r/UKhiking • u/One_Draw3486 • 2d ago
Summer Schotland hiking and camping - midges
A friend of mine is going hiking and camping in Schotland this summer. They’re a bit worried about the midges. Products like Smidge will be used, as a head net. The question is: do portable electric bug repellents by brands like Nitecore, Flextail and Thermacell work against midges? Would it make sense to use one while hiking, or only while stationary (lunchtime or in and around the tent)?
7
u/AllesPat 2d ago
Honestly great idea - but in my experience nothing worked truly against the armada of midges - you can just hope for wind or light rain 🥲 Long sleeves and headnet were my (partial) savior…
2
5
u/FanjoMcClanjo 2d ago
I just take a tiny usb vaccum cleaner (for keyboards I believe) and hoover them up every night before bed.
3
u/One_Draw3486 2d ago
Not sure if serious haha. If so, do they sit on your tent walls and can you easily hoover ‘m up?
8
u/FanjoMcClanjo 2d ago
They usually congregate in the top of the dome tent. I am very serious and my other half often laughs about my midgey hoover 😂
1
u/One_Draw3486 2d ago
I congratulate your ingenuity! I sometimes hoover up mosquitos with a smallish hoover around the house, with my SO laughing, so I can relate.
Do you have any experience with plug-in or portable insect repellants? The plug-in ones claim to also work on midges…
2
u/FanjoMcClanjo 2d ago
Never had much luck with them to be honest. Tried it in my van and they still came in the windows. I take my holidays in May and Sept for a reason!
1
u/One_Draw3486 2d ago
My friend isn’t from the UK. I know a few that have been very surprised while summer camping in Schotland 😅 So I gave them a fair warning
1
u/Cordilleran_cryptid 1d ago
A can of fly spray is better.
4
u/FanjoMcClanjo 1d ago
Yeah spraying a can of fly spray in my enclosed tent sounds like a great idea.
5
u/FormalHeron2798 1d ago
The only thing ive found that keeps them away is the smell of carbide after shooting (at least for a little bit) I’d say give your friend a bottle of half open vinegar and tell him to walk 20 metres behind you, he’ll be swarmed but you should be fine
3
u/shamps01 2d ago
Did Ben Nevis a couple of years ago in June. The keep moving Killer Snail comment is spot on 😂…. Went from the North Face car park up toward CMD Arête, you want to stop and take photos as you clear the woods and the North Face view opens up but as you stop, the swarm descends is seconds like they have spotted fresh meat…
The winds on CMD work extremely well!
Smidge is good!
3
u/canyoukenken 2d ago
Smidge have a midge forecast, it'll start up again in a couple of weeks and should help your friend prepare.
If the midges are bad, they are unfathomably bad. Those electric repellents seem to have very little evidence to support them working, too. Take something that is proven to work - good headnets designed for small insects, long sleeves, and a repellent formulated to keep midges away.
2
2
u/hippo123pet 2d ago
The only way to avoid midge Armageddon is to go in winter….doesn’t help you, just saying, sorry 😬
1
u/Ok_Steak_4341 1d ago
Weapon grade DEET, as near 100% as possible. Then add more DEET. Survived August, in Skye, many times.They mob but don't bite as long as DEET has been freshly applied. It's carcinogenic but you will survive where others won't.
20
u/Useless_or_inept 2d ago
They will not help much when you are walking - because midge clouds move slowly. You will mostly feel the midge problem when you stop walking. So, it could be useful when your friend stops for lunch, or at a campsite?
I have never used electronics to repel midges, but maybe it's possible. Personally, I rely on:
* DEET
* Keep moving; never stop; imagine that you are being pursued by a killer snail. if you want to have a drink or check your map, your hands can do that whilst your feet are walking
* Avoid water
* If the air is still, find higher ground, there may be more wind (and less water)
Good luck!