Quote: Originally posted by Vic74 on 12/3/2009

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Avoid Loch Lomond and the Scottish Highlands at all costs, and never set foot on Skye unless you have bathed in midge repellent - a shame cos other than that Skye is Amazing! Think I remember their being quite a few in the `Lake District too.

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Apparently vitamin B complexes work well.  Marmite has a lot of these so is often cited as effective.  Have not tried it myself but found that Avon SSS did nothing for me ( but worked for OH).  The only thing that worked was Bens 100 Deet repellant for malaria affected areas.  It is oily and smells horrid but did the trick if you are prepared for it.   I found out the vitamin B thing later so can't comment but let me know if you find a cure!

Quote: Originally posted by raf48 on 13/3/2009

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Just had a second thought.

What about the ultra voilet lamps that atract the bugs towards them, and then zaps them.

We have four solar lights that stick in the ground outside the tent to stop you triping over guy lines at night, but they also switch over to become u/v bug killers.  We have never used them inside the tent, but one night at home we had a mossie buzzing around the bedroom, so I went and got a couple of them and switched them on in the bedroom, and within less than a minute, one of them had solved the problem.

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Jubilee TBA-
July - Blue Dolphin

Here is some Mozzie  and midge  info for you

The mosquito is a common flying insect that is found around the world. There are about 2,800 different species of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can fly about 1 to 1.5 miles per hour (1,6-2,4 km/hour).

The mosquito females drink blood and the nectar of plants; the males only sip plant nectar. When a female bites, she also injects an anticoagulant (anti-clotting chemical) into the prey to keep the victim's blood flowing. She finds her victims by sight and smell, and also by detecting their warmth. Not all mosquito species bite humans.

The mosquito is often a carrier of diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, encephalitis, yellow fever, West Nile virus, dog heartworm, and many others. The females, who drink blood, can carry disease from one animal or human to another as they feed.

Like all insects, the mosquito has a body divided into three parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), a hard exoskeleton, and six long, jointed legs. Mosquitoes also have a pair of veined wings. They have a straw-like proboscis and can only eat liquids.

Mosquitos go through four distinct stages of development during a lifetime, they undergo a complete metamorphosis; The four stages are egg, pupa, larva, and adult. The full life-cycle of a mosquito takes about a month. After drinking blood, adult females lay a raft of 50 to 400 tiny white eggs in standing water or very slow-moving water.
Within a week, the eggs hatch into larvae (sometimes called "wrigglers") that breathe air through tubes which they poke above the surface of the water. Larvae eat bits of floating organic matter and each other. Larvae molt four times as they grow; after the fourth molt, they are called "pupae".
Pupae (also called "tumblers") also live near the surface of the water, breathing through two horn-like tubes (called siphons) on their back. Pupae don't eat.
An adult mosquito emerges from a pupa when the skin splits after a couple of days. The adult lives for a few weeks.

Classification:
Kingdom Animalia; Phylum Arthropoda (arthropods); Class Insecta (insects); Order Diptera ("two wings"); Family Culicidae.

Mosquito Facts:

Mosquito Facts

• only the female bites to obtain a blood meal and that the male feeds on plant juices
• female mosquitos may live as long as three weeks during the summer and many months in the winter
• all mosquitoes must have water in which to complete their life cycle
• Mosquitoes can fly about 1 to 1.5 miles per hour (1,6-2,4 km/hour)
• There are about 2,800 different species of mosquitoes
• Most mosquitoes remain within 1 mile of their breeding site. A few species may range up to 20 miles or more
• There are over 150 described species of mosquitoes from North America. Several species have been accidentally introduced from other parts of the world.
• Presently, the cues used by mosquitoes to find their hosts are poorly understood. Carbon dioxide (CO2), heat, octenol and light have been shown to be attractants. Other compounds tested such as lactic acid also have proved to attract certain species of biting insects.
• Mosquito is Spanish for "little fly".
• To Humans and domestic animals, mosquitoes are a nuisance and a health hazard since mosquitoes can transmit a variety of diseases.
  
  

Bug Zappers don't work on Mozzies....  why?

Bug Zapper Controversies

Although bug zappers have been in use for decades, studies have questioned their effectiveness.

In 1996, University of Delaware researchers Timothy Frick and Douglas Tallamy published a study in the journal Entomological News. They had collected and identified the kills from six bug zappers at various sites throughout suburban Newark, Del., during the summer of 1994. Of the nearly 14,000 insects that were electrocuted and counted, only 31 (0.22 percent) were mosquitoes and biting gnats. The largest number (6,670, or 48 percent) were midges and harmless, aquatic insects from nearby bodies of water. The researchers claimed that killing this many harmless insects would disturb nearby ecosystems. According to Tallamy, most species of mosquitoes are not attracted to ultraviolet light, and certain species only bite during the day. Tallamy claims that bug zappers are worthless for reducing biting flies, exact a heavy toll on non-target insects and are counterproductive to consumers and the ecosystem.

Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide emitted by humans in our breath and sweat...

Catnip masks this!!!

 

Everyone gets bitten, not everyone has a reaction to the bite.

 

There are various reasons of human beings attracting mosquitoes:

1.) Body Odor: Everyone gets bitten by mosquitoes. Some people get bitten more because of the body odor they have. Mosquitoes are being attracted by the body odor.

 2.) Sweating: People who sweat more, gets bitten more because mosquitoes sense people by smell and not by sight.

3.) Bacteria: Certain bacteria's on human skin attract mosquitoes. Using anti-bacterial soap can reduce the bacterium that is present on the skin and therefore less mosquito bite.

4.) High Blood Sugar: Generally people with high blood sugar attract mosquitoes.

5.) Alcohol Consumption: People who drink alcohol are more bitten by the mosquitoes because their body releases the chemical that attracts mosquitoes.

There are few ways by which you can avoid mosquito bite:

a) Always use anti bacterial soap.

b) Use mosquito repellents.

c) Use attractive lights outside the house.

d) Use bug or insect killer.

e) Wear full pants and shirts when you go out.

f) Wear light colored clothes.

g) Cover your head with a hat.

h) Last but not the least, use net over your bed if you have been experiencing sleepless nights.

 

Try catnip essential oil in a mix it really does work

 

Hiya just looking for catnip oil when I came across this wee poem, just thought it summed it up quite nice!

'MUDGIES'

Here's a tale of a curse it's nature's worst
It chases folks in thoosans
Wi' it's terrible thirst it wid suck 'til it burst
It will leave ye nae delusions,
That it's been there among yer hair
An' creepin' whaur it shouldnae.
Any skin that is bare it will lea' it sair
Ye thoucht ye'd escape, but ye couldnae.

Wi' a beast that size ye wid think it wise
Tae staun an haud yer grun.
'Til ye realize that behin' that guise
Hides a monster wise folk shun.
Ye can try a' ye like tae escape the tyke
Ye can sweer 'til the air turns blue.
But ye durna hike or stop yer bike
They'll be there like a cauf tae a coo.

Ye will hear folk howl fae the South o' Cowal
Richt up Scotland's coast on the West
So peety the sowels wi' the flailin' towels
They're under attack from the pest.
At the time o' year when the tourists appear
Wi' their kitchen sinks etcetera
They stert their career and cause many a tear
Man they couldna have timed it better.

But hold on I pray 'ere you all dash away
With a curse and the air turning blue
There's a potion they say keeps the devils at bay
Just buy some, and try it, it's Shoo !

Jubilee TBA-
July - Blue Dolphin