Going out camping, either by yourself or with family members and friends, can be really interesting and memorable.
Some people get to bond with each other over a camping trip. Camping can also be a way to escape from the stress of work and city life. It provides you with some serenity and brings you close to the beauty of Mother Nature.
Camping features a lot of fun activities like hiking along daring trails, walking through the wild with a company of friends, roasting S’mores over a campfire, and lots more. It wouldn’t be fair if something came to disturb you at the camp and took away your comfort.
This is why you need to know how to deal with bugs. Bugs are notorious creatures that could make your stay at camp inconvenient and filled with complaints. Keep on reading to know more about natural ways to keep bugs away when camping.
How to Keep Bugs Away When Camping
If you want to have a great time while camping, you have to make sure that nothing attacks your comfort. Bugs are a potential enemy that could ruin your great time at camp.
Here are eight common natural ways to keep bugs away when camping:
1. Clean Your Campsite
A dirty environment or tent is never going to benefit you when you’re out camping. Not only does it attract wild bears forcing you to learn how to repel bears while camping as well, but it also attracts notorious bugs.
If you don’t want to be constantly suffering from bug attacks, you need to make sure that you clean both your tent and its environment. Besides, a dirty environment can also breed germs and threaten your health.
2. Wear Bug Repellent Clothes
Normal fabric is not enough to protect your skin from insect attacks. Some insects can still get through your clothes and bite you. The best thing to do is to purchase clothes that have bug-repellent features integrated into them.
These clothes are specifically made to combat bugs. You can also make some of your regular summer camping clothes to be insect-repellent by washing and applying specific chemicals to the clothes.
3. Spray Your Tent with Vinegar
Over the years, vinegar has proven to be a very good bug repellent. This natural substance will keep bugs away once it’s sprayed within and around your Coleman camping tent.
The powerful smell of vinegar is something that they just can’t deal with. Make sure that you always have some vinegar-filled spray bottles with you to deal with bugs.
You need to be conscious that too much of the vinegar spray can be uncomfortable for people who have a great ability to smell scents. Try not to allow the concentration of the spray to get too overwhelming.
4. Use DIY Essential Oils
If you don’t want to be using the conventional bug-sprays that we have around, you can opt for a more natural bug-repelling mix as a natural way to keep bugs away when camping. Essential oils are a natural means of dealing with bugs – you just need to mix them correctly.
These oils that are sourced from plants and herbs can be rubbed directly on the body. For those whose skin might react, it’s better if you apply the oils on your clothes.
5. Rub Onion Juice onto Your Body
For those who don’t mind, you could deploy the smell of onions in your battle against bugs. The smell of onions is a good bug-repellent – it’s a smell that bugs don’t like.
You could blend some onion juice and apply it directly on your body. You should note that some other campers might not like that smell of onions so using onions as a repellent isn’t always a great option.
6. Don’t Use Scented Products
Lots of body sprays, perfumes, soaps, body creams, shampoo, and more have really nice scents. Bugs are naturally attracted to these scents and they will visit your tent if it gives off such smells.
Does this mean you can’t use your beauty products when you’re out camping? The best thing to do in this situation is to make use of more natural products that don’t give off strong smells.
7. Take a Garlic Capsule
When you take a garlic capsule, it allows the smell of garlic to be secreted from your body. Bugs don’t like the smell of garlic and they won’t come near you if you smell of it.
The downside to smelling like garlic is that other campers might not like this smell. This makes garlic a solution that doesn’t always work.
8. Keep Your Cool
When you’re out hiking or taking a walk, you might have bugs attacking you if you’ve been sweating a lot. This is because bugs are attracted to sweat.
You need to stay hydrated when you’re out in the sun so as to keep your body at a cool temperature and reduce sweating to the minimum.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you’re at camp, try as much as possible to stay away from areas that have been inhabited by bugs. It would be a big mistake to pitch your tent right in the middle of their home.
You can expect to find these notorious bugs in areas that have stagnant water. Bugs breed well in areas like this and they will attack anyone that makes the mistake of living among them. Also, make sure you clean everything after you poop while camping so no waste attracts bugs.
Apart from lakes and swamps, bugs can also be found in some other areas.
These areas are:
– Places that are dominated by long grass
– Trash-filled places with water-holding trash like cans and bottles
– Places that have a storm drain
– Places that feature irrigation canals for agriculture
Over time, there have been arguments on the effectiveness of smoke in dealing with mosquitoes and other bugs. The truth is that smoke is not an efficient bug-repellant.
Naturally, campfires – like many other fires – will produce carbon dioxide (CO2). Sadly, bugs are attracted to CO2 which means that you shouldn’t be surprised when there’s a swarm of bugs around your campfire. Regardless of this fact, campfires can still keep bugs away from time to time.
If you’re wondering how this is possible, I personally think that bugs get confused around fires and can’t easily locate their food sources. This is not a scientifically proven fact – you could try to make some further research to understand this better.
Final Thoughts
If you want to enjoy your camping trip, you cannot afford to accommodate bugs. They will only disturb your peace by biting you and even buzzing loudly in your ears – a trait of mosquitoes – when you’re trying to relax or focus on an activity.
It would be a shame if the reason you couldn’t enjoy your camping trip is because of bugs. This is why you need to know natural ways to keep bugs away when camping.
With all the various natural means of repelling bugs that have been highlighted and explained in this article, you should be able to keep yourself safe from bugs when you’re at camp. You should know that it’s not enough to just deploy onion, vinegar, or garlic scents.
You also have the responsibility of keeping both your tent and its surroundings clean at all times or you can use a screen house for camping. A dirty environment will only facilitate health problems, bear attacks, and insect invasions.
You should also remember to read up on the camp you want to visit. This will help you identify possible mosquito-friendly areas that support the breeding of these insects. Avoid pitching your tent in the middle of bug-infested zones – you should stay as far away as possible.