Keep Mosquitoes Away while Camping -Tested Tips and Tricks 2021
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In Camping & Hiking , Outdoor Tips
Camping is probably the best way to spend your long vacation, away from all the city trouble and connects with nature. We always try to prepare our best for these trips. But there is one thing we forget to prepare for and be a nuisance that ruins our starry night experience of the camping trip. Mosquitoes. What a shame it is that these small creatures can completely ruin our perfect vacation. So in this article, we are going to talk about cool camping tricks to keep mosquitoes away while camping, so your next camping trip will be the best camping trip ever.
When you are going on a camping trip, it is useful to know what attracts mosquitoes so that you can try to avoid them.
Mosquitoes are attracted to some colors more than others. The dark and bold colors like black and other shades of black color attract mosquitoes. But so do red, navy blue, brown, and the colors related to those hues. The reason why mosquitoes are attracted to these colors is because of their heat-sensing antennas. Mosquitoes find their prey by using these antennas and since these colors trap our body heat, we are more vulnerable to mosquito bites when we are wearing those colors. Therefore, try to avoid wearing clothes of those colors and consider this fact when you are choosing your camping tents too.
Perfumes and Other Fragrance
Mosquitoes are attracted to fragrance, colognes, and perfumes as well. Especially, the female mosquitoes like the floral scents. And as we all know, they are the ones that bite. So, try to avoid perfumes and body washes that give out strong fragrance scents.
Blood, Sweat, and Body Heat
It is obvious that mosquitoes are attracted to us because of their meal preferences. Some scientists claim that mosquitoes are attracted to O blood type than the other blood types. And mosquitoes can track and locate their prey by the scent of sweat. This happens because when we sweat the bacteria on our skin reacts releasing different kinds of substances like uric acid and lactic acid that trigger the mosquitoes. Therefore, the mosquitoes are often clustered around the areas that release sweat the most like ankles, feet, wrists, and hands. By covering these areas, you will be able to reduce the attraction to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes also recognize the scent of urine and are attracted to it.
Since mosquitoes are heat-sensing creatures, they find us because of our body heat. From all the hiking’s, walking’s, and climbing’s of the camping trip, it is inevitable that our body temperature is going to be even higher than usual. We have to take actions to chase away the mosquitoes.
CO2 We Release When We Exhale
The palps of mosquitoes are tuned to detect the odor of Carbon Dioxide. Palps are the organs mosquitoes use for their odor detection. Unfortunately, we cannot do much about this as we cannot stop breathing. So, we have to avoid other attractions and take necessary precautions to keep mosquitoes away.
Since there are many things that attract mosquitoes, keeping them away seems a bit hard. But, here are some measures you can easily apply to safeguard your skin from them.
With their sharp proboscis (the long straw-like mouthpart), mosquitoes can pierce through some fabrics like gauze or spandex. So choose your clothes that are made from fabric that will not be pierced by mosquitoes. The more fitting your clothes are, the more they can come to contact with your skin. So, try to wear clothes that are a little loose. And avoid clothes with loose necklines and sleeves to avoid getting mosquito bites.
Also avoid red, black, brown, or navy blue color clothes. They attract mosquitoes. Try wearing long sleeves and other long clothes and do not forget to wear long socks. You can spray mosquito repellents on your clothes to make them more mosquito-proof.
There are wearable mosquito nets that will very effectively protect your skin from mosquito bites.
Mosquito-Proof Tent
Choose a Dry Camping Site
Mosquitoes prefer to stay near still bodies of water because their larvae and pupae live in water. Also, some mosquitoes prefer to lay their eggs near swamps or marshes. Therefore, try to locate dry land as your camping site.
If you are camping near a river, fix your camp where the water flows quickly. Mosquitoes do not lay eggs on agitated water. So there will not be many mosquitoes flocked together relative to the still water bodies.
Even little water pools and puddles are mosquito gathering sites. Consider avoiding these places when setting up your camp.
Also, despite the famous belief that mosquitoes do not live near the ocean because of the breeze, mosquitoes do live near the ocean too. Therefore, even if your camping trip is near the Ocean, try to stay away from water as possible.
Use Lanterns Instead of Lights to Keep Mosquitoes Away While Camping
Mosquitoes are not attracted to lights like other insects. However, your lights will be a beam that signals them where to find you. So, use lanterns or a bonfire to keep you lighten up rather than using electronic lights. This will reduce mosquito attraction.
Bug Attract Light
The Campfire Will Save You
Campfire is helpful to keep any animal away from your campsite. This goes the same for the mosquitoes too. This happens because of the smoke from the fire, the mosquitoes cannot breathe. And also, the fire masks the other odors that give away your location to the mosquitoes. The campfire will make it more fun and secure when you are outside.
Effective Mosquito Repellent – Scents & Smells That Repels Mosquitoes Effectively
Other than the campfire, mosquito repellents are the best thing to keep mosquitoes away from you during your camping. There are many mosquito repellents and many ways you could use them too.
Mosquito Outdoor Spray,
You can use bug spray to spray your tent and maybe around the campsite. You can also spray them on your clothes and body, but be careful to check them before spraying them on your skin and clothes. Try spraying a little bit on your hand first and wait for some time to see if you are having any allergic reaction to it. Make sure your bug spray does not have any fragrance too.
Natural Essential Oils That Keep Mosquitoes Away While Camping
If you do not like to spray artificial products on your skin, there are always solutions in nature. Essential oils can repel mosquitoes just as much as bug sprays or even more. Besides, they are ecofriendly.
You can make a natural bug spray at home easily enough. You just have to identify some herbs that will act as a repellent to mosquitoes. Here are instructions for you to make a natural bug spray to carry with you on your next camping trip.
First, find a spray bottle. Mix a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and a cup of water and add them to the bottle. Then pore 10 to 20 drops of any of the essential oils like Tea tree, Eucalyptus, Thyme, Calderwood, Sage, Catnip, Citronella, Clove, Mint, Basil, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Geranium, or Lemongrass. Many of these herbs produce a minty kind of odor that mosquitoes dislike.
Since these oils do not mix well with water, shake the bottle well before using it.
You can also pour a ring of vinegar around your campsite. The mosquitoes dislike the scent of vinegar. To tone down the smell of vinegar, you can mix it with essential oils or dried herbs.
Bring garlic capsules with you and keep them near. Even if we cannot smell the garlic capsules, they emit a certain smell, insects do not like.
These scented candles are designed to emit a scent as they burnt that chase away mosquitoes. The scent also masks the odor of humans so they cannot detect where you are. If you dislike putting on sprays, artificial or natural, you can use these candles to keep mosquitoes away from your campsite. Many mosquito repellant candles use lemongrass or Citronella to make the scent.
Parents prefer this solution for the children because they do not like spraying chemicals. It is safer too because it prevents allergies and does not emit chemicals into the air. Also, the long-term effects of bug sprays and other solutions are not yet determined.
Burning sage is another good way to keep the mosquitoes away from your campsite. Sage is a plant that belongs to the family of Lamiaceae, which is a minty type of plant. It is very common and can be found in many places around the world. The smell of burning sage is disliked by many insects, including mosquitoes, and therefore very efficient in camping trips.
Citronella Mosquito Repellent Coils?
Because of the minty characteristics of the Citronella plant, they are often used as a mosquito repellant solution. Just like in candles and sprays, it is also effective in mosquito repellent coils. These coils are very cheap to produce and will assist you in keeping mosquitoes away. However, these coils require ideal weather conditions. As an example, if the wind is too strong, the coils might be ineffective.
Physical barriers keep mosquitoes away while camping
You can always block the way of mosquitoes physically by putting up barriers. You can try adding an extra layer of the sheet for your tent. Also, try building a patio-like architecture when you want to sit outside. If you have a tent with AC it will help you to stay away from mosquito.
Modern inventions like screen houses are very effective in camping because you do not necessarily have to be outside to enjoy the view you can buy a tent with a screen room.
Best Bug Spray for Mosquitoes
Many people wonder about the best ways to deal with the mosquito problem. The bug Zappers have gained quite the attention in the past few years as a way to deal with bugs. However, the bug zapper is not effective when it comes to the mosquito problem. It uses UV light to attract bugs and electrocute them and unfortunately, mosquitoes are not phototaxis, meaning they are not attracted to the light sources the way other bugs are. Therefore, bug sprays are popular among many and proven to be effective in chasing away mosquitoes.
There are several types of bug sprays that you can buy that works effectively for preventing mosquitoes from entering your campsite. You can use outdoor bug spray products to use on the bugs outside. The name itself defines that this will be perfect for your camping trip. Instead of making natural bug spray at home, you can also buy them from the market. These products help you be safe as well as prevent you from harming nature unnecessarily at the campsite.
You can choose a solution that suits you the most and that suites the environment and weather of your camping site. With these different measures, you can keep the mosquitoes away and enjoy the amazing experience of camping, without the trouble of keeping your eye out for mosquitoes. Enjoy your vacation.
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