midges in scotland

[Adria 5]

hi Are the little blighters bad up scotland i am doing a tour off yorkshire next year might venture across the border heard they are a pain any tips !

Ray

 

[johnsandywhite]

I was up there a couple of weeks ago around Loch Lomond & Fort William. My son Simon got bit to death. I am told that Avon 'Ever So Soft - Green' is the thing to use.

 

[Ralph-Dot]

hi Are the little blighters bad up scotland i am doing a tour off yorkshire next year might venture across the border heard they are a pain any tips !

Ray

Across the boarder from Yorkshire would be Durham or Cumbria (in old money) we used Avon Skin so Soft in the past but didn't take it to Scotland last week as there was supposed to be negligible midge activity, if that was negligible I do not want to see nuisance.

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Ralph

 

[bannister339]

They are only 'little flies'.

:help:

One of the most ferocious biters is the Highland Biting Midge, Culicoides impunctatus. This is known in Gaelic as "Meanbh-chuileag" which means "tiny fly".
Lets get it straight.
THE MIDGE does not come out when there is a breeze, it does not lik dry conditions but prefers humid conditions, if you sweat you are doomed, just stay in your van and drink wine, this is better than Avon.
If you want mor info copy and paste this Link Removed[/URL]

Scotland welcome visitors, the last ones we had were delicious.!!!

 

[Teasy2007]

We were in Keilder Water in June this year, and the midges were unbelievable!!!! My husband tried to fill our water tank at 5pm and his face was completely covered before he had finished, I had to rush out and give him a damp teatowel to try and get them off. They spoiled the visit for us and it was almost impossible to go out of the van from late afternoon. We bought jungle strength plug ins which controlled them inside the motorhome, but clearing them out in their hundreds from every window and crevice took ages.

Having said all that the Keilder Water site is very good and the Bird of Prey sanctuary was fantastic, worth the trip on its own.]

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[Digger Driver]

Bannister!
I like your way of thinking!
Not so sure about Wine in Scotland though!
Much rather have a Dram or two!

 

[scotjimland]

Eat Marmite ..

 

[JayDee]

I do, but we were talking about midges weren't we?

 

[scotjimland]

I do, but we were talking about midges weren't we?

Many people claim that taking additional quantities of vitamin B1 before visiting the Highlands can help to make you less attractive to midges. Eating Marmite has also been claimed to help..

Smoking also repels them but I wouldn't be too worried, the midge season is from April to Sept.. :thumb:

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[Don Madge]

:help:

One of the most ferocious biters is the Highland Biting Midge, Culicoides impunctatus. This is known in Gaelic as "Meanbh-chuileag" which means "tiny fly".
Lets get it straight.
THE MIDGE does not come out when there is a breeze, it does not lik dry conditions but prefers humid conditions, if you sweat you are doomed, just stay in your van and drink wine, this is better than Avon.
If you want mor info copy and paste this http://www.wyrdology.com/edinburgh/midges/index.html[/url]

Scotland welcome visitors, the last ones we had were delicious.!!!!
[/QUOTE] You forgot to mention w...0 mph winds kept them at bay.:BigGrin: Don

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[Supertractorman]

One of the best ways to keep them away is to put the Scottish Flag on the back of your van, they normally only go for tourists.

 

[pappajohn]

dead easy solution,

go to wales instead

 

[vicdicdoc]

dead easy solution,

go to wales instead

I quite agree

 

[Road Runner]

Ask 656

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he knows all about midges

 

[Zozzer]

Set the Alarm clock to get you up before the midges get out of bed.
March is ideal, especiallly when the Met Office issues a Servere Weather Warning. The midges and the Scots turn over and go to sleep leaving the roads empty. Well apart from the Snow Ploughs that is.

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[dylan]

Cracking photo Zozzer ! Your own work? :thumb:

 

[Zozzer]

Cracking photo Zozzer ! Your own work? :thumb:

Yes, looking down Glencoe. It taken last March during our first trip up to Scotland.
Definitely a good time of the year to avoid the midges and get the roads to yourself.

 

[dylan]

Its stunning !

 

[Corky 8]

Hi , We live in the Dumfries and Galloway area, (Moved here from England) we have been here 4 years, to date I can only recall two evenings where the Midges really sent us indoors, (Oh so soft Green does work ) we have toured and will continue to tour Scotland, Midges do sometimes abound in certain places especially where there are Lochs , streams (Burns ) and rivers also some forest area,s, they nearly always appear in the early evening ,but never for days at a time and I certainly wouldnt let them put me off touring Scotland , Try driving up the East coast in two days to the top say Wick,drive across the top then down the West coast taking two weeks or more to explore all the west coast has to offer, some of the scenery is stunning, and having lived near enough to Wales to tour around it for weeks on end, I can honestly say it doesnt hold a Candle to Scotland, Plus the Scots are ever so Friendly, one word of Advice , Scotland is ever so Green and Pleasant because it does Rain quiet frequently so come prepared and you wont be disappointed .

 

[keith]

We also live in SW Scotland & have never had any problems with the Midges.:thumb:

Except when we went Keilder Water in ENGLAND they were the worst I have seen

As Corky said don't let them put you off, it's great up here, and it doesn't ALWAYS rain

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[pappajohn]

a bit of useless trivia..............

Because it is found in such dense populations, it is estimated that in some parts of Scotland, a single hectare of land can host up to 50 million midges. That is a similar number to the total human population of the whole UK.

quoted from calor gas page on midg-IT midge eaters.
http://www.midgeater.co.uk/2006/

 

[RichardnGill]

As Corky said don't let them put you off, it's great up here, and it doesn't ALWAYS rain

Tell us which day it will be dry in 2008 so we can pop up...


We went to Carlisle, Ayr, Ballock (Trossachs ) Killin, Lock Tay, this year in August and had no problems with midges, it only rained for 2 out of 10 days and we did see the sun as well.

We have had more problems in Northumberland than Scotland with Midges.


Richard....

 

[iceni]

Midge repellant

Avon skin so soft oil is reputed to be the best there is.
No sold as a repellant though but just a skin conditioner but theres something in it the blighters dont like

 

[bigfoot]

Midges and Mossies

There are thousands of species of midges but not all of them bite. Biting ones are very small about 2mm wingspan. Only 5 British species bite.
Midges prefer damp uncultivated land. This is why you find them in the North and West of Scotland. An estimate of 2.4 million living in a square kilometre.
Midges hate strong sunlight so you're more at risk early morning, evening overcast days and shady areas.
They also hate dry conditions; you're more likely to be bitten in humid, muggy weather and damp environments such as boggy ground or by streams or rivers.
They can’t fly in windy conditions hills and mountains are safe but more likely to be bitten in valleys and woodland.
They tend to be attracted to darker colours so wear bright clothing.
Repellents do not work on everyone the same, some may work on you but not your neighbour.
DEET based repellents are recommended but they must be used with utmost care and caution, personally I don’t like using it. Not to be used for prolonged periods.
DEET can also affect waterproof clothes and trousers and tents and can weaken plastics.
Many people swear by Vicks VapoRub, Avon Skin So Soft range, lemon juice and vinegar and even Philadelphia cream cheese-they all work but not on everyone.
A simple formula for your own is 4 parts baby oil and 1 part Dettol put in a jar and shake well and apply to skin."
If you have Marmite on toast for breakfast or supper that can also repel them. If Marmite is not available Or you don’t like it, buy some yeast tablets from a chemist and take those instead. I've also been told some people find rubbing a cut lemon over their skin also repels the little blighters.
It is only the mating female who bites-is that why they have mosquito coils?
You mean they are not a contraceptive device?
Take out your frustrations with the midge zapping game Armidgegeddon
www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/webplay

 

[Terry]

Hi fascinating stuff! we never got bothered until we took a big white van
terry
Marmite,seams I have somthing in common with the little bu---rs I cannot stand it

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[AlanVal]

We lived in Kyle of Lochalsh for many years also Fort william .Avon skin so soft in any form did not work for us or any one else around it was a joke up there.only way was to keep covered up near water or damp grass shorts were a no go.But I wouldnt let it spoil going the scenery is breathtaking .I did use Bug Off it was as good as anything .If eating marmite worked it would be getting delivered in lorry loads lol Quite a few of the camping site have invested in the big chaser machine it works for about 1 mile around the site excellent .

I now live back in S W and never felt any , been back here now for 8 yrs.We go back up north reqular and love it.

Val x

 

[hillwalker]

We lived in Kyle of Lochalsh for many years also Fort william .Avon skin so soft in any form did not work for us or any one else around it was a joke up there.only way was to keep covered up near water or damp grass shorts were a no go.But I wouldnt let it spoil going the scenery is breathtaking .I did use Bug Off it was as good as anything .If eating marmite worked it would be getting delivered in lorry loads lol Quite a few of the camping site have invested in the big chaser machine it works for about 1 mile around the site excellent .

I now live back in S W and never felt any , been back here now for 8 yrs.We go back up north reqular and love it.

Val x

just find a big hill and park there, make sure there's a good breeze[gael]and u'll be sorted. as soon as the wind dies down find another hill..:thumb:

 

[bigfoot]

Apart from eating Marmite and applying Skin so soft (now issued to Lumberjacks and Royal Marines!!!) wearing bright clothing also helps and rubbing half a cut lemon on the exposed area of skin also helps. It helps even more if the other half lemon is used in a number of G&Ts!!

 

[pappajohn]

Apart from eating Marmite and applying Skin so soft (now issued to Lumberjacks and Royal Marines!!!) wearing bright clothing also helps and rubbing half a cut lemon on the exposed area of skin also helps. It helps even more if the other half lemon is used in a number of G&Ts!!

like this you mean???

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[pudseykeith]

Apart from eating Marmite and applying Skin so soft (now issued to Lumberjacks and Royal Marines!!!) wearing bright clothing also helps and rubbing half a cut lemon on the exposed area of skin also helps. It helps even more if the other half lemon is used in a number of G&Ts!!

The Mig eats me alive. But if you go in early spring they are not around. When we go we go in March April and stay till the first bite, and then head south PDQ:thumb:

Pudseykeith and Rosalie

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