Scottish mozzies

Krisstiffer

Krisstiffer

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Got plans for a photography trip to Scotland in the first week of September taking in the west coast from Oban, over to Glen Coe/Glen Etive and then up to Skye.

Was just wondering how the damp spring then heat wave has affected the mozzie and midgie population this year.

Any locals able to shed any light on whether its likely to be any better or worse than normal for the time of year?

Cheers
 
Here is the site for the midge forecast.

http://midgeforecast.co.uk/home/default.asp
As mentioned previously, the best protection against midges is 'Skin so Soft' available at most chemists. It is also plastic friendly unlike a lot of repellents.
 
Great stuff - will keep an eye on it!

Already got 2 bottles of the Skin so Soft on order with the Avon lady - is good stuff.

Cheers
 
If you see a bloke with 3 dogs in the Kilchoan area say hi. Up there for the first two weeks of September.
 
Will do - I'll be the one that's working out how to cram all his photo gear onto a motorbike and wondering which is more important for the week - and extra filter or an extra pair of socks :D
 
Noted. Oh and it is definitely the socks. It can be a little damp oop north apparently.
 
If your supply of Skin so soft doesn't turn up on time - or for anyone else who's up that way and is not yet provisioned or has just run out, the Tea Room at Crianlarich station holds a stock of it.

Even if you have plenty, it's a good place for a break in any case....
 
Spring in NW Scotland was not that wet but the midges will be there. I have only known one year in the last 10 where the numbers, on the bit of the NW coast I know, were down and that was after a prolonged very dry spell.

I reckon Skin so Soft is widely available in the Highlands - my local hardware shop sells it.

Although it is good and I use it regularly, I find it it wears off more quickly than the DEET based products, especially if you are being active. However, I view DEET based liquids as a last resort, it is not pleasant stuff.

Dave
 
I've got some of the DEET based stuff from my last trip but seeing as the guy in the shop warned me not to handle the camera after using is "cos it'll take the lettering off" I'm a bit wary of using it on a photography trip!!

Good to know there's plenty of S-S-S available locally in case my 'source' doesn't come through :)
 
When I was in Arran I was told that drinking beer was a good midge repellant.

I don't know if this is true... and I don't care!


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
When I was in Arran I was told that drinking beer was a good midge repellant.

I don't know if this is true... and I don't care!


Steve.
Click to expand...

There's a theory that midges and mozzies tend to avoid bodies which have a smell of higher levels of yeast, though I don't think there's any scientific proof yet. Worth trying though, if you're a Marmite/Vegemite lover.

Was up in the NW about a month ago (Mallaig and Smaller Isles) and saw none, yet had been nipped by a couple a week earlier while working in a friend's garden not far from Edinburgh.
 
Midges don't really bother me. I'm not usre if they just don't like me, or if I'm immune to them, after years of being bitten by their larger and more voracious South African cousins!
 
Steve Smith said:
When I was in Arran I was told that drinking beer was a good midge repellant.

I don't know if this is true... and I don't care!


Steve.
Click to expand...

I will definitely try this - purely out of scientific interest you understand :beer:
 
Steve Smith said:
When I was in Arran I was told that drinking beer was a good midge repellent.

I don't know if this is true... and I don't care!


Steve.
Click to expand...


Probably by someone from the Arran brewery, but, since their products are excellent it's not a bad idea.
 
I've been told that the SSS formula has been changed recently and no longer includes citronella - the active ingredient which repels the midgies.
 
Poundland have been doing anti-midge wrist straps with replaceable patches which include citronella among the constituents: I took one with me on my last West Coast visit, but since there were no midges about, I never got round to trying it....

Outdoor clothing manufacturers such as Rohan and Craghoppers produce garments which have anti-mozzie properties, although neither as yet has got round to producing anti-mozzie socks, which would be very useful since the thin skin around our ankles is particularly favoured as an attack site. A couple of the above-mentioned Poundland straps as anklets might help, though. ;)
 
SSS is ok but I find you need to apply it liberally.

Jungle Formula pump spray (DEET) has been most effective with me. I usually take both as I prefer to use SSS after reading stories of DEET melting through plastics like strapping, tents and jackets. If you get swarmed with midgies (like I did in Torridon a few years back) you'll use anything to be honest, I'll apply DEET no problem.

They midgies haven't been so bad in the Trossachs area this year, but horseflies are/were abundant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-23506661
 
Avon SSS does not 'work'

It's become a bit of an urban myth over the years and there's no evidence that the Highland midge (Culicoides impunctatus) is repelled or even disuaded by ASSS.
Lots of folk visit, get the recommendation of ASSS, buy it, smear it on and go home relatively bite free. The reality is the midgies weren't too bad or the individual wasn't that attractive to the midgies anyway.

I've taken folk out in the NW of Scotland - some get eaten and some dont.

Get vile conditions and they will eat you regardless. It's the female that does it and it's your CO2 emissions that count.

Smidge - I know the brains behnd that one - nice App LOL

If it's bad - DEET (not everybody's cup of tea) helps but again it's not going to do the job if they're really bad.

Smoking (CO2) of an evening can help or hanging around a fire but it's fine margins.

Lighter fuel all over works (again for some) if you are your wits end. A bottle of whisky the night before helps if your sweating it out or smear it the same as lighter fuel LOL

I've seen folk having paid a £1000 per rod to down tools and go home.

At the end of the day there is no proven repellent and there remains a multi million pound industry that's none the wiser.
 
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I lived in a place called Kinbrace in Sutherland for most of my life, and to be honest when midiges are at their worst nothing will stop them, and for anyone to say that midiges don't bother them are telling porkies :-D
 
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