Midgies ??

[howzat]

Hi all,

I posted a question on gone fishing, not sure wether the general chat see's them.
I was looking for something to repel midgies. My partner is highly allergic to them and comes out in big welts that just keep weeping. we have tried a few things but nothing seems to work. the other she covered herself with rid and they seemed to attack her more where the rid was.
Snakecatcher gave us a link to check out which was helpful but anymore info on these pesky little things would be greatly appreciated as i love camping but can't seem to get out anywhere.

Thanks
Howzat

[2DKnBJ]

Howzat
There has been a number of threads relating to this in recent months in regards to home made repelents.
I use a mixture of baby oil,metho, dettol,and citronella oil.
I would advise going to see a chemist and ask about the course of vitamin b you can go on.I know a few people that have been allergic to mozzies but after doing the course they didn't seem to bother them.
Cheers Dazza

[major-defect]

You can buy mesh suits.There supposed to work.

[finga64]

the bush survival bloke last week said to use mangrove mud for mossies and the such. Just say its from Paris, it great for the skin and cost a squillion dollars a kilo :P

[Feral]

Not sure what you mean by midgies, but in my neck of the woods, they are the pesky critters they chew you up in western queensland after rain. Sandflies are what chew you up on the coast. Either way they are similar noxious beasties.

Best bet with either is to avoid em. THey are generally to small for the standard things like a "fly veil" to be effective, so even if your wife dresses head to toe, they will still get her on the neck and head (just love midgies bites in the hair). If you talking the out west variety, just avoid going anywhere near water systems for the period 2 to 4 weeks after rain. I can remember spending weeks in high summer after rain in Longreach, sitting in the lounge room with a only my eyes sticking out from under a double bed sheet to avoid em.

If your talking the coastal variety, Deet based repellants are supposed to work, but your missus sounds the same as me, Deet is just tomato sauce for em! Luckily for me I am not allergic so I just moan and itch. I suggest breezy days, stay away from mangroves, dunes and leeward sides of headlands, sandflies make hard work of it in a breeze.

[BladeRunner]

I think we use datal and baby oil mixed together about have of each in a plastic spray bottle, spray your legs and arms rub it over gently before you venture out into the mangroves or swamps.

I am not shore if there was another ingredient but I drink Bourbon.
Serious I will check up with whom I got the recipe off. It works great.
Will let you Know.

BladeRunner

[howzat]

Bourbon sounds like the the other ingredient, for me that is haha......
i got told by someone that 1 cup metho, 1 cup applecider vinegar and 1 cap of dettol. What is applecider vinegar ? Anyway i have a few remedies i can try so hopefully something works as i am hanging to go to donnybrook fishing and camping. got a nice jew there last year and he has a brother i want to meet.
Thanks to everyone who gave me some suggestions, really appreciate it
cheers
Howzat

[BladeRunner]

Apple cider vinegar is an alkaline if your body is acidic it can great a balance. But no not the 3rd ingredient in this recipe. Still looking.
Blade

[bettshouse]

Hi i am heading to Burrum Heads in March with my family and the midges LOVE me and my 4yr old son!! :'(
Just wondering if you ever found out a repelent that works? :-/
Hope the fish are biting and the beers are cold!
Cheers

[side_show_cod]

I knew a bloke who made a repellant out of baby oil and I 'think' metho and eucalyptyus in a spray bottle. #:-? he swore by it

by the sounds of previous posts baby oil and metho , and then you could prob experiment with other additives. preferably tested on small helpless animals before use ;)

[agnesstyle]

Hello to all,
in the creeks around Agnes they can get nasty, so we all were long pants, shirts, booties and hats. As far as repellents go, the winner by a country mile is a product by Avon called "Skin So Soft" . The original one, not the one with insect repellent in it. Don't miss any exposed areas, cause they'll get you. It stops the sand flies biting or as i was once told urinating on you. they land on you but you don't get stung. With Bushmans for back up for mozzies, the combo can work for an hour.
good luck
Agnesstyle

[Maryanne]

For round the campfire you can take lemon myrtle leaves, break them up and infuse in boiling water to help keep the bities away.

metho, eucalyptus and baby oil i have heard of also.

the best remedy for any sort of bite is from the chemist in a tube, called Eurax cream.. do not buy the lotion, it is not as effective.
I have used this on bee stings and it gets the itch out.
I also suffer from weepy welts from sandfly bites.. this will help to ease that.
Like the others say just keep experimenting with the metho, eucalyptus, baby oil and dettol in a spray bottle.

Hope you find something that works, there is nothing worse to spoil a weekend away than itchy bites >:( :( :-[ :'(

Cheers Tracey
aka mrs skippa

[Robbo_Townsville]

100% cotton long shirt and trousers for a starter.

Bushman Professional in the white tube is as strong as u can get with 40% deet. I think thats twice as pwerful as anything else on the market. DONT put in on your kids though.

[Darryl]

Dettol, baby oil, and a splash of citronella. They should bottle it and sell it where i live. ::)

[bettshouse]

what are the quanties for this great brew? :-/

[2iar]

1/3 Dettol
1/3 Metho
1/3 Baby Oil
and a few drops of *pure* Citronella Oil.

You don't have to be precise with the D/M/BO quantities, just use what you've got but stay as close as you can. The Metho helps repel, the Dettol helps repel and disinfect any bites, and the BO just helps the consistencyof the solution for application.

Mix up big quantities in put into spray bottles. I've got 2xlitre bottles for the camp, and various smaller ones for the car, boat and tackle box.

Cheap as chips and works a charm. I'd love to give this a go in the West Coast and Highlands of Scotland. Midgies are ferocious there, but at least there are no mozzies.

Good luck,
Mike

[fish-n-dive]

1/3 Dettol
1/3 Metho
1/3 Baby Oil
and a few drops of *pure* Citronella Oil.


We tryed this last week @ Yepoon.......................what a great formula........ [smiley=idea.gif]........it really works...... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]........has anyone thought of bottling this and selling it? [smiley=dankk2.gif]

Cheers 8-)

[tincanpeter]

Feral
It didn't have to be after big rain in Longreach. They use to be savage at the local swimming pool. Those days they had grass surrounds. Idon't know if that is still the case

[Kingo]

Definately the higher the deet level the better, the vitamin b trick is a wives tale and false,if bad welts come out then the best thing to take is an antihystamine such as Zyrtec,this will greatly reduce the reaction.

[2iar]

1/3 Dettol
1/3 Metho
1/3 Baby Oil
and a few drops of *pure* Citronella Oil.


We tryed this last week @ Yepoon.......................what a great formula........ [smiley=idea.gif]........it really works...... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]........has anyone thought of bottling this and selling it? [smiley=dankk2.gif]

Cheers 8-)


Glad it helped mate.

Just make sure you give the bottles a shake before use, particularly if they're not see-through. The baby oil separates from the rest of the brew, so you wouldn't get the right belnd without mixing it up a bit. ;)

Good luck,
Mike

[2iar]

1/3 Dettol
1/3 Metho
1/3 Baby Oil
and a few drops of *pure* Citronella Oil.


We tryed this last week @ Yepoon.......................what a great formula........ [smiley=idea.gif]........it really works...... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]........has anyone thought of bottling this and selling it? [smiley=dankk2.gif]

Cheers 8-)


Glad it helped mate.

Just make sure you give the bottles a shake before use, particularly if they're not see-through. The baby oil separates from the rest of the brew, so you wouldn't get the right blend without mixing it up a bit. ;)

I even mixed up a big batch and sprayed the tent/tarp once, which seemed to reduce the amount of critters around the camp in general, though it's hard to judge. I'm not yet sure what the long-term results will be on the tent fabric, and don't forget there's metho in it, so you're increasing its' flammability. [smiley=fireman.gif]

Good luck,
Mike

[Rhetly]

I also come out in weepy welts after an attack of either sandflies or midgies.............there is a difference.

My recipe is your average bottle of tea tree lotion from the supermarket with a 2-4 drops of pure citronella oil in it (not the fuel you put in your citronella burners)

The citronella is the repellant and the lotion help spreads it over your skin. The tea tree also acts as a soother to any bites that you may have recieved.


Have also heard good reports from the dettol/metho/babyoil/couple of drops of citronella/couple of drops of tea tree oil method.

Cheers

[black_sheep]

As Robbo_Townsville said, Bushman's is the strongest (off the shelf) product you can buy and they do come in different strenghts. Again, do not use on kids and don't get it on plastic/rubber etc as it could eat into it. It ate a mates sounder pretty bad.

I also would not use it for prolonged periods but it is very very good - taste pretty bad though so wash hands after applying. They do make it in a aerosol spray can.

One more thing we use to do before heading up to Turkey Beach is for a week prior, we would take Vitamin B tablets. This doesn't really prevent them from biting but more so reduces the after affect.

[Tugtellum2]

The locals at turkey use avon bath oil it seems to work really well

[scottar]

100% cotton long shirt and trousers for a starter.

Bushman Professional in the white tube is as strong as u can get with 40% deet. I think thats twice as pwerful as anything else on the market. DONT put in on your kids though.

Or the plastic trim in your car or anything else plastic for that matter.

[Ronald2boats]

We have midgies here and use OFF tropical strength which has 191 g/l Picardin. DEET works but as others point out, everything plastic will be damaged by it.

Also, both are not waterproof to any real extent, so getting wet at the ramp can be hazardous. The mixtures based on baby oil may be better at holding the repellent in wet situations.

... Ron via mobile

[indian man]

I've heard these thermacell units work very well on mozzies id say midges as well316927 (http://www.bcf.com.au/Product/Thermacell-Mosquito-Repellent-Unit/316927)

[ozscott]

Thermacell worked well for me in Cape York. Cheers

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[Mike Delisser]

I'm lucky, immune to them along with my brothers and sister. I feel the bite but thats all, no bite mark, no itch. I put it down to growing up on Bribie Island in a house with no flyscreans.

[Rob0046]

Try a few pieces of dry cow dung in your camp fire..keeps the lot at bay...we have used it for years

[sportfish58]

Howzat, My boys and I have had a bad time with midgies fishing up the cape. We have fished all day covered with them,you just grit yout teeth and keep fishing when the Barra are bitting.We use a 50/50 Dettol and baby oil. The "Trick" if you have a severe reaction to the buggers is to spay the areas with the mixture after you have a wash/shower. We can wake up the next morning with no signs of ever being bitten. If I never did this routine I would suffer for weeks. Do this and enjoy the outdoors.
Cheers

[Volvo]

116810

Windex Morre , For everything :)