Keep mosquitoes away from your campsite with these tricks

As perfect as nature is, there are some aspects to it that aren’t so pleasant to deal with it. Among the first most detested on the list is the issue of insects and mosquitoes in particular. Their nasty bite can drive some people to wholeheartedly hate nature and to stay as far away from it as possible. And who can blame them? Outdoor trips can turn into a real nightmare when tiny insects try to eat you alive, literally.

Mosquitoes can be very annoying and they can detect humans from more than 100 feet away! They are able to do that by smelling the carbon dioxide in humans’ breath.

While some of us prefer the quick solution of bug spray, others are not too thrilled about its smell, harmful chemicals in it and the way it feels on their skin.

Here are some tricks you can try to keep mosquitoes away from your campsite:

• Prepare your own concoction against mosquitoes, using ingredients from your own home. The Internet is full of bug spray ‘recipes’ you can try. For instance, you can make an essential oil with clove or lemongrass, or citronella, lavender, mint and others. You can also use different herbs such as rosemary or basil. Find something to your liking and you can DIY within minutes
• Burn sage in your camp. Mosquitoes don’t like the way sage smells, so add it to your campfire to keep them away. Sage is also effective against ticks
• Buy clothing with insect repellent in the fabric. Yes, there are companies that make those now. The fabric in the garments is treated with insect repellent so you don’t have to spray it or rub it directly on your skin
• Another thing worth a try are customized lanterns which emit a scent (through a removable cartridge) that keeps away mosquitoes and other insects
• Dryer sheets are also effective. Take some with you and place them in your pockets, or in the area that you want ‘mosquitoes free’ and they’ll do a pretty good job
• Eat garlic. Garlic is definitely on the list of smells that mosquitoes hate. Eating garlic will keep mosquitoes away and it will also be good for your health. If you don’t like to use garlic internally, you can try to rub a clove on your skin, if your nose can cope with the smell
• Choose your campsite wisely. Try to camp in dry areas and avoid stagnant water, because it is usually full of mosquitoes’ larvae. Any damp area should be avoided as much as possible when it comes to setting up camp, because where there’s moist, there will be more insects
• Wear body spray if it is too hot outside, to avoid sweating. Mosquitoes are attracted by human sweat
• Get a screen tent and set it up over your table for instance, or wherever you’ll spend time the most. It will work as a barrier to keep insects away while still allowing you to enjoy the fresh air and the outdoors
• Light up insect-repellent candles. There are candles on the market which are infused with citronella oil, which is a decent insect repellent. They won’t be able to keep all mosquitoes away, but they will significantly reduce their number