You probably have been looking for methods on how to keep flies away from the campsite. One thing you will agree with is that there are factors that attract flies to the camp. It is not only flying that comes to the campsite but also other insects.
Flies can be a menace because they contaminate food and make the environment unfriendly. Mosquitoes and flies are agents of spreading diseases. They also have painful bites.
Several methods keep flies, mosquitoes, and other insects from camping sites. Knowing their source is, however, the most important thing.
Our article today is directed explicitly at addressing the menace of insects while camping. It has covered mosquitoes, flies, and bugs in general. Have a look.
How to keep flies away from the campsite
One reason you need to ensure flies are not at the campsite is that they bring contamination. If you have food, it becomes unhealthy to eat. If you have an open wound, they keep visiting, making you uncomfortable.
Buzzing at night makes your sleep uncomfortable. Flies are also carriers of diseases and can make you sick. Below are effective methods that will help you keep flies off.
Choose the best site for the campsite
Flies get attracted to dirty environments. Dumpsites, garbage heaps, and rotting foods are the places where you find flies the most.
It is, therefore, essential to ensure that your camps are in a strategic position. Please do not place the tent near the cooking areas and pits. They get into the tent, looking for shade.
The best placement for the campsite should be an open place. Insect-attracting agents such as garbage should be very far from the location.
Maintain hygiene
Any unhygienic place attracts flies. Even though flies are known to love flesh and blood, they get more attracted to food leftovers.
Always ensure that your food is covered. Another lovely thing you should implement is to ensure that dishes are clean after use.
After collection of food leftovers, ensure they are sealed. Clean and disinfect all surfaces that have come into contact with food particles. One important thing that most people forget to do is to clean and dry the table and surface wipers.
Implementing such practices makes gives no room for flies to be around the camp. They will not have anything dirty that attracts them. Your hygiene, therefore, determines the presence of flies.
Use insect repellants
Most insect repellants are effective for all kinds of insects. You will love how applying them becomes irritating to insects keeping them at bay.
However, some insect repellants create allergies in humans. In case you are one of those people who get affected by repellants, make one for yourself. There are several methods of making your repellant.
Kill the flies
Are you having a severe challenge with flies on your campsite? Consider getting a spray that kills and keeps off the insects.
You can choose to use a trap that has chemicals that kill the flies. In the end, the flies that make it to the camp end up dying.
Relocate the camping site
If the flies become challenging to manage, a time comes when you have to leave the place. You will, therefore, choose the best location and camp in it.
Best way to keep mosquitoes away while camping
Mosquitoes are funny insects because they are located at the best sites to camp. The bad thing about them is their painful bites. Extremes of the bites may lead to diseases such as malaria.
The worst thing with mosquitoes is that they keep reappearing. Any time you loosen the fight against mosquitoes, they become a menace. Below are effective ways of keeping them off while camping.
Choose the best location for camping
There are specific areas that mosquitoes love. Such include dump areas, stagnant water, and bushy areas. When choosing a place for camping, it is wise to avoid such sites.
During site selection, ensure the terrain is slightly slanting. There should be no holes and surfaces that hold water. Ensure that you clear all the bushes in the place that you choose for camping.
Use insect repellants
Repellants play a considerable role in keeping all insects away. Getting specific mosquito repellants will do a lovely job of keeping them away. The fantastic thing with repellants is that they irritate the mosquitoes hence keeping them off.
Repellants have various forms, which include portable repairs and clothing repairs. Ensure that each tent has a repellant.
Use mosquito sprays
There are many kinds of mosquito sprays that are very effective. Getting a mosquito spray with DEET is a perfect choice. Deet is a repellent that proves to be efficient in dealing with mosquitoes and other insects.
Spraying with DEET creates a long-lasting solution for over 10 hours. If you spray at night, you are therefore safe until the next day.
Rub repellants on your skin
You can be safe while inside a treated tent but not outside. It is, therefore, clear that you will still need to observe safety while out. The best method is to rub the repellant on the skin. Alternatively, you can secure yourself by applying the repellants on the clothing surfaces.
Work on removing odors
This could be the least known, but mosquitoes love scents. Both good and bad smells are good for mosquitoes. It is wise to ensure you clean your clothes with a non-scented detergent.
If you are a lover of fabric softeners, you may need not to use them this time. If you have to use a softener, choose an odorless one.
Natural ways of keeping bugs away when camping
Camping can be very discouraging, especially when there are bugs. The good news is that there are natural ways to keep bugs off. Below are a few examples.
Maintaining a clean environment
Keeping your environment clean is the best method for keeping bugs off. You will enjoy it more when you healthily dispose of waste. Maintaining the general cleanliness of the campsite will keep all the bugs off.
Avoid scented products
Most insects get attracted by scents. When you buy scented products, insects will tend to follow the smell.
While camping, ensure products such as perfumes, hair care products, and many others are not around. Instead, embrace the use of natural products. Personal hygiene products should also be protective.
Also, avoid products with high chemical composition.
Spraying vinegar
The simplest natural method to keep off bugs is by spraying vinegar. The vinegar smell is not pleasant to many insects. Vinegar is a repellent product that can also be used to keep off flies.
One thing to take caution about is over-spraying vinegar. It has a strong smell that may end up making you uncomfortable.
Clearing bushes
Bushes are very good at providing shelter to insects. Ensure before you go camping, the site is cleaned. While camping, it is perfect for doing routine cleaning of the bushes.
Conclusion
Camping is a great outdoor activity for many people. However, insects have proven to be very effective at making camping painful. Imagine getting bites, pains, and diseases when off camping.
Keeping insects such as flies and mosquitoes away from camping sites is therefore mandatory. The methods highlighted in the article are beneficial. You, therefore, have no reason to have camping with distractions from insects.
FAQs
How do you keep mosquitoes away from camping?
There are several effective methods for keeping mosquitoes away. The best approach is to ensure that you keep things that attract them.
Clear bushes and avoid the use of scents that attract mosquitoes. Using repellants is an effective method to ensure that mosquitoes do not get close to the camping sites.
What is the best mosquito repellent for camping?
Many repellants are very good at keeping mosquitoes away. It is good to note that most of them are effective.
What makes them succeed in keeping mosquitoes away is the composition of the repellant. The best repellant should have DEET. It is a repellant that proves to be very useful in keeping mosquitoes and other insects.
What smells do mosquitoes hate?
Mosquitoes are known for loving some scents, both sweet and bad ones. There are some scents that they hate too. Such include garlic, neem, lemongrass, basil, and peppermint.
Other scents that are not friendly to mosquitoes include lavender oil, lemon eucalyptus oil, catnip, and citronella.
Do dryer sheets keep mosquitoes away?
The idea of using dryer sheets to scare mosquitoes has a no and a yes answer. The one by the University of Illinois and the one by Kansas State University show that dryer sheets are practical.
However, other people say the traditional method isn’t effective. The chemical in the dryer sheets is the determinant of the repelling ability.
References
Comparative efficacy of insect repellants against mosquitoes- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011699
The best mosquito repelling plants- https://bugofff.com/the-best-mosquito-repelling-plants-according-to-studies/