AIBU To want to destroy them all as they are taking over my area...

[Latara]

'Them' being the Biting Insects - Mosquitoes, Blandford flies, midges (but mainly the mozzies).

I live near a river and i am seriously sick of being bitten despite using insect repellent.

I've had cellulitis in the past due to insect bites; and a friend's husband has had anaphylaxis! Also my Mum is recovering from a bad bite to the face that made her eye droop - she looked as if she'd been punched.

Please can i have suggestions of good insect repellents so i can enjoy this weather - cat friendly repellents if possible please!

[TheseFoolishThings]

Eeek - what a nightmare. I don't know if this works for everyone but I tip I picked up when I lived in Africa was to drink lots of tonic water. Apparently the quinine is a natural repellent? I thought it splendid advice, especially if the tonic was mixed with gin and drunk in large quantities

[Latara]

Maybe the gin will help me ignore the mozzies!

[Latara]

Does anyone know if Citronella really works to deter mosquitoes?

[DoubleMum]

Avon So Soft (not marketed as an insect repellant) is supposed to really work.

[Latara]

Marmite.. hmm don't want to put off the nice single male neighbour down the road! (Sorry to all Marmite-lovers).

At present i'm trying a 'Jungle Formula Maximum' roll on - dotted on various places - the smell isn't great and i don't want my cat near it but it might work.

[MaxPepsi]

I've heard the same about quinine - I think you can get tablets if you can't face a Gin first thing in the morning

Citronella works for me, however I don't live near a river.

Or light a few small fires - the smoke keeps them away!

[Latara]

I will try lighting a Citronella candle when i'm out in the garden.

(Or just start smoking...)

[Itchywoolyjumper]

I come from the West Highlands, where the midgies are plague. Midgie Machines are really popular up there because they work. They are really dear so you might want to club together with your neighbours to get one. Here's a link: www.midge-machines.co.uk/default.asp

I've tried a lot of midgie repellents (and I mean a lot) and Skin So Soft is good and it doesn't smell or taste as horrible a quite a few of them. Also the Royal Marines use it on exercise
Midgie nets are really good but you look like a bee keeper and you have to take them off to eat.

[Beamur]

Another vote for skin so soft as an effective and non toxic repellent - sold in little corner shops in the midgier parts of Scotland so it must work.
Those machines that the above poster refers too are also awesome - the numbers of flies they take up are immense.

[Itchywoolyjumper]

Jungle formula, that takes me back a bit, OP.
Every Brownie BBQ I went to (although we called them sausage sizzles back them olden days) smelled of Jungle formula.

[MaxPepsi]

You can also make your own oils for your skin?

Erm, trying to remember now but think you can use things like orange, rose, eucalyptus then mix it with olive oil (nice for your skin) and then rub on.

You'd be able to do the same with citronella too.

As for the smoke - my dad used to smoke a pipe - the only time we kids went near him when it was lit was when the midgies were out!!

[Bunbaker]

I feel your pain. OH is a bug magnet and always reacts badly to being bitten. He has had countless holidays spoiled by insect bites. We looked at a house near a river once, but didn't take it because of the insect problem.

He finds that if he misses so much as a square inch of skin when applying insect repellent he will get bitten there.

[Latara]

Is the 'Skin So Soft' made by Avon?

I will look at the oils idea.

Won't be smoking a pipe though!

[MrsTwgtwf]

Can you get Avon stuff online? Some really good tips here, thanks from a fellow bug magnet.

[Itchywoolyjumper]

Skin so soft is by Avon. The Jungle formula works but it reeks and it get everywhere and tastes revolting.
If you are going to use citronella use the coils and use a lot of them, the candles are next to useless.

[maddening]

How do you know the chap down the road isn't a marmite lover? I'm not suggesting smearing yourself in it and presenting yourself to him on his doorstep though but don't rule it out!

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

I use Berrocca - take one as a fizzy drink every morning - it's not proven or dp they claim it works, but I heard about it on the Google so it must be trye.

And I'm all vitaminy amd minerally as a side effect, life is good.

[quoteunquote]

Plant lots of trees, they hate elderflower and you can make wine , cordials, jam and champagne . Plant lavender, where you like to sit.

Make sure there is no standing water anywhere, drains, gutters, plant pots, In Tobago they take anyone leaving any standing water really seriously, it community monitored, due to children dying from malaria, so they are really vigilant, no standing water, and Trinidad has a far worse problem because they don't have a policy of no standing water,

Bat boxes, lots and lots of bat boxes, bats are really fussy, if you read up on how to make them (most the advice is what not to do), you will realise that a lot that are offered for sale are pointless, they have to have a totally draft free, warm dry space, with exactly the right measurements for the layout of grooves, and perches, get it right and they will move in, we did a community project, and did a production line building day, a lovely person (bat trust) came along and gave free guidance,

If you get a few bats move in, they make a real difference, they eat their body weight in insects, we also live beside a river, It's very noticeable what a difference our bats make , when we go to similar locations.

just google bat box design, If everyone installed them the bats would sort out all the biting insects for us.

bats live for about thirty years, only start to breed when they are about ten and only have a baby every second year, so they need help, to re tip the balance.

Avon's skin so soft is good, as a repellant.

Crabtree and evelyn use to do a west indian sicilian lemon and limes eau de cologne, that was brilliant.

google Natural Insect Repellent buy the essential oils, and make your own spray, far cheaper.

[TapselteerieO]

Dh likes fishing on lochs - he has tried lots of midge repellents, he likes using olive oil. I can't vouch for it myself but you have my sympathy. Bog myrtle is supposed to be a natural repellent - you could grow some, or buy the oil to add to home made spray.

List of insect repelling plants.

[fertilityFTW]

I used to swear by citronella oil (lived in the tropics near an area frequented by skeeters carrying dengue!) just slathered in on at dawn and dusk - but it's pretty strong scented so may not be practical for you. We also mosquito coils on the deck - placed in pretty clay ware - indispensable if sitting outside. Incidentally (if your skin isn't too sensitive), Tiger Balm takes the itch away - at least, it did for me - never left home without it.

[quoteunquote]

eat lots of garlic, and vitamin B complex (marmite) or daily tablet.

and always sit next to a red head, as all biting insects prefer a red head.

[TapselteerieO]

I want baby bats, what a great idea quoteunquote - would be lovely community project for my local river.

We had bats near where I lived as a child. I have a memory of our cat leaping into the air and catching one when it flew into our house - we got it off her.

That link I posted also suggests:

"Natural Antihistamines are all around the fields and gardens during the summer. Nettles and plantain are weeds that grow all over Scotland, both have a natural anti-histamine action, useful when you have been bitten a number of times. Both may be taken as a herbal tea, nettles may be eaten as a soup, or you could rub the juice of the plants onto the skin."

[thepig]

Oh for a minute there I thought this was another UKIP thread...

[raisah]

Use lavendar oil, creepies dont like the smell of them.