the next generation of midges.

how about we all club together and spray the entire countryside with smidge, that should sort things out. group by any one lol

 

[Toddy]

What eats midge larvae ?
Seriously they're not doing their job, so we need to give them a helping hand.
Like we need more birds to eat the ticks

M

 

[Lizz]

For ten years I didn't have any dairy products and during that period I stopped being eaten by any kind of biting insect! Apparently it's something in milk that is especially attractive (we're talking absorption, metabolisation, secretion and other bio stuff) to midges, gnats and mossies, so if you eat dairy -cow not goat, they will eat you. I've recently started having dairy again in small amounts and am back to being chomped. So now I wear a mossie net - working that look!

 

[caorach]

I've recently started having dairy again in small amounts and am back to being chomped. So now I wear a mossie net - working that look!

The water in my pot hadn't had any dairy products in years, but it didn't seem to help much. However, I think you are right and once they get really bad the head net is the only solution as there comes a point when they get too thick to keep them out of your eyes. As it was I had to walk around with my head down on Friday, if I looked up I got an eye full of them, but if it steps up another gear the net will be the only way forward. Still a late season like this, with the cold spring we've had, is often also a very short season as they go for it in a big way for a short time.

 

[Chainsaw]

Yup which is why I was doing this today

 

[Toddy]

Had enough had you ? Impressive safety zone there

I lived totally dairy free for years and still got bitten I can't digest milk, and all I manage now is a little very mature cheddar or the like…..and I still get bitten. The blighters are out here too, and a quick nip out not half an hour ago to empty the kitchen bin has left me with ten itchy red spots

M

 

[Chainsaw]

It's not for me (well it is a bit) but Mrs C is prone to being munched, this was in about 15 minutes (ie the time it took to pitch our tent) and yeah she'll kill me for posting that!

It's just nice to be able to sit out on a nice summers evening rather than being stuck in a tent. We're heading up the west coast again, usually the blighters leave only the bones!

 

[Bowlander]

Get some smoke going - keeps the blighters away!

Its midgy here at the moment - windows are open and odd ones are coming in and having a nibble. Outside earlier was horrendous - kept moving but still got nailed.

Had the firepit going last night and it worked really well - we've reclaimed a bit of outside space from the clouds of hungry midges.

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[Toddy]

I filled the bird feeders an hour ago and I was being bitten again too

Sometimes you really wish for a good wind.

M

 

[mick91]

I think a better solution could be some kind of mozzy attracting stuff to spray on your mate instead. Would work better than trying to repel them

 

[Stevie777]

Avoid the Hatch. Early Morning and early evening are the worst. A rain shower brings them out in numbers. If i poke my head out the tent and the midge eats my face i close tent and go back to sleep for an hour or so or i go for a walk to get away from them. It's all about timing. Depending where you are mind you.

If you are near a Beach just go for a walk until they bugger off.
Skin so Soft does work.

Funny story. I was camping near Mallaig a few years back when in rolled the Blue Angels hairy motor cycle gang. off came the leathers and out came the skin so soft. Not as fearsome as one might have you believe. They smelled awesome

 

[Tony]

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[Paulm]

Skin so Soft does work.

Funny story. I was camping near Mallaig a few years back when in rolled the Blue Angels hairy motor cycle gang. off came the leathers and out came the skin so soft. Not as fearsome as one might have you believe. They smelled awesome

Good to hear mate as I just ordered a couple of bottles over the weekend !

I guess they were Countryfile viewers then too !

Cheers, Paul

 

[WoodsmanJim]

A quick question if I may: What are they like come September?

We're thinking of heading up to Shuna for a couple of weeks and staying in a place right near the loch edge. I get munched even at mild times of the yer, they seem to love me! Will I be destroyed and have the worst holiday ever?

I've spent many months in Thailand and lifeventure 100% DEET was the only thing that worked for me there, but with the heat and sweat it was always a case of minimising the bites rather than eradicating them altogether.
When on honeymoon in Antigua some years back we me a couple from the deep south of the USA and they had one of these


He told us he uses it when he goes hunting and fishing in the swamps and woods around his home and it works a treat. He fired it up and placed it under our table during an evening of cocktails and when we saw how effective it was at creating an insect free-zone all round us, that was enough for us! we immediately bought one when we got home. It's really very good and we use it when camping or sitting out in the garden.


Jim

 

[rorymax]

A quick question if I may: What are they like come September?

We're thinking of heading up to Shuna for a couple of weeks and staying in a place right near the loch edge. I get munched even at mild times of the yer, they seem to love me! Will I be destroyed and have the worst holiday ever?

I've spent many months in Thailand and lifeventure 100% DEET was the only thing that worked for me there, but with the heat and sweat it was always a case of minimising the bites rather than eradicating them altogether.
When on honeymoon in Antigua some years back we me a couple from the deep south of the USA and they had one of these


He told us he uses it when he goes hunting and fishing in the swamps and woods around his home and it works a treat. He fired it up and placed it under our table during an evening of cocktails and when we saw how effective it was at creating an insect free-zone all round us, that was enough for us! we immediately bought one when we got home. It's really very good and we use it when camping or sitting out in the garden.


Jim

What is it ?

 

[Stevie777]

Depending on the summer we have the midge should (in theory) be on the road out come September. Check here. http://midgeforecast.co.uk/

 

[WoodsmanJim]

Sorry, bit lacking on detail there wasn't I! It's powered by a little Thermacell gas cell and heats up a warming plate (under the grill) onto which you slide an impregnated card. The card warms up and gives off repellent. Works remarkably well, see here for more details:
http://www.thermacell.com/mosquito-repellent/appliances/mosquito-repellent-appliance-in-olive

Thanks for the website tip Stevie, I'll be sure to keep updated.

Jim

 

[Lizz]

I've used those all over Asia! You can sometimes buy them in larger boots and other chemists or I guess on eBay. If you get them from overseas some of the tablet inserts contain a chemical not licensed in the UK as being suitable for human ingestion (including breathing) but they're very effective! I've also had micro coils which you light and they burn away giving off a smoke which keeps everything away - including waiters in outdoor cafes! Both of these work if you're static but not so much if you're moving around, but I guess that's obvious. I've had both battery powered and cord powered.

 

[Bowlander]

I was on South Uist on a pier in October listening to the stags roaring and getting eaten alive.

Dogs make effective midge decoys.

Might have to try this:

https://youtu.be/rQbMvPEVxrA

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[Toddy]

My Dad lived wild on Rannoch Moor for three years. No midge nets, no head nets, just a wee army pup tent. He said, "Learn to like smoking a pipe".
Maybe that's why we have so many 'hearth herbs' like the gale, the mugwort, etc.,

M