visitscotland
Home› Planning and Practicalities

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register
Please take a moment to read the Community guidelines and learn how to use the Community. The personal details and information provided by you will be used by VisitScotland to create your iKnow community account. Any content you provide, such as a profile photo, username, comments and discussions will be publicly available.

By ticking the box and clicking submit you confirm that you have read and agreed to the terms of our privacy policy.

Love Scotland and want to share your stories – why not have a look at all the recent discussions and make a contribution or start a new discussion? Visiting Scotland and looking for some advice – why not ask a question or start a discussion or simply explore all the great content?

Join the conversation today.

Midge Repellent

2»

Comments

  • FofomaFofoma Member ✭✭✭
    Apparently the Midge Forecast is telling me that Loch Lomond is basically midge free at the moment however as the little blighters love me I have packed Skin So Soft, Jungle Formula, a midge net and two citronella candles. I'm still finding bites from our camping trip to Aviemore last week! They don't seem to like Him Indoors....perhaps I need to take up smoking a cigar!  ;)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] ✭✭✭✭
    [Deleted Content]
  • LeodhasachLeodhasach Member ✭✭
    I was out at Corrimony for the Glen Challenge on Saturday and the little sh*** were eating me alive. The registration table had a tub of Highland Midge Lotion so I gave it a try and was really impressed. Midges will usually defy most creams and potions I wear but this stuff was great. You can get it here . 
    For music reviews and previews in Inverness and the Highlands: http://invernessgigs.co.uk/
    Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@leodhasach
  • argyllgirlargyllgirl Member ✭✭
    I live in Midgie Central - a coastline in Argyll.  Avon Skin so Soft does not work for me.  The only thing that works is Jungle. 
  • seawildearthseawildearth Member ✭✭
    I've lived in many areas of the tropics where biting insects can be the worst nightmare. If I were to top one location though for the maddening factor it would have to be Belize in Central America. Also known as Sandflies they come out at around 4pm through the early evening hours and make life pretty unbearable. I tried as much as I could to photograph them as I try to see the best in all wildlife but those guys had nothing on anything, appeal wise, of all the critters I've come across. 

    Currently in Japan and the Robber Flies in early Spring can be problematic but they are big enough to react against. And in that rare moment of calm, generally in the early morning, with resolve, a powerful camera and some patience one can also see the awesome intricacies and attraction of the wee beastie behind the bite... 


    "A man is only as big as the dreams he dares to live"
  • VisitScotlandHeatherVisitScotlandHeather Member ✭✭✭
    Midges don't seem so bad after all!  Plus, they're really only around in summer so by now, they shouldn't be too pesky to anyone!
  • MichaelGMichaelG Member ✭✭
    VisitScotlandDave said:
    I know several people (including hard-bitten military types) who swear by Avon Skin-So-Soft. It's not meant as a midge repellent, but apparently it works a charm. So much so, in fact, that it is now stocked by several outdoors shops in Scotland.
    I use this too and seems to be working so far. I hope all that chat about the formula change isn't true!
  • AnniecdAnniecd Member ✭
    I am one of those people that biting insects adore - my best bets in the US to keep the gnats and sand fleas away contains DEET (which I don't mind using)  - I wonder if the Smidge, or Jungle, or Highland Midge Lotion that I have seen in posts above are a better option than me toting my "Off" across the pond...I'll be there in July when I hear the midges are the worst! UGH, I'm afraid I'll be eaten alive!
  • RickMacRickMac Member ✭
    Hello Annie - tried deet in south america's jungles and it ate through my watch strap in a week, just an old anecdote - also when last in the Cairngorms on a military exercise about 10 years ago we got bitten to death so sympathise 100%. Since then have travelled much to biting insect zones and tried all sorts of chemical things - now swear by natural products, so for the family (when we travel to buggy places) we use a simple effective insect repellent that just rubs on from The Solid Bar Company, a UK business. Works great on mosquitoes, sand flies, gnats, midges and the dreaded noseeums of the Caribbean and half the USA! Recommend it.
  • Liam123Liam123 Member ✭✭
    Great suggestion Rick! I will keep that in mind, thanks!  :)
  • MarilynMarilyn Member ✭
    VisitScotlandHeather said:
    If you've ever been out and about in the countryside of Scotland, you'll have come across the midge (for those of you who haven't, they're small insects with a big bite).  Some people get bothered by them, some don't but it's always good to have midge repellent on to make sure.  

    Is it better to spend a little more or are the cheap and cheerful brands the best?  We want to know!

  • MarilynMarilyn Member ✭
    To be honest I always thought that I was one of the lucky ones that never got bitten by midges and I used to put it down to the fact that I smoked and that they just didn't like cigarette smoke lol.  I remember a large group of us being on holiday on Rum and the non smoking end of the table were being bitten badly but all of us at the smoking end didn't find them a problem at all.  However I have since found out that it was probably Avon's Skin So Soft that did the trick.  I use it daily and I have never been bitten except for the one year on holiday in Kyle of Lochalsh where I used a different shower gel and got bitten badly.  The next year I went back to using it and again had no problems.  What I will say that will be a help possibly is that they are so small that they need still air to come and annoy you.  They cannot cope with wind of any kind so even a small battery fan can help to fight them off. 
  • kenxrokenxro Member ✭
    edited January 2020
    Smoking does keep them away.  While I'm smoking they stay away, as soon as I've finished they are all over me. Because of this fact I've invented and patented a never been done before deterrent  called 'The Smokin' Midge'.  It's a device you wear on your arm and it very slowly burns my special natural incense.  Unlike all other deterrents, this stops them coming after you in the first place (they can smell the CO2 in your breath from 200 meters away).  I've been working on this for about 4 years now but just launched it last July (2019).  It's a very simple device and I'm amazed it has not been thought of before.  With very little advertising I've sold over 200 with great reviews and no complaints or returns.  If you are interested, check out the 'Smokin' Midge' FB page or the Website www.thesmokinmidge.com  .   
  • ArboursAbroadArboursAbroad Member ✭
    I've seen it throughout this thread, but thought I'd add to it too.. Avon Skin So Soft.. works magic and makes you smell good / feel clean! You can order it on Amazon or even buy it in stores!!! We also diffused lavender in our camper near the door to repel any midgies, and even sprayed the skin so soft around the door frame! :)  
Sign In or Register to comment.