The females have arrived

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Le Sapeur 14 May 2019

And they are biting.....

 DerwentDiluted 14 May 2019
In reply to Le Sapeur:

Midgsogynist.

 girlymonkey 14 May 2019
In reply to Le Sapeur:

Where are you? We had some at our camp at the weekend in the trossachs but they weren't biting yet

 Ben Callard 14 May 2019
In reply to Le Sapeur:

I'm heading to Knoydart tomorrow and I'm praying it won't be a midge fest. 

Sounds like I might be too late to avoid them. 

Le Sapeur 15 May 2019
In reply to girlymonkey:

On Skye yesterday. They started biting early evening as the breeze died down. 

 dh73 15 May 2019
In reply to Le Sapeur:

out of interest, do you think that taking a dog to the crag may help (you, not the dog)? On the basis that midges also bite dogs they may be diverted from you?

 d_b 15 May 2019
In reply to dh73:

I'm not a dog person, so I just married a midge magnet instead.

 LastBoyScout 15 May 2019
In reply to d_b:

My remedies for midges:

1 - take my Dad - his pipe smoke keeps them away

2 - take my sister - they eat her instead

3 - take my wife - she seems tasty to them, too.

Post edited at 10:44
 skog 15 May 2019
In reply to girlymonkey:

I also avoided being bitten in the Trossachs at the weekend.

(We had a wee wander up Ben A'an, thorough the woods from the Ben Venue car park.)

The ticks are out in force, though, I had to pick several off my trousers on the way down Ben A'an, and found a couple more crawling on me on Wood Hill (Ochils) yesterday evening. No midges biting there yet, either, though.

 dh73 15 May 2019
In reply to d_b:

I am not a dog person either. just wondered whether it was worth while borrowing one for climbing trips....

Not sure what the RSPCA would say about my proposal, but if they can take canaries down mines, why not sacrificial dogs to midge hell holes?

 McHeath 15 May 2019
In reply to dh73:

> out of interest, do you think that taking a dog to the crag may help (you, not the dog)? 

A donkey does the job even better.

 A9 15 May 2019
In reply to Le Sapeur:

last time I was on skye they were biting their way through the mesh door of the tent

 d_b 15 May 2019
In reply to A9:

I have a guidebook to Denali that mentions that the Alaskan mosquitos are so bad that one guy the author met completely lost it.  He would attract them to the mesh door of his tent with his arm and pull their probosces off with a pair of tweezers.

pasbury 15 May 2019
In reply to skog:

> I also avoided being bitten in the Trossachs at the weekend.

fnarr fnarr

 SAF 15 May 2019
In reply to Le Sapeur:

We have a garden full of mayflies in Snowdonia at the moment, they should have gone in time for the midges to arrive. 

We also have a swarm of green flies, not sure if they are actually greenfly or just flies that are green, but they are all over us and the washing...blahh... But at least they don't bite!!!

pasbury 15 May 2019
In reply to d_b:

> I have a guidebook to Denali that mentions that the Alaskan mosquitos are so bad that one guy the author met completely lost it.  He would attract them to the mesh door of his tent with his arm and pull their probosces off with a pair of tweezers.

The plural form of proboscis is proboscises or proboscides.

Just so we're all clear on that.

pasbury 15 May 2019
In reply to dh73:

> out of interest, do you think that taking a dog to the crag may help (you, not the dog)? On the basis that midges also bite dogs they may be diverted from you?

Unless the dog, on being bitten, sees you, the unbitten, and bites you.

 EarlyBird 15 May 2019
In reply to d_b:

> I'm not a dog person, so I just married a midge magnet instead.

That was my intention as well but I married a fridge magnet by mistake.

 Andy Hardy 15 May 2019
In reply to Le Sapeur:

Are there any good things to be said for midges?

 SAF 15 May 2019
In reply to Andy Hardy:

The bats love to eat them. When we have sealed ourselves in the house on a summer evening it is lovely to watch them swooping and diving whilst they catch midges.

 d_b 15 May 2019
In reply to pasbury:

Thanks.  I will endeavour to remember that for next time.

 skog 15 May 2019
In reply to pasbury:

Indeed I'm hoping for a dip in the Minch this weekend, that fair takes one's mind off them.

 DaveHK 15 May 2019
In reply to Andy Hardy:

> Are there any good things to be said for midges?

None of them voted for Brexit.

 girlymonkey 15 May 2019
In reply to skog:

I have just bought tick repellent. I didn't know it was a thing until last weekend. Just arrived today, so haven't tried it yet, but hoping it might be effective

 Andy Hardy 15 May 2019
In reply to SAF:

They don't seem to make much of an inroad into the midge population though 🤔

 skog 15 May 2019
In reply to girlymonkey:

If it's the permethrin-based stuff you treat your clothes with, then yes, it's actually pretty good.

They can still get you if they go directly to exposed skin or an untreated garment, but it really does seem to kill/repel them from treated clothing - they sometimes crawl up a bit before falling off stunned (or dead?), but you'll even get less on your trousers in the first place.

It gradually wears off over a few washes, of course, so you'll have to re-treat again later. And I don't think it's very good for you - but then, neither is Lyme!

 Dr.S at work 15 May 2019
In reply to DaveHK:

> None of them voted for Brexit.

BUT, having seen how well that’s going, they might be inspired to vote for Migxit - and fall into Rees-Moggs* cunning trap! Once freed from the evil midge Britain will be Great again!

None between Dalwhinnie and Rannoch in the last 4 days - well one at loch na lap, but heard and not felt.

*its a little known fact that the Rees-Mogg children have been historically disciplined by having their heads placed in a head net FULL OF MIDGES. This explains the member the 18th century’s extraordinary endeavours to banish the midge from the U.K. If successful perhaps he will be recalled as a later day St.Patrick?

Post edited at 20:02
 Spike 15 May 2019
In reply to skog:

perhaps not as bad for you as DEET, seems it isn't as readily absorbed through the skin as DEET is

see this link https://tickencounter.org/prevention/permethrin

but definately not something you want to get into streams or becks - since very bad for aquatic invertebrates (and hence wider riverine ecosystem)

 Tringa 17 May 2019
In reply to Spike:

Just a few midges in Gairloch in the last few days but nothing to bother about. However, after the recent really hot dry spell (which has probably kept their numbers down) we had the first decent rain for well over a week, so they will probably erupt soon. Quite a few ticks about and the two of us here have had a few just from the garden. The noticeable thing is most of the ticks are VERY small.

Dave

 Pete Pozman 17 May 2019
In reply to EarlyBird:

> That was my intention as well but I married a fridge magnet by mistake.

At least you know you're going to stick together 


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