Dealing with Mosquitos

Ok, I've going over some other threads in this forum and some of you have touched on the subject. So I'm going to post a new thread on how I deal with mosquitos.

I camp at the beach. So the dynamics are different then say ol, camping in the mountains. There is mosquitos where ever you go. During the day it doesn't really bother me because there is a breeze and the mosquitos can buzz around in a single area when there is a breeze. When it's time to turn in, you usually have a fire burning and that should control some of the mosquito population. The last line of defense is to sleep under the covers and leave no part of you hanging out in the breeze. Done.

 

Mosqutoes seem to always be an issue , no matter where you live, or go camping and fishing at. My mom always gave us brewers yeast in the summer time, because (for some reason) mosquitoes, and most other bugs, do not like the taste of your blood when it has brewers yeast in it.
We usually took repellant along when we went to any kind of lake or river, but even so; they are usually going to find an unprotected place where they can bite you.

One of the natural plants that will stop the itch and sting of a mosquito bite is a fern. We have those small ferns that have a curled top (think they are called "fiddleheads"), and the little top has juice in it that will neutralize most "skeeter bites". If the fern doesn't have that little curly top, you can use a soft part of the stem, which also has the healing juice in it.

I well remember burrowing down inside my sleeping bag at night, and just as I would be about to think it was safe to fall asleep; I would hear that high-pitched whine that meant that (somehow ? ) a mosquito had found its way into my sleeping bag, and I had to hunt him(her)down and smash it.

 

Very interesting that you mentioned fiddleheads for a natural repellent. I talk to my buddy who served in the military. One of the trick he was taught to keep the mosquitos away was to eat a lot of raw garlic. I guess the mosquitos don't like the smell of it. If it coming out of your pores after digesting it, they won't bother you.

 

Aw yes...the mosqui(toes)....I remember the topic well. If I recall the dissertation was on these critters.

Yes, we covered bug spray, bug nat - or - als, hiring bats to patrol the skies and preparing mosquito mushroom soup. JUST FUNNIN YA!

Mosquitoes can be a real issue in different parts of the world. My preparation is determined on my tolerance level, where I am going to be camping and what time of the year. I don't mess around with folksy stuff. I go for what is going to protect me without question. True, there are all kinds of things that one has to take into account. Personal physical well being and the like. Not everyone is able to use sprays.

AND REMEMBER read the labels. AND REMEMBER, some of the stuff on the market is nothing more than pure junk and is not able to protect you against any flying insect that looks at you as a juicy steak dinner.

I can never figure out why Northern Dancer insists that I pop up on his pages - I'm not even a mosquito.

 

For me the worst time is May into June. At the end of June things get a whole lot better. Humidity, swamp water, forest interiors and other weather conditions contribute to the infestation. They seem to know that dusk is a good time to catch us off guard. But no matter what we do - they are a fact of life and have been around for a long time.

 

A mosquito (and other bugs) tip -

It's been my practice to carry and fly swatter the folds down to the size of a shirt pocket when I'm in the interior. I got that at the Dollar Plus store and have used it well. Nothing worse than bedding down for the night to the buzz of those pesty critters. So...I leave a light on and as they come in to check it out I eliminate the suckers.

I do the same for base camp only I use the regular fly swatters. I have one for the tent, kitchen shelter, wash stand and outhouse. When retiring for the night I use the same method as above - leave the light on and go after them. It sure helps to make sleeping more enjoyable.

Though sprays and the like will repel flying insects it doesn't stop them from checking you out. So if I'm hiking I make myself a bug swish to keep bugs away from my face. A bug swish is made from a small leafed branch of a tree.

 

I was reading some camping tips, and one of them was about mosquitoes. It doesn't stop the mosquito from biting, but putting a tiny dab of toothpaste on the mosquito bite is supposed to take away the swelling and the itch right away. I don't know how well that works, but it is probably something we all have in our camping kit anyway, so it would be worth trying.

When I was out horseback riding and the mosquitoes were out, we used to find a patch of wild ferns, and then mashed the tips, or the softest parts of the fern (anywhere you can get some juice works) and put that on the skeeter bite. It takes the itch away really fast. You just have to be somewhere that there are ferns. Another thing that I learned to do (and hate to have to do it) is to put mud on a bee sting. I am not sure what it is, but something in the mud will take all of the pain in a bee or yellow-jacket sting away almost immediately.

I remember having my dad do this for me when I was just a little girl and got a bee sting. I still hate being stung by one; but at least mud is usually fairly easy to come by.

 

On some of the trips that we take we just indure. It's the culture you know. Like the rain, snow, bugs, burnt weenies - it's just part of the great outdoors and you adjust accordingly.

He sounds brave don't he? You should hear some of his descriptive words when he gets bit by a deer fly.

 

Dancer, this is true. Some of that misery is just considered part of the enjoyment of camping, and something to tell stories about in the years to come. Swallowing a stinkbug in your tuna-fish sandwich might not have been any fun at all when it happened; but it eventually becomes funny when it is only a camping memory. One of the funniest ones , that will always be in my memories forever, was my mother and her camping hammock. Mom always took her hammock along when we went camping,and she would put her sleeping bag in the hammock.

One morning, when she went to get out of the sleeping bag; somehow she shifted her weight too much to the top of the hammock, and down went the head end of the frame. Daddy and Grandpa stood there howling with laughter while my mother screamed at them to turn the hammock right back up. I think they must have decided that they might not live to tell the story if they didn't help her-----Mom was getting pretty mad by then!

That was one of those camping stories that was told and re-told, and I have still got that picture in my mind, of poor Mom upside down in her sleeping bag (feet waving in the air) and couldn't get back up, and the guys laughing too hard to help her.

 

I can sure identify with that one. Once I forgot to apply the correct knot to the hammock and when I sat in it, it gave way and I flipped over and tumbled down to the waters edge. My buddy was talking to me at the time and was momentarily distracted and didn't see me fall. As I was bounding down to the water I heard him say, "Where the ell did he go?

Funny memories and it's great stuff isn't it? These are the recollections that come back to mind when we sit around the campfire. We have of a game of sorts that we play. Someone will start by saying, "Let's talk about funny things." It wouldn't be long before we were howling with laughter. Now...I ask ya...where else can this sort of thing happen but at camp?

It's true - it's disgusting - when a bug flies into your mouth - but hilarious to others as they watch your antics.

 

...it's just another something else to buy. I believe them to have an aesthetic value but not much else. Really, in the middle of a bug infested environment are they really going to have any massive effect?

Though, I do use citronella (a bio-pesticide - non toxic action outside) fuel in my lanterns - primarily because it is cheaper and smells better than kerosene.


Citronella oil is a plant-based insect repellent, and has been registered for use in the United States since 1948. The United States Environmental Protection Agency considers oil of citronella as a bio-pesticide with a non-toxic mode of action. However, since citronella insect repellent effects were not proven within the EU, the use of citronella as an insecticide is prohibited under the Biocidal Product Directive 2006.


Research also shows that citronella oil has strong anti-fungal properties, is effective in calming barking dogs, and has even been used as a successful spray-on deterrent against pets destroying household items.

Research also indicates that citronella oil is an effective repellent for body louse, head louse and stable flies. A study conducted in 1963 determined that hydroxycitronellal was an effective repellent against both aquatic and terrestrial leeches.

Direct application of citronella oil has been found to raise the heart rate of some people. Health Canada is in the process of phasing out citronella productsy, as an insect repellent. The EPA, on the other hand, finds no known toxicity for citronella.

...I know....just to much information.

 

I have been seeing people posting on Facebook about using the plain type (yellow) Listerine to deter and even kill mosquitoes. I think one person even said to use the blue peppermint kind, which makes some sense, because most bugs to not like the smell of peppermint. I have not tried this; but I sure have been thinking about trying it!

The mosquitoes that we have here this summer are teeny-tiny ones; but they are nasty biters, and there are bunches of them. I try to wear long sleeves and pants when I am outside watering the yard or garden, and usually put some mosquito repellent on me; although I do not like the idea of using chemicals like that. Has anyone ever tried using the generic Listerine (either flavor) as a mosquito repellent, and if so; how well did it work?

 

My experience is -

Most products on the market and many of the home made remedies are useless,
and simply do not work.
____________________________________________________________________________

I've tried just about everything.
The military in the United States and in Canada use products that have deet.
It is a chemical that keeps bugs off you but do not prevent them coming in for a look.
Regulations state that the civilian population can only use a limited amount of deet content.
I have three products, the highest rating is 30%.
They work!
At certain times of the year when you are tripping there are needed - serious camping.
I'm really past the fun stuff that manufacturers sell.
All products are rated by consumer and government agencies - look them up.




​

 

I hate the smell and feel of bug spray, so we use lots of citronella candles and torches when we camp. I also use those personal clip-on bug repellents. They run on a battery and have a small packet of repellent inside that slowly blows around you. It doesn't smell bad and seems to work well. We've been camping in Delaware near the beach where mosquitoes and gnats can be tough to deal with and this has worked well for us.

 

Like I said...do the research by an independent source - you will be surprised what works and what doesn't work.

Baden Bear says, "Northern Dancer has tried everything in the market."

 

Thеrе аrе а vаriеty оf plаnts thаt rеpеl mоsquitоеs, inсluding bоth wild аnd сultivаtеd spесiеs. Аlmоst аnywhеrе yоu gо, it is rеаsоnаblе tо find sеvеrаl plаnt spесiеs thаt yоu саn usе tо wаrd оff thеsе pеsky сrittеrs. Plаnt-bаsеd mоsquitо rеpеllеnts аrе еspесiаlly usеful fоr pеоplе whо spеnd а grеаt dеаl оf timе in thе wildеrnеss.

It is impоrtаnt tо nоtе thаt it is соmpоunds fоund within thе plаnts thаt dо thе rеpеlling. Thеsе соmpоunds nееd tо bе rеlеаsеd frоm thе plаnt tо unlосk thе mоsquitо-rеpеlling quаlitiеs. Dеpеnding оn thе spесiеs оf plаnt, thеy саn bе rеlеаsеd by еithеr сrushing, drying, оr infusing thе plаnt intо аn оil оr аlсоhоl bаsе thаt саn bе аppliеd tо skin, сlоthing, оr living spасеs. Оthеrs аrе bеst usеd аs аs а smudgе, whiсh rеlеаsеs thе соmpоunds in а smоkе. Just stаnding nеаr living plаnts thаt rеpеl mоsquitоеs is оftеn nоt еffесtivе.

Bеlоw аrе sеpаrаtе lists оf wild аnd сultivаtеd plаnts thаt rеpеl mоsquitоеs:

• Pеppеrmint
• Rоsеmаry
• Mаrigоlds
• Lеmоn bаlm
• Gаrliс
• Сlоvе Еuсаlyptus
• Tеа trее
• Lаvеndаr