Midges.

[JamPan]

That bog myrtle is an interesting one. I'll definitely give that a go.

From my previous experiences.
Taking garlic capsules first thing in the morning seemed to repel the midges right into the evening around loch lomond. Normally I'd get eaten alive, and others were with hoods up over smokey fires whilst I was in my t-shirt.
This however didn't work at all in the Lake District of Poland where I got bitten raw by mozzies and horseflies. A local lady saw me suffering and just sprayed me with something I thought was deet, but she said 'natural, natural' I still don't know what it's called but it worked for about three hours.
In India I tried building up a month before by taking thiamin capsules (b vitamin) and continued taking then whilst there. I also took neem capsules and rubbed on neem oil which smells awful, and citronella. Nothing worked there as I think I was sweating everything straight off. I just stayed covered up at mozzie o'clock and when I left my room I kept the windows closed and burnt a mozzie coil which killed them.
I tried deet once but my skin is too sensitive that it felt like deep heat so had to wash it off.

 

[Monikieman]

About a month ago at least!!! Whilst weeding the garden. Antihystemine needed nowadays as I get really bad lumps

 

[JamPan]

As I mentioned in Two Dogs pine tar soap thread. I'd read the other day about a certain tree leaves which is an insect repellent. I've found it again now. Apparently if you bruise up some elder leaves and rub them on exposed areas it keeps the biters off. I'll give this a go next time I'm in a bug ridden area. Anyone else already know about this and tried it?

 

[oldtimer]

The Canadians say that the insects always go for the guy in the blue shirt. NOT telling your mate this and then buying him a blue shirt might be an option.

However, my wife often wears blue and doesn't get bitten whereas all winged beasties love me and treat me like a five-star restaurant. We have a family joke that there are insects that have died a horrible death after biting her and have passed this information on to their descendants. But then, she's been known to send the odd bear packing too. She prefers to sleep under a tarp or at least a wide open tent while I close and zip up tight all openings. We are in a state of truce now we are in our late 70s and use a camper van with built in bug mesh for most nights out. I ALWAYS have a bug net, repellent and anti histamine cream in my day pack. This year, the Blandford fly has added me to its menu and has opened a fast-food outlet in my vegetable plot.

When we lived in the Bahamas, we were advised to eat plenty of garlic which seemed to work against mosquitoes but not sandflies. We didn't get bitten by vampires either. We seemed to build up a tolerance to reactions to mozzie bites which was useful when travelling through Florida where the mosquitoes are more fearsome than the alligators. I remember one camp by a lake where I was bitten frequently through blue jeans and blue work-shirt. Wish I'd heard that Canadian tale earlier. The worst place in Europe I know is on the Hungarian/Slovak border where a swamp acts as the dividing line. Down in the South East corner of France we have been recently invaded by the moustiche-tigre, but fortunately the authorities are taking action to limit the spread. The region along the Mediterranean littoral was once an almost uninhabited mosquito coast where malaria was rife and the locals have no desire to return to this situation.

I have a horror of being bitten and read threads such as this with wrapt attention and shall certainly be trying out many of the suggestions new to me. So, thanks for the contribution and keep them coming!

 

[Toddy]

Funnily enough, I was working yesterday, part of it was demonstrating natural dyes, so I took along a load of fresh cut greenery. Among the bundle was mugwort, melissa and bog myrtle, and the countryside ranger noticed it, and asked me if I used it for tea. I replied that I did on occasion, but today it was dye, but usually the mugwort was fire and the myrtle and melissa were anti midge…..but the three together make a very useful anti-insect wipe.

If you fancy trying it Oldtimer, (just simmering it up in a tightly lidded pot, let it cool and then strain the liquid onto a bounty kitchen towel kept in a sealed tub) and don't have the plants, let me know and I'll prune some and send them to you.

M

 

[Alan 13~7]

I was in the garden on Monday for a good 4 hours putting a new tarp on my garage roof the midges were driving me nuts after about an hour, I tried the Listerine mouthwash as a repellent don't know if it really helped, I was already badly bitten by the time I put it on but it did seemed to make it at least bearable, as for how to sooth the irritation after being well bitten, I found after having really hot bath immediately after coming indoors & I was fine!

 

[Leshy]

Bug oil from the "stupidly simple" range works.
It's natural, home made and provided by "Xylaria" and "Woodstock" of this parish .

In fact the neem oil soap and the pine tar soap from them is really good too!

Stupidly simple and really effective.

 

[baggins]

Had petty good success with the Smidge repellent. Used it last year around Invergarry and the little buggers ignored us and went to hassle some poor germans. That, mixed with Nordic summer and Pine tar soap from here seem to put them off, as well as anybody in a 30 mtr radius.

 

[Herbalist1]

DEET may work for many nasties but in my experience not for the dreaded midge! Back in the '80s when we weren't so concerned about using the stuff, I sprayed it on my arms until they were wet - and watched the midges drown themselves in the stuff. Clearly their determination to get a taste of me (I seem to be especially tasty and get bitten when the wife is left alone) greatly outweighed the repellent effects of DEET. The ones that drowned didn't seem to bite but I don't think soaking yourself in the stuff is an application method to be recommended - as I say this was a long time ago when we seemed less concerned about using the stuff directly on skin.

 

[Toddy]

Autan is supposed to be a safer equivalent of the deet. I don't think it is really quite that, but I have found it at least as effective as the horrible SSS stuff. I can't stand the smell of that. Himself comes home stinking of it and is told to strip and shower while I get his kit washed.
I think it's each to their own on most of the stuff except the heavy chemicals, and we know that those aren't good for us let alone the midgies.

M

 

[LeeMcAllen]

Old thread resurrected 😀
Up on the west coast most people use Avon's 'skin so soft' (assumed it was common knowledge).

Avon So Soft is definitely the best midge repellent I've ever tried. Never failed me so far and pretty cheap too.