How to Survive Camping With Mosquitos 101
Camping is a great way to enjoy the great outdoors with friends and family, letting modern humans get a little taste of living amongst nature and the perfect excuse to make smores. However, the drawback of going camping outside in a tent surrounded by nature is that you have to deal with some of nature’s less friendly inhabitants, in particular the ever annoying mosquito. However, never fear, there are things you can do to ensure you enjoy a camping trip mostly free from the bloodsuckers.
First of all carrying around lots of bug spray is a must. You can get specialty bug tents to keep them out while you’re in your shelter, but since you probably don’t want to spend the entire time locked in your tent, you also need protection against them when you venture outside. The answer to this dilemma is to use lots and lots of insect repellent. When you go outside wear long sleeve and pants when possible, and cover any exposed skin with bug spray, particularly ones that contain either DEET or Picardin. You can also spray your clothes with permethrin for added protection.
Using certain essential oils such as citronella and cedar oil is also a good way to keep the mosquitos away. Citronella oils mask the scents that attract mosquitos, and you can use products such as Citronella candles and wristbands to help repel mosquitos. Cedar oil is another great essential oil for keeping those bloodsuckers away. Mosquitos run from the scent of cedar oil, as it can be deadly to their eggs and larvae if they come in contact with it.
Herbs are also a must on camping tricks. Rosemary, basil, catnip, lavender, lemon balm, and eucalyptus are all good for repelling mosquitos. Many people use them to make natural insect repellents. You can burn them to repel bugs too. The smoke from campfires already keeps mosquitos away on its own, but you can increase the effect by putting a stick of sage in the fire. This will repel numerous insects from getting anywhere near you and the smoke from your campfire, giving this method a nice large area of protection. If you don’t mind the grossness, putting a cow pie in your fire can also greatly enhance your campfires ability to repel insects.
Finally, you can also do things to make yourself less attractive to mosquitos, such as staying away from body products with strong scents. Make sure every hygiene product you do bring such as soap, shampoo, and lotion is unscented. You’ll find that by just doing this you’ll be much less attractive to mosquitos even without insect repellent…but please still wear the repellent.
What do you do to keep insects and particularly mosquitos from ruining your camping trip?
