Megalithics wrote:
suave harv wrote:
Never been bothered by insects before, I've heard some people get bitten and others get left alone. I suppose I could gamble on being the latter. . .
Maggie is an insect magnet and she's tested many repellents including hokey ones like the SAS recommended Avon skin So Soft and Marmite. She found that the ones containing DEET will repel SOME insects effectively (not the midge or clegg unfortunately).
One summer at the Whitehill Wood RSC a huge cloud of insects surrounded us and kept diving at us only to veer off about 6 inches from our DEET drenched bodies. It was just like having a Star Trek force field, magic.
Maggie has found the only real solution is a midge jacket with built-in hood and bloused trouser bottoms. I've found the best solution is being with the insect coated Maggie, they totally ignore me :O)
Never bothered by midgie bites in my life...but horse-flies...they seem to love my blood. There was a recent report saying, the hairier you are, the less likely you are to be bothered by insects in general and midgies in particular....can't see people rushing to de-evolve. It is true, in my experience that women do seem to get bitten more by insects...theories I've read blame brands of perfume, better personal hygeine(ie washing off the protective sweat which acts as a natural insect repellant) and even the fact that high oestregen levels attract the insects...all of these are variously and/or collectively to blame for midgie attacks on women....I've heard that adding tea-tree oil to your wash(clothes as well as body)is effective...but carbolic or coal-tar soap are effective cheap insect repellants.
I had to add coal tar in case I was accused of just talking carbolics :0P
