Phil May Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 During a recant day at the field, I was repeatedly bit by Horse fly and other nasty little critters which have become infected. The other guys down there were not affected at all. Why only me when we were stood next to each other and does anyone have any good ideas how to stop the bliters!!! Painfully Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Our club president had to go to the hospital having been bitten by something at the flying field. It swelled up a bit at first, but within a couple of days he woke up to find that his arm was so swollen and painful that they had to cut his pyjamas off him. It looked shocking, even after massive doses of antibiotics and after most of the pus had been released. We fly next to the sewage works so it's something to keep in mind. One of our ex-members was advised by his doctor that, following a dose of chemotherapy and a compromised immune system that he should not visit the club field at all, such was the risk of a bite turning seriously septic. Ideas for stopping the biting include citronella oil and smoking, as well as proprietary insect repellents like Deet. Haven;t seen anything that is guaranteed 100% effective and some people definitely seem to get bitten more often that others. My pal used every lotion and potion under the sun and they used to literally make a bee line for him, when nobody else was getting bitten. Horse fly cost me one of my favourite models some years ago, with a panicky pupil and a dose of full down elevator.....Edited By leccyflyer on 21/06/2011 12:17:18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Wood 4 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 There is a product called Skin so Soft from Avon which works amazingly in repelling midges. You can get it in all sorts of outlets in Scotland and from Amazon. Not sure if it works against horse flies but I can vouch for its effectiveness against the predatory Scottish midge! Down side is that it was originally intended as a ladies after shower spray - could lose some street cred if your mates find out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben B Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 For my sins I'm a mozzy magnet so if there's a biting insect around it'll get me. I swear by Boot's Tropical Strength (50% DEET) spray. Does the job nicely. Smoking does work though I wouldn't recommend taking it up just to deter insects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Ireland Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Posted by Peter Wood 4 on 21/06/2011 12:20:49: There is a product called Skin so Soft from Avon which works amazingly in repelling midges. You can get it in all sorts of outlets in Scotland and from Amazon. Not sure if it works against horse flies but I can vouch for its effectiveness against the predatory Scottish midge! Down side is that it was originally intended as a ladies after shower spray - could lose some street cred if your mates find out! Apparently its also used by American Special Forces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 we use 'enrico' as a decoy....................... ken anderson ne...1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil May Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 Thanks guys, That's a good one Ken. Mrs Bigphil came home today with a few different sprays and potions for me. Try them out on the weekend. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil May Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 Thanks guys, That's a good one Ken. Mrs Bigphil came home today with a few different sprays and potions for me. Try them out on the weekend. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flytilbroke Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Avon SSS is very good against Midges,not very effective against most other UK flying diners. Anything with DEET in high percentage is good against the Horsefly (Cleg) and Ticks. All down to the way they "bite". Midges cut a little hole in the skin, the other two have a mouthpart like a syringe needle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
001 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Generally, not wishing to alarm anyone, but there are some serious diseases carried by ticks. One of these is called Lymes disease. These ticks lurk in grass and bushes and are often associated with bracken. If anyone has been bitten by or is carrying a tick and the site gets inflamed or they start to feel poorly they should consult a doctor ASAP. (Look up Lymes disease on the internet, not good news). As far as smoking goes, I used to smoke, but never found that it repelled insects at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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