Your Mosquito and Midge Strategy (1 Viewer)

wellsprungalice

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We are planning a two-week road trip around Scotland in August, but the other half has blood that is the mosquito equivalent of heroin, so we need to get our midge strategy sorted and in place nice and early, or it'll be a miserable trip.

What's your mosquito and midge strategy, please, and how well do you think it works?
 

Wyaye wires

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For Mosquito's.... :Eeek:



















A very good anti-aircraft system... :thumb:




































But, best to hope for low cloud.... :thumb:
 

Soozywoozy

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a very old relative swears by vitamin b on a daily basis - didn't work for me
avon moisturiser (another elderly relative) - didn't work for me
burning coffee grounds in foil when outside - sometimes works
jungle juice - tropical formula - works sometimes
lots of citronella candles and anti mosquito burning rings (sell loads of them in france) - sometimes works again

I am doomed also - mossies love me and last year one of my bites swelled up so much, I ended up with cellulitis.

if you find the secret let me know!
 

pappajohn

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AVON skin so soft in the blue-ish green bottle.
Not in the shops but Readily available on eBay.

Allegedly the SAS use it when on manouveres in Scotland.

Forget the 'over the counter' mozzie sprays .....Scottish vampires/midges drink the stuff when they are thirsty.

Avoid early mornings and early evenings....they are at their bloodthirsty worst.

They wont fly in rain/drizzle or a breeze/wind.

Only the females bite so avoid any wearing lipstick and eye liner.

Oh, and they are confined mostly to the west coast...but not all of them
 
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CandC

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In my (much) younger years when camping in the middle of nowhere with two friends in a three man tent, we had a very effective plan of action. We used to get the tent up as soon as we could after finishing our hike, collect the water for the evening and have all the cooking kit unpacked in the porch. We then did everything from the comfort of our sleeping bags, including cooking. After food, we then took it in turns to have a cigarette so that there was one almost constantly on the go until bedtime. That kept the little b*ggers at bay!

Other people swear by Avon Skin so Soft, but apparently it has to be the original recipe, not the new fangled kind.

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We used to chew tobacco, then smear it over exposed surfaces, then again:Smile:either dont go, or get yourself a decent insect repellent, cover up flesh arms, legs, necks!
Failing that, I believe they have these areas in scotland where they have these traps, never seen one, so don't know if they work.
Good luck anyway,

we avoid Scotland cause whenever we go there, something horrible happens to us :Sad:
Gazzumped by the brewery on a pub we were buying
Weld on dropped down bed failed
Starter moter, £600+ Thank you Arnold Clark:Sad: We really didn't need it:Sad:
Ignition switch £110 This was the prob in the first place, AC failed to pick it up, we had to drive to Chesterfield to get it sorted without stopping the engine!!:Blush:
 
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Broad spectrum multi B vitamin tablet every day. They are good for you anyway. But you need them in your system. I've been taking them for about 3 years now. I used to get eaten alive, ending up with craters that became infected , then antibiotics. Not anymore. I still get the rare odd bite , that's like an annoying nettle sting. But nothing like I used to get.
We've also got a bug free zone gazebo tent thing. We plan on taking it up to the outer Hebrides 21st June:thumb: so if they are out enmass we can still sit out and enjoy.
Nothing else , and I mean nothing, worked. Tried everything. Vit B is in marmite and beer , so a bit of the wife's tale must be true.
 
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captain

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Funny you should ask! I am going through the chapter in my book at the moment that I recommend using a flip flop, but its a bit funnier than that. But I can't spill the beans.

Cap't


Captain's French Adventures, The laughter and lighter side of French house hunting. Purchase and renovation.

Out soon! Amazon and Kindle

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I have two options:
1/ Avoid Scotland
2/ Keep close to Mrs Simbadog (they love the taste of her!).

::bigsmile:
 

easygirl

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Forget everything else get some smidge
It just works
Nothing else to say really
Used it last year and didn't get bitten, where I had applied it
Great stuff
 

Frenchkriss

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bear in mind mosquitoes are attracted by warm skins
so don't take a hot shower before going to bed...

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OddSocks

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We are planning a two-week road trip around Scotland in August, but the other half has blood that is the mosquito equivalent of heroin, so we need to get our midge strategy sorted and in place nice and early, or it'll be a miserable trip.

What's your mosquito and midge strategy, please, and how well do you think it works?

Eat lots of Garlic daily - they will stay well away. True story!
 

Campercaillie

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Forget everything else get some smidge
It just works
Nothing else to say really
Used it last year and didn't get bitten, where I had applied it
Great stuff

I would second that!! :thumb: My son works as an ecologist and spends hours upon hours in the Scottish hills, and he not only swears by it - he simply will not use anything else, and it certainly is effective. Smidge is the one to get.
 
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Eat lots of Garlic daily - they will stay well away. True story!

Garlic tablets two weeks before going, thats why the Greeks dont get bit when your on holiday, it comes out of your pores.
Laurie.

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Puddleduck

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Citronella soap. I make my own from scratch (glutton for punishment) but you can just take a normal unscented soap bar, melt it and add citronella oil and pour back into a mould to set.

Use the soap twice a day for at least six weeks before you go so your skin is well permeated with the smell. Works for me and I was a midge magnet.
 

Movinon

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Garlic may well keep the mozzies away - eat lots and nobody will go near you so you can stay indoors and thus avoid the mozzies. Teatree oil mixed with a slow drying carrier is favoured by some. Covering up and using an anti-midge head net is also a solution that really does work and its one solution I have successfully used - still need to treat your hands of course but having sticky hands is not as bad as sticky everything else.
 

DBK

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My brother lives in midge-central on the west coast of Scotland and recommends Smidge but says it needs to be applied more frequently than the manufacturers recommend. Some people recommend the Avon stuff but my brother says it is very oily and he doesn't like it. Deet contains repellants, it works but is not as pleasant to use as Smidge.

The midge-master also recommends the Highlander brand of head net. Finer mesh than others but easier to see through. I have ordered two for our trip up there in a fortnight.

Your best defence is however wind. (Stop sniggering at the back!). Camp on the highest and most exposed bits of ground available, avoid trees.
 
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wellsprungalice

wellsprungalice

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Thank you, everyone! We've tried the Avon stuff: I liked it (but, then, I'm not the one getting bitten). It didn't work for Jamie :Sad:

We will invest in some Smidge. I'm also going to look at one of the battery-powered zappers that seems to be well-reviewed. For a tenner, I figure it's worth a try.

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DBK

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Thank you, everyone! We've tried the Avon stuff: I liked it (but, then, I'm not the one getting bitten). It didn't work for Jamie :Sad:

We will invest in some Smidge. I'm also going to look at one of the battery-powered zappers that seems to be well-reviewed. For a tenner, I figure it's worth a try.

The zappers are OK for mosquitoes but no good for the dreaded midge. The coils you light and which smolder away are also worth having in the armoury.
 
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wellsprungalice

wellsprungalice

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Thinking of also giving this a try. It's bonkers, but it might just work.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw-3MKdTPog"]Make your own midge eater - YouTube[/ame]
 

DBK

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Gave up on that after a few moments, they must have used a BBC Drama sound engineer, but I suspect it may well work. You can get midge-eating devices but they cost around £500 to a £1K to buy. They work by mimicking what the midge is looking for - heat, moisture, CO2 plus some use a chemical attractant. As far as I know there isn't a "domestic" version you can buy at a reasonable price. http://themidgeatershop.shopkit.net...mHsyqiahQG77soQdeHNFQdIok4MnlA26BsW17A8_D_BwE

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Mousy

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A trick we learnt in Mozambique and Africa is garlic capsules taken daily for at least 2 weeks before and during exposure. No smelly side affects. Also B vitamins in tablet form. Sadly just eating loads of marmite had no effect.
 

sedge

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I have been wondering about Smidge, whether it actually works on mozzies?

Cos nowt else does it seems, they just like the taste of me whatever 'deadly' poison I drench myself it, however many yards of bailer twine I wrap round the cuffs and ankles of whatever capacious and all-covering garments I chose to wear so that in the finish I might just as well sit out by the stagnant water on the grass under the trees by the side of the hedge in the altogether for all the good anything else does me.
 

Munchie

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Yep Smidge works very well!!

Active ingredient? Deet!!! :thumb:

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bilimanjaro

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sarsons red vinegar..
guaranteed...few drops in your palm and spread on exposed areas..
try it........
 

Cal54

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My sister gets eaten alive by the b#####s so we no longer go to Scotland between May and August - we now tour in September. No great remedy but she did find that taking brewers yeast tabs helped, they do however need to be in your system. marmite also suggested but it makes a hell of a mess of your sleeping bag!!!! The original Avon skin product did work best as mentioned by other Funsters.
 

sean n maggie

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AVON skin so soft in the blue-ish green bottle.
Not in the shops but Readily available on eBay.

Allegedly the SAS use it when on manouveres in Scotland.

Forget the 'over the counter' mozzie sprays .....Scottish vampires/midges drink the stuff when they are thirsty.

Avoid early mornings and early evenings....they are at their bloodthirsty worst.

They wont fly in rain/drizzle or a breeze/wind.

Only the females bite so avoid any wearing lipstick and eye liner.

Oh, and they are confined mostly to the west coast...but not all of them
we used the Avon spray last year,,,bought a dozen bottles from amazon,and not only use it in scotland but wherever we go,,,uk or abroad :thumb:

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