Midgies and Flies

[Lush]

I use permithrin on my trousers, outer socks and other garments that are going to come into contact with undergrowth, primarily to combat ticks and chiggers. In this role the 0.5% solution sold for the purpose is excellent. It is advertised as lasting for two weeks per application, even with a wash cycle. That should be enough that you can treat clothes before leaving home, then not worry about it again. Chiggers are able to infest clothing so that you keep getting new bites for days after having picked them up. Its well worth keeping them from coming aboard.

DEET works well on mosquitoes, ticks and chiggers somewhat, but is oily and smells pretty bad. I use it under my trousers, on shins and ankles, in tick areas, and on upper exposed skin for mossies. I prefer to keep exposed skin to a minimum and rely on loose clothing to stop bite through.

In Scotland I used a product I bought from Wilderness 1-2-1 (Rob’s company) that was made with Neem tree extract. It worked well to stop the midges biting, but nothing will stop them from crawling. It smelled nice, but didn’t work as long as the synthetic stuff.

Also good for the midges was Autan which is a Bayer product that I found on sale in Wilkinsons. I thought it smelled better than DEET and did a good job.

I was very pleased with a product called Prevent from Agropharm Ltd. It is made from pyrethrum (found in members of the chrysanthemum family). The pressurized spray is really small, pocket sized, good for about 400 squirts, is both repellent and insecticidal and is intended for skin and clothing use. It kept the Norwegian midges from biting really well.

In the case of flies like the midge, the cleg and tsetse, colour and movement are attractors. In Scotland I found I attracted fewer midges wearing khaki/stone/tan clothing than I did when wearing loden green. In Norway with the clegs, and deer flies the same thing applied. I had flies going for my brown hat and leaving the rest of me alone. The guys with me who wore greens and darker clothes had flies going for the darkest, warmest, parts. I saw a report that somewhere in Africa they were sellectively targeting tsetse fly by treating black cloth in powerful insectiside and errecting it on a frame and setting it in a sunny spot in the bush. The flies were attracted to the large, dark, sun warmed shape.

For midges a head net is hard to beat. The repellants don’t stop them walking on you and that can get really annoying. A wide brimmed hat and net give you some time out from swatting.

Now that is an impressive arsenal!

btw.: "Prevent from Agropharm" contains a natural form of permethrin. Interesting..., I don't know about skin use though. Do you still look the same after using it C_Claycomb hehehe.. kidding..

Lush

 

[Wayland]

I use an equal mix of Citronella oil, Tea tree oil and Eucalyptus oil on the brim of my hat.

If it's really thick with the blighters I use it on skin as well.

Seems to work quite well for me.

I also use Pine tar soap usually and add "Nordic Summer" to the above mix in Northern Norway for their midges that could eat Scotish ones for breakfast.:yikes:

 

[ol smokey]

Thanks for all the responses-- Very interesting and informative -Please keep them Rolling in ,as I am sure that they will be of benefit to many members. Promise to have a go at some of them later in the year

 

[gregorach]

I'll second Toddy's recommendation for Bog Mytle (Myrica gale, aka Sweet Gale). I usually have a few sprigs in my pockets and a couple of big bunches at each end of my tarp. However, in really serious midge situations, there's nothing to beat a head net.

 

[EdS]

've alos found going with a friend who is taller and sweatier keeps them of f me

 

[elrond]

I have been using Avon Skinsosoft for years and swear by it. Make sure it is the oil spray though (forest fresh works best and smells luvelry ;-) ).

I beleive it works as a physical barrier rather than any repellent type action.

 

[C_Claycomb]

It is interesting the things that will do-in insects.

I once washed out the shemagh I was using as a towel/wash-cloth, using Mountain Suds biodegradable soap, and hung it on some brush to dry. When I came back to it, I found several dozen wood ants gripping loose fibres, all were curled up stone dead. I can only surmise that there was enough soap left in the wet towel that it broke the surface tention and that the ants drowned.

I believe the Avon stuff works the same way with the midge, coating them and bogging them down.

Lithril,
The PreVent is sold as skin safe, but is also meant to work to clear flying insects from hotel rooms. COOL! As for whether I look the same after using it :bluThinki not sure, memory has been playing up lately

 

[Lush]

It is interesting the things that will do-in insects.

I once washed out the shemagh I was using as a towel/wash-cloth, using Mountain Suds biodegradable soap, and hung it on some brush to dry. When I came back to it, I found several dozen wood ants gripping loose fibres, all were curled up stone dead. I can only surmise that there was enough soap left in the wet towel that it broke the surface tention and that the ants drowned.

I believe the Avon stuff works the same way with the midge, coating them and bogging them down.

Lithril,
The PreVent is sold as skin safe, but is also meant to work to clear flying insects from hotel rooms. COOL! As for whether I look the same after using it :bluThinki not sure, memory has been playing up lately

:bluThinki lol!

No seriously, this is one of the best posts I have ever read about the subject. Especially your array of products