Hi folks
does anyone know if burning citronella oil in a lamp will discourage these vampirous beasties from entering your cabin?
If not, any other suggestions greatly received.
cheers
Richard
midges
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Silkie
- Admiral of the Fleet
- Posts: 3475
- Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:55 pm
- Boat Type: Hurley 22
- Location: Bonnie Scotland
- Contact:
Hah! You wish!
Stay at anchor at least 20m offshore although there is some anecdotsl evidence to suggest that this may not be enough.
Stay at anchor at least 20m offshore although there is some anecdotsl evidence to suggest that this may not be enough.
Last edited by Silkie on Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
different colours made of tears
They just love warm, still air and I have found that running a fan aimed across the cabin towards the companionway can give some relief and discorages the annoying people from flying in when coming and going. Bog Myrtle is also supposed to be a deterrent. This stuff grows everywhere on the West Coast.
In that case Bog Myrtle's pretty ineffective cos the West Coast is the area that midges like!aitchw wrote:They just love warm, still air and I have found that running a fan aimed across the cabin towards the companionway can give some relief and discorages the annoying people from flying in when coming and going. Bog Myrtle is also supposed to be a deterrent. This stuff grows everywhere on the West Coast.
midges
definitely agree re a fan - little else works in my experience
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ash
- Yellow Admiral
- Posts: 1713
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 12:14 pm
- Boat Type: Moody 346
- Location: Tarbert, East Loch Tarbert, Loch Fyne, Scotland
Re: Midges
Hi
Does anyone have a favorite substance to apply to the skin to discourage the annoying people.
Looking for something that is pleasant to apply and use, safe for g/kids too, and natural if possible.
They annoy me, but SWMBO comes up in lumps which itch for ages.
We've used used Avon Skin so Soft Oil Spray before and found it OK, but don't know any Avon reps.
Found an on line shop, Avon, but there seems to be a big choice and I'm not sure if this is the correct one. Mind you, they reckon that it works because the oily skin stops them getting a bite, so maybe it doesn't matter too much.
Research mentions Skin So Soft Bug Guard PLUS, but it only appears to be available fron USA sites.
On the other tack, do you use burners at all. We burn citronella candles, cheapies from pound shops, etc but they're not effective.
We have a fan heater with a cold setting, so I'm going to try that when we're in the marina to create a breeze around the cockpit.
All advice welcome - they were bad on Sunday afternoon after the rain.
BTW, our berth is very close to trees so we need protection.
Ash
Does anyone have a favorite substance to apply to the skin to discourage the annoying people.
Looking for something that is pleasant to apply and use, safe for g/kids too, and natural if possible.
They annoy me, but SWMBO comes up in lumps which itch for ages.
We've used used Avon Skin so Soft Oil Spray before and found it OK, but don't know any Avon reps.
Found an on line shop, Avon, but there seems to be a big choice and I'm not sure if this is the correct one. Mind you, they reckon that it works because the oily skin stops them getting a bite, so maybe it doesn't matter too much.
Research mentions Skin So Soft Bug Guard PLUS, but it only appears to be available fron USA sites.
On the other tack, do you use burners at all. We burn citronella candles, cheapies from pound shops, etc but they're not effective.
We have a fan heater with a cold setting, so I'm going to try that when we're in the marina to create a breeze around the cockpit.
All advice welcome - they were bad on Sunday afternoon after the rain.
BTW, our berth is very close to trees so we need protection.
Ash
"This is a sailing Forum"
Albin Vega "Mistral" is now sold
Albin Vega "Mistral" is now sold
The weekend was relatively midge-free in the Kyles with a decent bit of sun and a breeze until about 14.00 on Sunday... then the blighters came out to play with a vengance.
I had the boat on a mooring at Colintraive and a cloud of the things followed me out hovering above the dinghy. Cunningly I went past the boat and did a switchback to confuse the enemy, but the swarm did a neat Immelman turn and reached me just as I got on board.
I found the Skin so Soft and got relief, but the stuff doesn't kill midgies... it just stops them biting. It took half an hour of arm waving and all the citronella oil lamps burning to persuade them to leave.
I had the boat on a mooring at Colintraive and a cloud of the things followed me out hovering above the dinghy. Cunningly I went past the boat and did a switchback to confuse the enemy, but the swarm did a neat Immelman turn and reached me just as I got on board.
I found the Skin so Soft and got relief, but the stuff doesn't kill midgies... it just stops them biting. It took half an hour of arm waving and all the citronella oil lamps burning to persuade them to leave.
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stevepick
- Master Mariner
- Posts: 199
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:28 pm
- Boat Type: Dufour 40
- Location: Lanark
repellants
Ash,
Midges do not like : bright sunlight, a breeze over (IIRC)5mph. They are attracted by co2 so stopping breathing would stop them finding you! Bog myrtle is a traditional repellant , and the one we have bought that is bog myrtle based seems ok. Avon skin so soft is available retail, its in the Green welly shop and I think chemists/drug stores sell it. It sseems as good as stuff like DEET to me and a far nicer substance than DEET.
I come up in lumps when they bite , but taking an over the counter anti-histamine ( starting the day before you go to midge country to get it into your system) really helps .
Steve
Midges do not like : bright sunlight, a breeze over (IIRC)5mph. They are attracted by co2 so stopping breathing would stop them finding you! Bog myrtle is a traditional repellant , and the one we have bought that is bog myrtle based seems ok. Avon skin so soft is available retail, its in the Green welly shop and I think chemists/drug stores sell it. It sseems as good as stuff like DEET to me and a far nicer substance than DEET.
I come up in lumps when they bite , but taking an over the counter anti-histamine ( starting the day before you go to midge country to get it into your system) really helps .
Steve
Not sure how effective a small fan in the cockpit is going to be, not very would be my guess but in the cabin very effective.
Over the years camping and sailing up there I have always used mosquito coils but you need to be a bit careful with them. In larger spaces no problem but in the cabin you could burn them to rid the place of them and if you need to have hatch open for ventilation burning one near to it will help discourage them from coming in. The coils are sold in loads of shops up there or camping supplies places elsewhere.
Over the years camping and sailing up there I have always used mosquito coils but you need to be a bit careful with them. In larger spaces no problem but in the cabin you could burn them to rid the place of them and if you need to have hatch open for ventilation burning one near to it will help discourage them from coming in. The coils are sold in loads of shops up there or camping supplies places elsewhere.
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Daveanmucker
- Master Mariner
- Posts: 115
- Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:11 am
- Boat Type: victoria 30
- Location: Lancashire
Avon skin so soft does work for us, always carry it on the boat and have no problem getting it from an Avon rep in this country.
Think that Avon in USA have caught on that the stuff is bought for midge repellent, but we use the original oh so soft.
Using it in Inverie recently made a walk ashore bearable and I've had some unbearable trips ashore in Inverie because of midges.
Think that Avon in USA have caught on that the stuff is bought for midge repellent, but we use the original oh so soft.
Using it in Inverie recently made a walk ashore bearable and I've had some unbearable trips ashore in Inverie because of midges.
We can't change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
