Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
rannochraider
Posts: 90
Joined: 14 Dec 2012, 3:44pm

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by rannochraider »

I've bought one of these for this years trips.

http://www.uttings.co.uk/p116100-nemo-b ... GJyu2AqXIU


I do a bit of canoeing so the weight doesn't matter. It would be best split between two riders if travelling on the bike. I know it gets great reviews with a small firebox alight inside it. Haven't used mine yet so can't give you my own review. One thing is for sure, it'll be a lot better than nothing ! :shock:
LollyKat
Posts: 3250
Joined: 28 May 2011, 11:25pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by LollyKat »

rannochraider wrote:I know there's not many of us do it nowadays but if you are a smoker you have won a watch with regards to midgie deterrents.

Very true. The only cigarette I have ever smoked was in France with a group of students at an outdoor do where we were being eaten alive by mozzies. All of us non-smokers were desperately cadging Gauloises from the smokers - definitely the lesser of two evils!
robing
Posts: 1359
Joined: 7 Sep 2014, 9:11am

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by robing »

LollyKat wrote:The thing I find with clegs, though, is that they are so big and slow that you can usually whack them before they bite. And even if you don't spot them until you feel their teeth in your flesh, killing them immediately seems to prevent them leaving any irritating poisons behind It works for me, at least - I very rarely have reactions to cleg bites. Midgies are something else! :shock:


I wasn't so lucky. I did Dover to Cape Wrath in the heatwave of July 2013. No midges anywhere but the clegs were out in force. You can outrun them on a flat or downhill but they catch up with you on the uphill. They can bite through your clothing and land on your back where you can't get at them.

Amazing cycle though!
Ron
Posts: 1384
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 9:07pm

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by Ron »

DarkNewt wrote:I am going to be travelling around the coast from the 3rd of July and after reading someone describe the mozzies on Stornaway are the insect equivalent of Ninja's and other tales of people abandoning their bikes a la wasp attack jumping into rivers I am even more worried. So I have decided to go on the attack and prepare for my equivalent of MOSQUITO ARMAGEDDON!

Your concerns appear to be somewhat exaggerated, midgies are not mosquitos and mosquitos are not midgies, whoever suggested there were mosquitos in Stornoway was most likely talking of midgies whose bites are unlikely to cause any long term effect, unless you have some unusual allergy or medical condition. Midgies are more of a rural problem and not so often encountered in urban centres like Stornoway anyway.
It is most unlikely that anyone will be troubled by midgies while cycling, or when the wind speed exceeds 6mph. Avoiding exposure of bare skin when in typical midgie habitats is the primary defence.

You are more likely to encounter mosquitos in London than in Stornoway. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27491891
Merry_Wanderer
Posts: 1002
Joined: 31 Aug 2012, 9:33am
Location: North Leicestershire

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by Merry_Wanderer »

Midges can only fly at 4mph so if you keep cycling and never stop then you have no worries :-D

I used to smoke but I still got bitten to hell. Tried DEET products, Avon, eating Marmite. Nothing worked except being totally covered in clothing with a Mosquito net covering my head
rfryer
Posts: 809
Joined: 7 Feb 2013, 3:58pm

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by rfryer »

Sorry to bring bad news, but midges are fully capable of savaging a moving cyclist. My worst experience was cycling at speed through clouds of midges into Altnahara, and having hundreds of midges stuck in the sweat on my legs.

Later that afternoon, at the Crask Inn, I counted around 50 bites. These days, I simply avoid exposing un-Smidged skin unless I know I'm not going to meet any of the little blighters.
rannochraider
Posts: 90
Joined: 14 Dec 2012, 3:44pm

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by rannochraider »

As I said already, there is no escape. You can take certain measures to minimise the effect of the ravenous hordes but whatever you do, you should accept that the price you will pay for cycling in 'God's country' is measured in blood! :wink:
Seriously though, all kidding aside........... They're going to get you. I've seen very tough, very hard, grown men being demented by these relentless, all consuming hordes, throwing themselves into lochs in futile attempts to rid themselves of these ariel piranhas :shock:
khain
Posts: 245
Joined: 5 Feb 2014, 5:42pm

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by khain »

I got bitten by mosquitoes badly in south-east England last year. Have never had any problems with them in Scotland though.

But the midges, cleggs and ticks more than make up for it. Overall, ticks are the worst.
dakari-mane
Posts: 70
Joined: 1 Aug 2013, 3:56pm

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by dakari-mane »

*swaps train ticket for one to Wales* :mrgreen:
Edwards
Posts: 5982
Joined: 16 Mar 2007, 10:09pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by Edwards »

I used to work as a Truck Mechanic and found out that biting things do not like the taste of Diesel (the fuel not perfume). If you can stand the smell then some of the above on some cloth helps to deter them (you have to have the cloth very close to the skin).
As I was used to the liquid I just applied it to my wrists and behind the ears. That worked for me on breakdowns often near ponds and other standing water also in Sweden and Northern Norway.
Keith Edwards
I do not care about spelling and grammar
Steve922
Posts: 67
Joined: 2 Nov 2013, 12:54am

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by Steve922 »

You know, just reading this thread is making me itch - a lot!
mattsccm
Posts: 5101
Joined: 28 Nov 2009, 9:44pm

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by mattsccm »

Marmite works. Coat your self in the stuff. The little so and so's hate the taste! :D
PJ520
Posts: 990
Joined: 23 Mar 2008, 3:49pm
Location: Seattle WA USA

Re: Mosquitos/Midges be afraid be very afraid Armageddon

Post by PJ520 »

Be careful with DEET; to fight off a fly (of some kind) attack in California I sprayed a DEET based repellant all over my head and shoulders. This got rid of the flies quite nicely. The next morning I discovered that the stuff was dissolving my helmet, turning the styrofoam stuff in the helmet into a black sticky goo. It says on the label that it's OK with cotton or wool but nothing about bike helmets. Fortunately I bought both helmet and repellant at the same place and they replaced the helmet. A pal I was riding with bought her helmet at a different store and wasn't so lucky. So, test your repellant on anything it might get sprayed on.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
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