UKH

Has anyone used this?

https://www.thermacell.com/

And did it work??

Hi, I've just used the backpacker setup throughout the north of Scotland on holiday for the last three weeks. I was a little bit sceptical at first but can honestly say it works like a dream, only down side the refills are a bit expensive.

Thanks. Might be the answer to extending my camping season.

Has anyone used citronella candles? How effective have you found them?

It's very hard to burn them all without spilling the wax.

As for just relying on the aromatic benefits, I found them useless to the volume of the flying enemy in Scotland.

From deepest Argyll,

dare I say...

what feckin midges?

I haven't any encountered a for weeks.

Citronella candles are probably the least effective insect repellent, the odour of citronella is volatile and moves away fast and I don't know if there's any evidence that it repels insects anyway.

Those repellers linked are just another variation on the heated mat containing pyrethrum, which does work. Hotels in Africa have them but by the time the mozzie is in your room the only remedy is insecticide spray.

We have found that mosquito coils, which are also pyrethrum, burned around the tent entrance work well. Burn them inside the tent and midges die in 15 minutes but everything will smell smokey and you will get mild bronchitis from the smoke.

Agreed, Lismore appears to be pretty much a midge free zone at present.

Mull is the same.

i thing that heatwave frazzled the little feckers

They're all in the fisherfield at the moment, they'll be back soon as it is a bit overcrowded.

Smidge and a head net

I find a Montecristo #4 to be more effective.

Bit late I know, but maybe this might be useful to folk in the future searching for Thermacell stuff.

Have been using the original Thermacell (larger unit) for many years now - it has inariably been very effective.

The gas refills are exactly the same as those used in Babyliss cordless hair straighteners - and these are considerably cheaper than the Thermacell branded varieties (around a fiver - or less if you shop around).

Even cheaper, with a simple hack you can re-use your gas cyclinders and refill them with butane from lighter refill cans. Several guides showing how to do this are available on a well known video hosting website.