Midge repellent

[caorach]

Well, who'd have thunk it?

I use Smidge for keeping the midges off and it works really well, apart from a headnet it is the best solution I've found.

It comes in hand wee bottles but is expensive especially if you have a bottle in the car, and one in the rucksack, and one in the coat and so on.

However, via a member on another forum who is wise to such things, I've discovered that they spray horses with the same basic chemical at the same concentration in a solution of water and, for some reason, aloe vera gel. I guess the aloe vera is just to thicken it up a bit. It is sold in 500ml refill bottles for about £12 and small plastic pump spray bottles are readily available from the likes of ebay for very little cash.

Now, Smidge claim that their product is waterproof and smells nice so there may still be value in it but I'm going to give the horse spray stuff a try to see how it pans out for me.

https://hedgewitchessentials.co.uk/shop/index.php/shop/icaridin-insect-repellent.html

[Laxdale]

Do try and keep up Philip. i have been using horsey insect repellent for years to stop clegs biting me. (If midgees are a problem, I tend not to be fishing!).

[caorach]

Do try and keep up Philip. i have been using horsey insect repellent for years to stop clegs biting me. (If midgees are a problem, I tend not to be fishing!).

Yes, but I didn't know you could get icaridin in big bottles! I like it, keeps everything off and is the active ingredient in many of the more modern repellents that don't melt your car, fishing rod, rifle, inflatable doll, etc.

I'm not just on Lewis, not always fishing, and am often in forestry so the midges can be bad in there even if there is a reasonable breeze outside of the trees plus it is not uncommon to go out in a breeze and have it fall flat calm later on, or to camp at a loch and have it go flat calm in the evening when making tea. With this in mind I'm getting through a reasonable amount of repellent in a year.  Interestingly the first date I was done over by midges was 26th April and the latest date I was done over by them was 26th of October in the sika rut!

So, now to get a few small pump spray bottles of the ebay and hopefully that is me set up. It will be interesting to compare to the performance of Smidge as it claims to be waterproof and in my life that can be important :-)

[Wildfisher]

Cover myself with horse insect repelant?

Neigh chance.   

[Inchlaggan]

Jeez Fred! How low will you stoop?

[Wildfisher]

 :lol:

[burnie]

Smidge does work, but I prefer the old Avon skin so soft, I have several bottles of those.

[Billy]

SSS is standard issue at Sullom Voe Terminal in Sheltand.
That and midge nets.

Billy

[arawa]

Phillip
I have found Smidge works well  but the standard size bottle is more than I need in a season especially as like you I have several in different places. I found these smaller containers ideal to tuck in a pocket and the one in my fishing pack lasted me all last year. They are more expensive per ml but still cheaper overall (if you see what I mean  ).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smidge-Unisexs-Pocket-Insect-Repellent/dp/B06WW8FBG9/ref=asc_df_B06WW8FBG9/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=205337182740&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1893774222220777171&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046846&hvtargid=pla-332235906625&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

[caorach]

SSS is standard issue at Sullom Voe Terminal in Sheltand.
That and midge nets.

I've never known anyone to get SSS to actually work in real midges Billy so my advice is don't depend on it :-) Maybe it is easy for an employer because there is no COSHH implications? I've seen people say it works for them but I've also seen some of these people when they are actually subjected to midge attack and it isn't long before the SSS goes in the bin and something else comes into play. However, I believe that Avon might now be making the SSS with the same active ingredient as the Smidge added to it and, clearly, that would work. Also I know in the past there were two versions of SSS and one was said to work a little bit in moderate conditions while the other was said to be completely useless, so maybe it was a bit of a lottery and it does look like they might now make a product to do the job.

David: I ordered up some of the stuff for horses (basically Smidge in a 500ml bottle) plus a few plastic pump spray bottles from ebay in a range of sizes and I'm going to give that a try. Until I try it is impossible to comment but it is similar to your idea of having something in a handy size in the pocket. I've got to say that going to something refillable seems so much better to me as you can't see how much is left in a Smidge bottle so there tends to come a point where you stop carrying it "just in case" it runs out on you even though there is some left. I end up binning several bottles with a bit left in the bottom at the end of most seasons because I know I won't carry two bottles with a small amount in each and I suspect there isn't enough left in one of them to do a day out.