[censored] MIDGES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gary said:

Just back from a camping / cycling weekend in Aberfoyle - let me tell you, the Midges were an
absolute nightmare.

'Tis the season for members of Clan Clegg I see 🙂

There's an insect repellent that you only seem to be able to get in Scotland called Shoo! which,
despite being an sinister bright blue colour and burning like fire if you get it on any sensitive
skin, works very well against midges. Much better than the Jungle Formula stuff anyway.

Thanks to Shoo! we all survived 2 weeks of canoeing on Loch Awe; though at one point our trangias
started to go wrong due to the number of charred midge carcasses floating in the meths burner!

Regards,

-david

Quoted message said:

If you are planning cycling in the Trossachs soon, be warned - these

midge

Quoted message said:

are on steroids.

Not much fun !! You've got our sympathy. But dont blame the midges, thats their home. The female
needs blood, your blood, in order to reproduce, and what could me more natural than that. Mike

Apparently, & I don't intend to find out myself 'cos I've experienced the Scottish ones, Scots
midges are quite small compared to Scandinavian ones. The further north, the bigger they come!

Sounds like a B horror movie scenario. Niv. "Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just back from a camping / cycling weekend in Aberfoyle - let me tell you, the Midges were an
absolute nightmare.

We pitched tent in a fairly large clearance in a field around 7:30pm - average weather. After
pitching the tent, we sat in it for maybe 30

minutes

Quoted message said:

and suddenly started to hear what sounded like gentle rain. Opened the front door and I am not
exaggerating when I say around 2000 midges had gathered at the door. We got out the tent as
quickly as possible,

probably

Quoted message said:

swallowing 30 of the little [censored] as we ran for cover. After getting a thick hooded top on and
tying the hood tight around my head, leaving only space for my eyes, I dismantled the tent and
stuck it in the car - managed to find a proper camp site, took the highest point in a good
breeze and

the

Quoted message said:

midges were no were to be seen.

Next day, we started our cycle and managed to stay Midge free until Loch Katrine. Around two mile
around Loch Katrine I started to swallow hordes

of

Quoted message said:

the little buggurs and every part of my body was being bitten! My eyes

were

Quoted message said:

also filling with Midge and I was infuriated, cursing terribly at the annoying little [censored].
Around 5 mile of the Loch Katrine section was swarming with Midge and there was no real way of
escape, just cycled as

fast

Quoted message said:

as I could and looked forward to the open road.

After Loch Katrine the Midges seemed to fade away, although I now look

like

Quoted message said:

I have the worst case of measles you have ever seen. I finished the cycle around 5:30 pm and I am
still itching like mad, I must say it has put a total damper on an otherwise perfect weekend.

If you are planning cycling in the Trossachs soon, be warned - these midge are on steroids.

Gary.

"Niv" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Apparently, & I don't intend to find out myself 'cos I've experienced

the

Quoted message said:

Scottish ones, Scots midges are quite small compared to Scandinavian

ones.

Quoted message said:

The further north, the bigger they come!

Of the several varieties of midge in the UK only the Scottish midge bites to breed. Mike

Taywood said:

Quoted message said:

If you are planning cycling in the Trossachs soon, be warned - these midge are on steroids.

Not much fun !! You've got our sympathy. But dont blame the midges, thats their home.

The little b****rs have set up home in my garden, I had to go into the garage to work on the bike.

Quoted message said:

The female needs blood, your blood, in order to reproduce, and what could me more natural than
that. Mike

I think I read somewhere that the female can breed once without sucking blood and can then breed
again after sucking blood.
--
Mark

I'm getting something special built for me.

Niv said:

Apparently, & I don't intend to find out myself 'cos I've experienced the Scottish ones, Scots
midges are quite small compared to Scandinavian ones. The further north, the bigger they come!

Except the ones in Iceland are so small you can hardly see the individuals you can only see them in
a swarm. I don't know if they bite though.
--
Mark

I'm getting something special built for me.

Taywood said:

"Niv" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Apparently, & I don't intend to find out myself 'cos I've experienced the Scottish ones, Scots
midges are quite small compared to Scandinavian ones. The further north, the bigger they come!

Of the several varieties of midge in the UK only the Scottish midge bites to breed. Mike

And there is more than one variety, see
scotweb.co.ukscottishmidge.htmlOpen ↗
--
Mark

I'm getting something special built for me.

Taywood said:

Of the several varieties of midge in the UK only the Scottish midge bites to breed.

Which I suppose makes the thread title more apt...

--
Jim Price

jimprice.dsl.pipex.comjimprice.dsl.pipex.comOpen ↗

Conscientious objection is hard work in an economic war.

Aye!.

"Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Around 5 mile of the Loch Katrine section was swarming with Midge and there was no real way of
escape, just cycled as fast as I could and looked forward to the open road.

About 10 years ago I did a sponsored cycle ride from Stirling that went round Loch Katrine. I have
*never* been so bitten in my entire life (and I spend around half my weekends up in the highlands
somewhere). I'm no wimp (honest!) but I was almost in tears by the end of it from the sheer
frustration and irritation.

By the way, thanks, you've made me start feeling itchy now! :-(

Have (itchy) fun!

Graeme

"Graeme" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

About 10 years ago I did a sponsored cycle ride from Stirling that went round Loch Katrine. I have
*never* been so bitten in my entire life (and I spend around half my weekends up in the highlands
somewhere). I'm no wimp (honest!) but I was almost in tears by the end of it from the sheer
frustration and irritation.

I don't think I ever get actually bitten much by midges. If I do I certainly don't notice it and I
never come up in red blotches or anything which is a bit odd because I used to react quite badly to
gnat bites when I used to go fishing in the evenings as a kid. I just hate them crawling all over my
face and getting in my eyes when they're really swarming.

Niv said:

Apparently, & I don't intend to find out myself 'cos I've experienced the Scottish ones, Scots
midges are quite small compared to Scandinavian ones. The further north, the bigger they come!

I couldn't comment on Scandinavian ones, but Swiss ones are bloody evil! They made a feast of me
last week, but then it was my own fault entirely. The evening before I'd been smugly telling a
bitten colleague how insects never snack on me no matter where I am. That night they just about
chewed off my left arm.

Bob
--
Mail address is spam trapped To reply by email remove the beverage

In "]news:[email hidden], Call me Bob <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Niv said:

Apparently, & I don't intend to find out myself 'cos I've experienced the Scottish ones, Scots
midges are quite small compared to Scandinavian ones. The further north, the bigger they come!

I couldn't comment on Scandinavian ones, but Swiss ones are bloody evil! They made a feast of me
last week, but then it was my own fault entirely. The evening before I'd been smugly telling a
bitten colleague how insects never snack on me no matter where I am. That night they just about
chewed off my left arm.

I think you will find that they do snack off you, but you do not respond - until now that is!

pk

shoo.orgShooHome.htmlOpen ↗

Taywood said:

Quoted message said:

If you are planning cycling in the Trossachs soon, be warned - these

midge

Quoted message said:

are on steroids.

Not much fun !! You've got our sympathy. But dont blame the midges, thats their home. The female
needs blood, your blood, in order to reproduce, and what could me more natural than that. Mike

But why are the numbers increasing so fast, and the range extending. Buttermere this last weekend
was like Glencoe.

When I lived in Scotland 20 years ago, June was often the last month of peace, before the little
sods closed the place down until the blessed frosts of Autumn.

Now May can be hell

Richard Webb

Quoted message said:

Of the several varieties of midge in Britain only the Scottish midge bites to breed. Mike

So why do the English sods bite? Malice.

There are several biters in Scotland, the commonest, C. impunctatus, or as I call it the Addidas
Midge is the usual culprit and is sadly all to prevalent in other parts of the island.

Richard Webb

"Jerry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

shoo.orgShooHome.htmlOpen ↗

Good stuff apparently. I've always thought it funny how they boast about being DEET free though.
They use DiMP (Dimethyl Pthalate) which, like DEET (Diethyl Toluamide), was originally meant as an
industrial plasticiser. This means it comes with similar risks, i.e. your lovely new
waterproofs/rucsac/watch strap/etc. will weaken to the point of uselessness if you're not careful.

I prefer the non-DEET/DiMP repellants. They usually smell nicer (to me, not the beasties).

Have (bite free) fun!

Graeme