According to the BBC, the midges are back and worse than ever. Evidently, the hard winter has killed a lot of the creatures (small birds, bats etc) which eat the little devils. For sure they were out and about in Torridon this week. I was wondering what people recommend to keep the little b.......s at bay ?
I tried Avon Skin so Soft (appears to be recommended by army types) but found it almost ineffective. The best I have found is MozzyOff but it seems to lose its effectiveness - you have to buy a new bottle every year and I could not find any last year. Does any know if the firm has gone out of business or, if not, where I can buy some ?
This year, I am trying Nikwax Skitostop - a combined sun screen and insect repellent. And if it does not work, I can always put it on my boots, I guess. Not convinced about it yet - it certainly works for a bit but you may have to re-apply it rather too often to be convenient. Also, it comes in a plastic dispenser thing which is not very reliable.
What do other people use ? Or do hillwalkers just man it out and suffer in silence ?
3 comments:
Yes Ron, the midges are back with a vengeance! I use SSS myself and like it as it smells better than some stuff. I also wear a midge hood and suffer the embarassement! Jimmy bought Midge Stop which is a herbal thing so we'll let you know if that works. Jungle formula is OK, and smells better than the old traditional Autan my dad swears by. I've also heard of people using Expedition 4000 (or some such number?) A few of us got stuff in "pens" from Lidl last year, and Andrew B was going to find out where to source it for his shop. Can't remeber off hand what it was, but the bite ease that came as part of the set was good. Walking on a breezy day is the best cure....
The one Jimmy has bought is called Stop Bite and its main ingredient is bog myrtle which is supposed to be a good insect repellant. I'm going to buy some bog myrtle soap to use through the summer and see if this helps.
21 July 2010
Some of you may have come across the new midge repellent, called Smidge. I have bought some and find it excellent. Hardly any smell, non-greasy and highly effective. It comes in a spray can for £6.99. The 'spray' is a whitish lotion which you spray into your hand and rub on. Visit www.midgeforecast.co.uk for a list of stockists. Their own supply had run out until 23 July when I last looked but it is cheaper to buy it offline anyway.
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