mosquitos - any advice welcome (camping in Scotland)

[sallydolittle]

We are planning to camp in Scotland this summer. I love Scotland but 2 of my DD get terribly bitten by insects. I have been recommended some citronella scented candles in enamel mugs from The glam camping company, apparently they are amazing. Does anyone have any experience of them and I would love any advice what can I put on the kids when they are running around.

I'd recommend taking my dh. I'll hire him out for a reasonable price.

I used to get bitten to shit constantly. Since meeting him they prefer him instead. Job done!

Camp near the coast. They can't cope with the breeze. East Coast is better than West Coast. Avon Skin So Soft.

They don't like the rain. It'll rain. Have fun!

Avoid August. Keep to the East Coast. Take vitamin B omplex,

Avon skin so soft dry oil spray .... Amazing!

Smidge midge repellent seems to be the best we've used so far.
I use avon skin so soft every morning after showering then top up with smidge if they are bad in the evening. Also Liquid Piriton for the kids if they get bitten loads, will help them sleep through the itch also.
But the midge are mainly a problem at dusk and dawn when sitting/standing still. The kids will prob be fine, it's the adults they tend to munch in our family.

Yy to east coast. If you are lucky on east you will be fine. West coast is beautiful but best visited in May ir October outside midge season.

But it isn't mosquitoes. We hardly get those on scotland. What we do get in horrific numbers are midges. Most of the irritation is them crawling on you.

Hence- get skin so soft
Midge nets/hoods to stop them landing on you
A camping bbq. The smoke keeps them off.
find a pub that has midge traps for the evenings or
Don't sit outside at dusk and keep tent doors shut in the evening.

Agree with Avon skin so soft for the midges.

Also eat a lot of garlic and change your socks regularly.

Bog myrtle also works at a push.

Eh...they don't mind rain at all..they don't like hot or dry weather or windy weather.

So pray for the sirocco

(It is actually too hot for them for the last few days)

Worse in evenings and near water.

On the west coast its not the mosquitos its the midges -tiny wee bitey swines in clouds. Most outdoor shops sell head nets that are ace. Skin so soft and Smidge are good. I can't see citronella cutting it sorry! If its bad head for hill ridges where there is a breeze -you see the deer doing it to escape

I have never been bitten if it's raining. Never. I would say they like dawn/dusk, humid and still.

Midge nets area must if on the west coast. Don't mention Plockton or Skye midges. These are the mother of all midges!

Eat garlic, marmite & loads of vitamin B12. Avon Skin So Soft

I know you have already decided, but if midge bites are a problem why chose to camp in Scotland?

OH is a midge magnet and when he went to North West Scotland and Skye with his mates years ago, he didn't even dare get out of the car because they were literally swarming all over the place.

Eating garlic and marmite doesn't work. Avon SSS doesn't deter midges from OH either. The only stuff that works on him are DEET based products or Autan.

I live in Scotland- I can't say I have ever been troubled by midges.

Sorry to butt in but which type of Avon Skin so Soft
I've just got a brochure thru he door and there's a few
Is there a specific one that works?

It's the dry spray oil in the white and blue bottle
avonshop.co.uk/product/bath-and-body/skin-so-soft/skin-so-soft-original-dry-oil-body-spray.html

I'm afraid that the new Avon Skin Soft formula is not a patch on the old one- it doesn't work and I don't know anyone who still uses it.

Smidge or Jungle Formula.

lives on the West Coast of Scotland

I think SSS only works on people who aren't that attractive to insects in the first place. It doesn't work on OH who gets bitten if he misses so much as one millimetre of skin when applying insect repellent.

The old style green bottle of skin so soft from avon was good. I was at Luss the Helensburgh yesterday and the midges were a nightmare! X

The old SSS formula was so good that even military personnel would wear it on exercise but they don't anymore.

It's a shame, I just felt it was less harsh somehow than the obviously chemical ones if that makes any sense.

we were up in Scotland last year and depended on Skin so soft, I can't believe they have changed the formula. Can't we use the power of Mumsnet to demand a U-turn !!!

We also bought some all natural candles, all sorts of flavours in as well as citronella from the camp shop that did make a difference in the area were they were being burnt. They were very cute red enamel cups but I haven't seen anything like them since.

I find that they either bite you... Or they don't. Some years are worse than others and I have no idea wh

I think this may be my area of expertise!! I'm a Scottish camper and midges think my blood is like amber nectar!!
Where are you going? The east is generally unaffected. The west can be hell!

Tips;
They don't like a breeze...above about 12mph and they go.
They don't like bright sunshine.
Drizzly rain they quite like.
I've never come across a batch that have been scared away by citronella candles but anything is worth a try! However, unless you're going to set up a fairy ring of them I'm unconvinced. They live in the grass so the fumes from stuff at waist height isn't going to worry them very much. It may avoid your arms being bitten but they'll have a field day with your ankles!
If we wake in the tent and there's no breeze, we postpone getting up and having brekkie till it does (generally by about 9/10 there is more wind than at 8 in the morning)...although trips to the loo can be a bit like an assault course.
Likewise tea time. Either eat while the sun is still bright or make sure there is room in your tent to eat too!
I recommend this www.coolcamphampers.com/products/highland-midge-lotion especially if its for the kids as it's natural. I use it and they avoid me more than they did with Skin So Soft (which I was so excited about and frankly was a bit of a let down). it's got lemon balm in it which gardeners and ghillie's swear by. Mind you ghillie's also swear by reeking of whisky but that may only work for them!!
I also once tried the B6 tablets about 6 weeks before going. Still got bitten.
Really though, let us know where you're going...we may be able to put your mind at ease.