this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2024
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Midge defence? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

If anyone has any good tips on beating the midges, please share them!

I got absolutely devoured this weekend up by Loch Latrine (edit: Katrine) (completely forgot it was midge season, so I was unprepared).

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In the company of my family, I can only find some small comfort in the evident fact that I protect them by being so fucking delicious that the little flying bastards are gagging for a piece of me and so ignore them. And no, I am not prepared to be a ritual sacrifice for you and yours as well. Fuck, I hate the midges.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I've been reading up on them and apparently the females bite to feed on blood in order to mature their eggs, which they can lay & hatch in 24h...so if you're in one place for more than a day it may actually get progressively worse.

"I was a hossenfeffer biter, like my mother, and my mother's mother, and my mother's mother's mother..."

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I've always been irresistible to the 'ladies'.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

Flamethrower

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Remnants of my small child, we sacrificed her to the midges to save ourselves. RIP

(It's a guyline tied up on the outside of the tent)

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

Try bringing a bigger child next time.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Based on your picture, they were not satisfied. Do better next time.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

You're already doing it. They can't get in the tent. Just stay in the tent. If you didn't stake the tent down, you should be able to move around the area by hopping in the tent.

Also: You willingly are camping in an area known as Loch Latrine? Does it smell like it sounds? 🤭

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Haha, that should be Katrine (thanks autocorrect).

Sounds like I need a tent with arm and leg tubes like those fume cupboards for handling hazardous chemicals, so I can turtle tent around Scotland :D

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Use Smidge. It's the best repellant.

Also, get some citronella. You can get it as oil (for burning), as tealights, as rope (also for burning), as incense... It does the trick in Northumberland, though I'm not so sure about Loch Latrine. Those midges might be a bit tougher.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

I got some smidge for Day 2; sadly I already looked like I had chicken pox at that point so it's difficult to tell if it helped much!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

Smidge! Buy smidge. It works really well against a variety of biting things.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I always get eaten alive, luckily my antihistamines stop most bites punching through (but when they do... Oh boy!). I always find the only solution is insect repellent.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm on some really strong antihistamines (fenofexadine) but sadly that didn't seem to put them off!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

They don't put them off, just makes the bites less inflamed. You need to team them with insect repellent.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I've not tried it myself but when researching stuff like this (mostly for my wife, she gets targeted) I saw a lot of people raving about these chemical disperser devices from Thermacells. They're supposedly safe and pretty eco-friendly though personally I'm still having troubles believing that when talking about a device that clears all insects in a 15m radius within a few minutes and lasts for hours.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Thermacells are amazing, I live in Northern Australia in humid hot horrible places.

When we go fishing we take one on the boat and it keeps them away.

Now if they could make one for crocodiles too, then we would be set

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Never seen those before, thanks!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago