The Devil's own.....

[Toddy]

The midgies are out in force this year.
Himself was up the Cobbler yesterday and said that at Arrochar they were in huge clouds.
Tonight the BBC has an article on it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-44389775/midges-swarm-in-argyll

Aye, no' funny.
My Dad used to smoke a pipe when he camped beside a loch, it's one of those unforgetable smells of childhood.
I've never smoked in my life, but I can see why folks do when the midgies are this bad.

M

 

[Janne]

Midgets are worse than mozzies....

I feel for you!

 

[petrochemicals]

You poor sods!

 

[petrochemicals]

You poor sods!

The long dry patch and then the sudden wet brought them out down here, I was bit 200 times with bites that itches for a week. That was coated in deet, and even in the rain they chased. Only thing you can hope for is a nice breeze. The only thing that worked was tobacco smoke. I am currently testing liquid smoke to see if that puts them off like tobacco, next step is rinsing tobacco and applying that. Or maybe ash or something.

 

[Janne]

Try this: Buy a cheap cigar. Lit it and use it as a 'smoke stick'.
No need to actually smoke it, just wave it around a bit to keep the ember going.
It should work.

Liquid smoke is a kind of acid derived from wood, I would be surprised if the midgets dislike it.

It is great to make fake Smoked Salmon with though......

 

[petrochemicals]

Try this: Buy a cheap cigar. Lit it and use it as a 'smoke stick'.
No need to actually smoke it, just wave it around a bit to keep the ember going.
It should work.

Liquid smoke is a kind of acid derived from wood, I would be surprised if the midgets dislike it.

It is great to make fake Smoked Salmon with though......

I did not know about the acid version. In norway Jane, and I'm suprised you didn't know this, in norway I say again, they do a great line in liquified smoke, smoke chimney with water jets giving you the stuff that they put on bacon etc. That's what I thought I was buying! The stuff I have smells like barbecue sauce. Still worth a go.

 

[Janne]

Same stuff! Yes, I know!
They call it Royk syra.
In fact, you can buy it pure form ( liquid) in most coastal food shops that have a license to distribute medicines. That is where I buy it.

I think most of Europe uses that compound today to give a smoky flavor to cooked sausages type Wieners and Frankfurthers and other 'cold smoked' foods. The liquid is atomized and kind of sprayed on the food.

Can you buy sausage casings with smoke flavor in UK ( available in US)?

You fill the casing with your meat spice mixture, into these casings, and when it is cooked, the smokey flavor goes into the meat. Ingenious!

The fake Smoked Salmon receipe I got from my 91 year old friends wife.
They use fresh Coalfish for it.

You can buy ready made Fake Smoked Salmon in the shops, it is that popular as a toothpick food when you have a drink or three!

The 'smoke acid' is derived from wood by some distillation process.

What you have is a more consumer friendly product. I used to use it before I discovered the pure stuff.
Works well too!

I do not know if the mozzies and midgets reacts smoke as such, or to what.

Please try it, and tell us!

 

[petrochemicals]

I think post it to scotland and see what they think would be abetter idea

 

[Toots]

Midgets are worse than mozzies....

 

[Janne]

You prefer mozzies?

I agree in the nutritional area, more meat on them when they fall into the food you are making!

 

[Janne]

I think post it to scotland and see what they think would be abetter idea

I suspect they would say the same as prople living in northern Sweden. A cigarett, a good mozzie oil or spray.

I used to smoke, and found a cig and a mix (50/50) between Wilmas Beck olja and Djungel olja. You can get those from several Swedish companies.
I liked to smoke Camel with filters.

I am lucky as I am immune against the mosquito toxin. But still do not like to be bitten.

 

[Robson Valley]

Midge, Janne. Midge. Not midget even though they may be of that size.

Bug spray: There's a local concoction which uses several citrus oils including citronella.
You pin cotton balls to your clothing and hat and add a few drops of this goop to each ball.
I think mosquitoes and Simulidae Black Flies are the worst of the summer pests.
We get uncommon "horse flies" which, like the Black flies, bite a chunk of meat out of you.
The citrus oil repellent might be effective but I don't have any idea of the cost to make it.

Not much fake smoke here. Every butcher shop has a smoke house and you can smell them for miles.
I use apple wood for pork/lamb/chickens/beef and alder for fish. But that's hot smoke for meals.
I believe it has no effect at all on the mosquitoes unless I'm prepared to smell like my food. Not.

The butcher 2 blocks away is using birch for their smoked meats( which I don't like).

First Nations people harvest salmon by the hundreds in the fall runs.
They use their home car garage as a smoke house and always alder for fish.
If 9 houses out of 10 are running smoke, the whole village is going to smell.
Never heard anybody talk of bug repellent effect.

 

[Shewie]

We had a few early biters in the Lakes a few weeks ago, luckily there was a fairly steady breeze for the majority of the trip but they were active.

Beatons jacket and Wilmas is going on the next outing

 

[Janne]

Aha! Got it!

Sorry!
Midge. Midge Ure?

I know that the most efficient insect repellants are DEET based, but I am not 100% sure I would like to put that on my skin for longer periods of time.

 

[Shewie]

The Highland midge laughs at DEET

 

[Janne]

They got resistant?
The Highlanders should not reach for the bug spray as soon as you hear the first insect of the year.....

Edit: maybe they do not fancy a wee insect getting under their kilts?

 

[JohnC]

We’re crewing on the west highland way race later this month near Tyndrum, we’re taking headnets, gloves, jungle formula... not sure if we’re allowed a smoky fire at the checkpoint but we will ask...

 

[C_Claycomb]

I had better luck with Picradin based repellent than DEET. The pyrethrin stuff once sold sold by AgroPharm "Prevent" was also good. Don't stop them crawling around, but did cut down on bites.

 

[petrochemicals]

The Highland midge laughs at DEET

They do laugh at deet here, 1 foot above my deet laced head.

Acrid scent of smoke seems to stop them, i'm suprised robson you have seen no effect.

https://www.beekeeping.co.uk/collec...uel/products/stainless-steel-smoker-guard-7x4

 

[Billy-o]

Wasn't there a scottish recipe that involved mixing sand with whisky?

Rub it on, the theory goes, and the bug's get drunk and start throwing rocks at each other.