Scottish midges - advice required please

[Tripitaka]

I have a couple of free weekends coming up and fancied a trip north of the border. Unfortuately, I react really badly to midge bites, coming up in big itchy lumps that last for days.

What is the season for the little blighters and where are they best/worst?

I fancied a bit of paddling - maybe Loch Doon or Ken.

What are the best repellants for them?

I've done a search but can't find any remotely definitive answers.

 

[bothyman]

Everyone reacts differently but I use Avon Skin so Soft, some of the stuff you can get eats paint, so God knows what it does to your skin.
There seems to be a lot of natural solutions these days too.
I also use Citronella candles which seem to work best used in a Candle lantern just incase it falls over.

MickT

 

[Opal]

Re Citronella candles, they are selling these in small (about 3" diameter) buckets in Home Bargains, I bought a pack of three, they look ideal and not bulky.

 

[JohnC]

Avon skin so soft works fairly well..

Toddy had some stuff at the last meet at Loch Achray, I can't remember the details, I'm sure she'll be along soon if midges are being mentioned...

 

[BorderReiver]

When the little beggars come at you mob handed there's not a lot will stop 'em.

A large brimmed hat and a head net, trousers tucked into the socks or gaiters and shirt sleeves on the tightest button or tied with string will keep most of them away.:AR15firin

 

[Chainsaw]

I use the jungle formula stuff, brutal but effective, probably bad for you too but... Skin so Soft seems to work as well but makes me feel slimy and greasy, don't like it.. Headnet is a must.

Cheers,

Alan

 

[dwardo]

If you react badly then try every kind of repellant you can. Just be carefull of high DEET content stuff, it does work but at what cost..
Avon skin so soft works well for me with additional application of a DEET based product applied only to clothes.
Making sure you camp in the right spot helps more than some potions.
Try to make sure your camp isnt right on the waters edge if on fresh water, away from stagnent fresh water such as ditches and ponds, somewhere with a good breeze really helps.
Equipment wise a mozzie net for your hammock is a must in my opinion, as is a smokey fire constantly burning.
Also remember that certain colours attract midge/mozzies as do deoderants and other smellies.

Oh and if you know someone who is a magnet for them, take them camping with you...

 

[Shewie]

Nordic Summer from Woodlore is very good and believe it or not the cheapest on the web.

Also have a look at Beatons Midge jacket, I bought a couple as I heard they're very good but I've not had to use it in anger yet.

 

[gregorach]

When the little beggars come at you mob handed there's not a lot will stop 'em.

Aye... I sometimes think we think too much about repellents and not enough about habitat and conditions... Midges like damp, still air, so still overcast days under trees near water are the worst. Get out in the middle of the loch, or up a hill, or out from under the trees and suddenly it can be a very different story.

But yeah, never go anywhere without a head net.

Repellents seem to vary from person to person. I use the "BCB Insect Repellent Stick", which contains Dimethyl Pthalate and 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1 amongst other nasty-sounding and doubtless carcinogenic ingredients. It seems to work quite well, but it is nasty stuff, so I prefer to try and avoid or exclude the little blighters instead.

 

[jimford]

Also have a look at Beatons Midge jacket, I bought a couple as I heard they're very good but I've not had to use it in anger yet.

The Beatons Midge Jacket it the _only_ thing that's guaranteed to prevent midge bites, in spite of what people say about repellents, which IME have limited effectiveness. In particular I find 'Avon Skin So Soft' as effective as snake oil!

Jim

 

[Tripitaka]

I'm liking those jackets!!

 

[Twodogs]

Nordic Summer , rub it all over smells great ....
Twodogs

 

[Dexter]

Head net, head net, head net, head net!!! Repellent only works on a percentage of the little B@@!!**! whereas a head net works on a 100% of them.

 

[jimford]

Head net, head net, head net, head net!!! Repellent only works on a percentage of the little B@@!!**! whereas a head net works on a 100% of them.

Advocates of repellents just don't seem to get it - or they've never met _real_ midges!

I've been in them in their millions - when they're like thick smoke. In these conditions, repellents may stop 0.001 percent of them from biting you, but that still means you're getting bitten by thousands! Repellents also don't stop you breathing them in and choking on them. I've coughed, spat and blown my nose into a tissue which has ended up black with them!

Jim

 

[masongary44]

With regard to the health concerns of DEET its worth taking a look at some of the medical research. Its a long time since I did chemistry at University but if its a carcinogen, the general public generally cant buy the stuff... pretty much that simple....

Take a look http://www.otispregnancy.org/pdf/DEET.pdf, yes it relates to questions raised about the use of these chemicals for pregnant women, but, if it is safe for pregnant women and the unborn child, it is safe for the average healthy non-pregnant male of female.

I used to use the 100% DEET, the only side effect is it dissolves some plastics so goodness knows what effect it would have on your modern breathable fabrics.... worth being careful with... this article suggests that a weaker solution with more frequent application might be a better option.

 

[w00dsmoke]

NEVER use Avon Skin so soft in the hot weather. My buddy and I decided to do some wild fishing, it wasa scorcher of a day but with ahealthy wind. The water had white horses running ashore so it was quite chilly on the shore. I covered my arms in Avon skin so soft as i expected loads of midges on the walk in, my buddy didn't.

Both of us wore t shirts with cut off sleeves and I ended up with 2nd degree burns on my shoulders and arms that became infected. Now this means that your hands and arms swell up and I needed serious antibiotics to get the swelling down. For 6 days I could not sleep more than 1 hour at a time and not without wet t towls wrapped around my arms. 3 days after exposure myarms wrere covered in brown blisters like bubble wrap, 3 days after that and most of my skin on my arms had started to come off.

Now my buddy wasn't even sun burnt and I don;t even have sensitive skin. We can only conclude that Avon skin so soft accelorated and magnified the effects of the sun. So be warned...aye it's a great midgie repellent but....

 

[Nonsuch]

Make yourself one of these for those west coast canoe stops. When the wind drops, get inside to cook, eat, drink and sneer at the midges outside. It's the only thing that REALLY works ! No fires inside though....

 

[Angus Og]

Napalm about five square miles of the entire area your going to should give you a night in peace.

I don't use repellents long sleeve shirt, head net and sometimes cotton gloves.

 

[Tripitaka]

I'm more than happy to avoid the repellants given the practical alternatives here.

Are the midges bad everywhere in Scoltand or worse in some areas and not as bad in others?

Is there a season for them? When do they usually start and when do they tail off and cease to be a problem?

 

[jimford]

Are the midges bad everywhere in Scoltand or worse in some areas and not as bad in others?

Is there a season for them? When do they usually start and when do they tail off and cease to be a problem?

I wouldn't take any notice of advice given for the above - you can't rely on midges, except to say that you don't get them in the winter. You're probably also safe in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow!

I've been to places where they've been fearsome one year, yet at the same time and place, absent the following year.

Jim