The battle of the BUGS!! spring is upon us!!
- Thread starter maddave
- Start date
The best insect repellent is mother nature herself.
If it is a warm spring like last year the bugs well be there in high numbers.
The ideal circumstance is that its a warm beginning and cold ending of spring.
The warm beginning let the bugs come out of the ground and the cold (frost) kills hem.
If were lucky and the weather is in our favor its gonna be a more bug less year.
If it is a warm spring like last year the bugs well be there in high numbers.
The ideal circumstance is that its a warm beginning and cold ending of spring.
The warm beginning let the bugs come out of the ground and the cold (frost) kills hem.
If were lucky and the weather is in our favor its gonna be a more bug less year.
I made myself a huge envelope from midge netting, about 7ft tall and 5ft wide with a drawcord at the bottom. If things get bad you can just sit inside it, eat, work, snooze, wash, change etc. Looks a bit odd though
I also have a tarp version : 3M square tarp with 5ft of midge netting attached all the way round.
Borrowed the idea from Cliff Jacobson.
NS
I also have a tarp version : 3M square tarp with 5ft of midge netting attached all the way round.
Borrowed the idea from Cliff Jacobson.
NS
cat litter works.
make it into a mud pack and liberally apply, the bugs break their teeth on you and give up. also leaves you with baby soft skin
You do mean new, unused cat litter, don't you?
Tobes01 - If I'm anywhere nearby the buggers will prefer me. You're an amateur in the bug munchies stakes. I had more than 43 bite on one leg after one afternoon camping! I've been walking down a track to the pub and went through a cloud of midges. The little buggers followed me all the way into the pub! I felt them swarming around me, ran forward and turned to see a 5m high column of them trailing away from my head and about 10 lazily buzzing around my mates heads!
My tip is skin so soft for western midges and a deet based one for eastern midges (of Scotland that is). I like Autan, not the feel of it but the effect. I had one not very pleasant, hot evening hiding out behind my tent midge netting, bored out of my skin when I started to play with all my insect repellants. The best one in that part of the Lakes was autan. I was able to write my name on the midge netting with it before the midges came back. Of course it was not nice because my tent door was covered with them as was the single skin fly sheet (quite appropriately names). I was convinced the buggers were trying to bite their way into the bloody tent!
Seriously though the best thing to kill midges is those bug zappers they sell in Scotland for hotels and pubs. Not sure what they are but I think the company that sells them sponsors the midge forecast. They use those machines around Scotland to forecast the midge levels. I think they catch them in the bug zapper thingy and weigh the dead midges. I seriously waiting for them to become portable (ultra lightweight format of course). The trade ones have a big bucket container built in to catch the crispy critters. If you are getting the impression that I like the idea of dead midges you'd be damned right I do.
I am due to start eating marmite now for this years season. Start early so you get the B vits in the system then keep going all season. Repellants and head nets for if that doesn't work. Of course I absolutely hate marmite and treat it as medicine, usually dipping the finger in twice a day. I might try the champagne and marmite mix if they still have it anywhere. If I ever see vegimite over here I'll try that too because marmite nearly makes me vomit.
My tip is skin so soft for western midges and a deet based one for eastern midges (of Scotland that is). I like Autan, not the feel of it but the effect. I had one not very pleasant, hot evening hiding out behind my tent midge netting, bored out of my skin when I started to play with all my insect repellants. The best one in that part of the Lakes was autan. I was able to write my name on the midge netting with it before the midges came back. Of course it was not nice because my tent door was covered with them as was the single skin fly sheet (quite appropriately names). I was convinced the buggers were trying to bite their way into the bloody tent!
Seriously though the best thing to kill midges is those bug zappers they sell in Scotland for hotels and pubs. Not sure what they are but I think the company that sells them sponsors the midge forecast. They use those machines around Scotland to forecast the midge levels. I think they catch them in the bug zapper thingy and weigh the dead midges. I seriously waiting for them to become portable (ultra lightweight format of course). The trade ones have a big bucket container built in to catch the crispy critters. If you are getting the impression that I like the idea of dead midges you'd be damned right I do.
I am due to start eating marmite now for this years season. Start early so you get the B vits in the system then keep going all season. Repellants and head nets for if that doesn't work. Of course I absolutely hate marmite and treat it as medicine, usually dipping the finger in twice a day. I might try the champagne and marmite mix if they still have it anywhere. If I ever see vegimite over here I'll try that too because marmite nearly makes me vomit.
D
Dolphin
Guest
I think the midges are attracted by our expiration of co2 - so how about a diversionary co2 producer? I remember seeing them at a pub garden near Faslane, though I can't remember how big they were.
Also, garlic works well against mozzies, though this means eating a couple of cloves a day. Come to think of it, keeps the humans away too!
Marty
Also, garlic works well against mozzies, though this means eating a couple of cloves a day. Come to think of it, keeps the humans away too!
Marty
I carry three types of insect repellant - natural (bog myrtle), 50% DEET, and 100% DEET.
In Scotland I only ever need the bog myrtle but where there are mossies (as opposed to midges) I have to move on to the DEET, especially anywhere that malaria may be a problem.
I suffer badly when bitten by midges - each bite swells up and is unbearable, but the bog mytle extract works well for me. However, I think that's the problem, some repellants work for some people and not others.
But, if you've ever read Wolf Totem, you'll realise we have it easy!
Cheers,
Broch
In Scotland I only ever need the bog myrtle but where there are mossies (as opposed to midges) I have to move on to the DEET, especially anywhere that malaria may be a problem.
I suffer badly when bitten by midges - each bite swells up and is unbearable, but the bog mytle extract works well for me. However, I think that's the problem, some repellants work for some people and not others.
But, if you've ever read Wolf Totem, you'll realise we have it easy!
Cheers,
Broch
I still get zoomed!!
well not meaning to afend anyone but since i am a 9 stone racing snake the only thing i have to do to be midge free is go camping with lardier person than me me not bitten lardy mate bitten to death
As with hair mites who only like clean hair, could it be the same for bitey insects, where they only like clean skin??.. Who's up for the fat belly pig method and roll around in some mud??
Could it be to do with your diet too?? On what good sniffy theromones your radiating out or something!??
Any knowledge on this one guys?
Could it be to do with your diet too?? On what good sniffy theromones your radiating out or something!??
Any knowledge on this one guys?
I've got some of this stuff from ebay to try this year Link
It's got Lavender, tea tree, lemongrass, penny royal, cedarwood, citronella and lanolin in it.
I got it mostly for my dog but it can be used as a spray on yourself and kit too.
One 250ml bottle dilutes to 25 litres so makes up a lot for the cost.
(No connection to seller etc)
It's got Lavender, tea tree, lemongrass, penny royal, cedarwood, citronella and lanolin in it.
I got it mostly for my dog but it can be used as a spray on yourself and kit too.
One 250ml bottle dilutes to 25 litres so makes up a lot for the cost.
(No connection to seller etc)
I've long suspected this to be the case - the larger you are, the more CO2 and other interesting smells you give off, so the more you get bitten. There's enough of me to make a pair of Drews hence why I suffer twice as bad...
This stuff works pretty well in my experience, but it's evil. (Dunno about the seller, it was just the first Google result I found to illustrate. I can never remember what the stuff's called.)
mosquitoes cant breed in tannin stained water (tea stained colour) because it kills the eggs, but you still get midges hanging about occasionally though they dont like fast flowing water. pure tea tree oil will keep the mosquitoes away and probably the midges as well.
that avon soft skin stuff works really well too. and tuck your trousers into your socks so the buggers dont get your ankles.
that avon soft skin stuff works really well too. and tuck your trousers into your socks so the buggers dont get your ankles.
Camp near the coast
I have to admit, I always try to camp in a spot with a bit of a breeze in bug zone conditions.
Doesn't work for me Drew, I'm a lanky streak of something thin but they still like me. I've also got less blood in me than said lardarse so its worse. Or at least that is what I say when trying to get sympathy for a total of 20 midge bites all over my body after a wet and humid night in a thunderstorm stuck in a single skin tent with almost as many midges making it into the ten as getting stuck outside.
Does anyone else like to play hunt the midgie gameas soon as they get into the tent? A few minutes of happy clapping in the tent is worth it to stop a face full of midge bites in the night.
Where do you get bog myrtle extract BTW? Do you gather it yourself or can you buy it somewhere? I might try it together with averything else in my arsenal. My tip is to take a few solutions and try each one in turn then use the most effective one for the rest of the trip. There are only supposed to be 6 species of midges in Scotland that bite us and they are located in different areas hence the difference in the repellants' effectivenes across Scotland I guess.
I remember a few years ago there was a story about a new wonder repellant that works on any biting bug that was developed in Scotland against mainly the midge up there. It was still in the testing stage. What they did was dose volunteers in the road race around Loch Ness I think (perhaps just in one area as its a big lake). They gave placebo to some and the trialled stuff to others then got them to race. They then recorded the effectiveness. Not sure how perhaps by number of bites or by anecdotal evidence. Whatever they did I never heard any more about it. Apparently that race has areas where the midges swarm and at the time of the year of the race they are in full biting fury. Plus the competitors have always complained about the midges on that race.
Does anyone else like to play hunt the midgie gameas soon as they get into the tent? A few minutes of happy clapping in the tent is worth it to stop a face full of midge bites in the night.
Where do you get bog myrtle extract BTW? Do you gather it yourself or can you buy it somewhere? I might try it together with averything else in my arsenal. My tip is to take a few solutions and try each one in turn then use the most effective one for the rest of the trip. There are only supposed to be 6 species of midges in Scotland that bite us and they are located in different areas hence the difference in the repellants' effectivenes across Scotland I guess.
I remember a few years ago there was a story about a new wonder repellant that works on any biting bug that was developed in Scotland against mainly the midge up there. It was still in the testing stage. What they did was dose volunteers in the road race around Loch Ness I think (perhaps just in one area as its a big lake). They gave placebo to some and the trialled stuff to others then got them to race. They then recorded the effectiveness. Not sure how perhaps by number of bites or by anecdotal evidence. Whatever they did I never heard any more about it. Apparently that race has areas where the midges swarm and at the time of the year of the race they are in full biting fury. Plus the competitors have always complained about the midges on that race.