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!

There is a repellent spray called Off! that really works. It may be full of nasties and don't know what it smells or tastes like.

I thought this was going to be UKIP thread.

Lavender oil is really good, and the citronela candles.

I pretty much stopped getting bitten after I'd been taking B12 complete for ages. Still taking it so we'll see how I do this summer.
I'd prefer marmite though.
If we go anywhere mozzie infested I spray us all with Off.

Blandford flies are horrific! I'd never heard of them until we moved down south, and got bitten last summer. It came up in a lump the size of a tennis ball.

OP you have my sympathies as a fellow bug magnet. You can get DEET sprays which go on clothes rather than skin, but lots of people really don't like DEET (which is fair enough).

I feel pretty good about SkinSoSoft because the locals on Skye where I was seemed to be very fond of it - it was for sale in the very small Post Office. It's cheaper and way less chemically than DEET products. You can always stop using it if it doesn't work.

BTW - I found, when on holiday in Scotland, that midges seem quite selective about whom they bite - so the best thing might be to go with someone who is susceptible and that will distract the midgies from everyone else

You can get stuff called Smidge which is really really good! Google it!

Avon Skin So Soft is amazing. I live in Asia and its the onky thing that works reliably plus smells nice too. I use it on the whole family.

This thread is making me itch! but thank you for posting it, Latara and thanks for the tips from everyone else. I had never heard of Blandford flies... I just Googled it and I think this is the little fucker that has been biting Mr F.

He's been playing footie in a park over in SW London and every single time he goes there he gets bitten somewhere below the knee by something and it comes up in a horrid yellow pus-filled bite. Now at least I think I know what it is! He's tried insect repellent which hasn't worked (although I suspect he's been a bit blokey putting it on and has missed patches). I'm going to get him some Skin So Soft.

Not suitable for v. young children under 4 yo, but I find a device like this helps, if one has unfortunately been bitten: www.boots.com/en/Boots-Bite-Sting-relief-Click-it_8212/

It does prickle a tiny bit when clicked on a bite, but I find the relief from days of itching is well worth the momentary discomfort.

Bat advice above = brilliant! Swallows and martins eat flies and midges, so suggest encourage them to nest, also.

I think I have become immune to jungle formula..

I've been using something called incognito. Which apparently repels ALL insects. I stink of citronella.
I am curretly nursing 16 bites in various stages of healing.
[grump]

Which Skin so Soft product do people use? I just looked it up and there are lots of different ones. Want to get some for my Dad who seems to be a bit allergic to bites and has had some really nasty ones recently.

It's this one www.amazon.co.uk/Avon-skin-soft-SPRAY-Original/dp/B002L45K26

I usually find aloe vera works well for me, that or making sure I'm sat near my sister, then they make a bee line for her instead.

Bat boxes sound like a fantastic idea. I'll be having a look for those later, might be something DD and I can do together.

My tip with it is to apply to all areas of bare skin. It's not like DEET where you spray it on wrists, this needs spraying and rubbing in well. If you do that it's amazing. I live in mozzie central and haven't found anything better.

Thanks eastendfareast I will order some for him

Not sure if you'll all see this as it's old, but there's a new insect repellent that I use which is stronger than J Formula & smells more than ok. The point is it works really well, no bites for whole family for ages!

You may have seen it in H&B, sainsburys, Waitrose, etc. It is in a black bottle with a green square...

If it's midges you can get machines that suck in the females, which you then freeze to kill them. Made a big difference to my parents garden in Scotland

Deet works for me and I have used it all over including infested islands in Central America. Also don't go out at dusk (when they come out in some countries). Sleep with a net around the bed and I also have a head covering net thing that can go over your head when you are in a sleeping bag.

The machine sounds a good idea. You can also pay to eradicate them by spray over entire islands but that is probably not a practical solution where you are. I actually try to avoid being near lakes/water.

Bermuda where we were last year treats all open water - they have money to burn there and it certainly works. We did not get bitten once.