I have hardly even had to resort to the Jungle Formula or Lifesystems this year, but the majority of the swims I have fished are tree or bush free and quite open.
I do hardly get bitten though compared to other people, something to do with blood type apparently. Just my luck, I can't even pull a female mosquito ๐ ๐
I have seen plenty of chironomid hatches, seeing and hearing massive clouds of them above my bivvy.
I'm wondering if the long dry warm weather possibly reduced numbers as boggy areas, streams and ponds have been dried out, and what has hatched recently on the occasional rainy day is facing increased competition to reproduce.
On the occasion of being bitten or stung, I do have Savlon antiseptic cream in my rucksack.
Stung: In June I was bivvy free opposite the island at the shallower end of the lake and woke up to something crawling just above my ear. Without thinking I attempted to grab it, it turned out to me a wasp and stung me on the head.