How to Keep Mosquitoes Away While Camping? 7 Effective Ways

Are you a camping enthusiast who loves to go on adventurous trips? Well, camping enthusiasts and nature loving people would certainly love the idea of escaping from their hectic lives and just embracing the nature for a while. Camping and hiking adventures are a fun way to spend quality time with your friends or family. But what’s the most annoying thing about camping? That’s mosquitoes or bugs.

Mosquitoes tend to ruin your camping trip, and you are also more likely to get mosquito-prone diseases. So, how to keep mosquitoes away during camping? It’s hard to find a camping spot where there are no mosquitoes. Mosquitoes reside on tall grasses, dense vegetation, shady and other foliage areas. Make sure to choose your campsite wisely before setting up any camping gear.

We have elucidated some of the most effective preventive measures and tactics you could use against mosquitoes during camping to enjoy your time to the fullest.

How to Keep Mosquitoes Away While Camping? 4 Things you will need

check Sleeping bag with inbuilt Mosquito net: This is an affordable option as compared to a screen tent. Screen tents are large sized and are also more expensive that is why they are optimum for frequent campers. If you do not go for camping that often, it is best to stick to the sleeping bag with integrated mosquito net option.
check Mosquito repellents in the form of lotion, spray, cream, whichever suits you the best.
check Camping Mosquito-Repellent Accessories like fans, candles, lanterns, tiki torches – depending on your preference.
check Pre-treated Camping Clothing.

7 Effective Ways to Keep Mosquitoes Away While Camping

1. Efficient use of Repellents

Any repellent that comprises of less than 10% of such active ingredients might repel mosquitoes for just up to 2 hours. Any repellent that has about 20% or more of DEET composition works commendably against mosquitoes. Apart from these synthetic repellents, you could also rub lavender plant onto your skin, which is a natural repellent for mosquitoes.

The lavender plant releases some oil that is unappealing to mosquitoes. Moreover, you could also mix some proficient natural ingredients like apple cider vinegar, basil, rosemary or catnip into a spray bottle. On camping trips, just spray this liquid mixture onto your camping tents, clothes or even on your backpacks. This trick works well in keeping those blood-sucking creatures away.

Always make sure to follow the instructions provided along with the artificial repellent sprays, lotions or creams.

Here are some of the precautions you need to take while dealing with repellents:

Always read the instructions carefully given on the product and follow them.
Do not apply them for more than the recommended periods.
Spray repellents on the exposed skin and not on the skin under clothes.

If you have any bruises, broken skin or irritation on your skin, avoid using repellent onto it.
Never spray or apply repellent near your eyes, lips, nostrils or on palms.
When you are going to stay inside your camping tent, make sure to wash off the repellent with soap and water.

2. Camping Area

Mosquitoes tend to breed in stagnant or still water like lakes, swamps, marshes, ponds, etc. Before you choose your campsite, always check whether the surroundings have any stagnant water. If yes, shift your campsite to a place that is drier, higher and allows an open flow of air. It is because mosquitoes tend to avoid places that hinder or unbalance their capability of flying. So a breezy clearing area would be a perfect location to set up your camp.

3. Camping Gear that works as a barrier

Sleeping bags that come with inbuilt mosquito net can work extremely well in preventing mosquitoes from biting you.

Mosquito head nets are extremely comfortable to wear and work efficiently for your protection. Even though many of us might not like the idea of a head net, or you might feel it is suffocating but that’s not true. You can even wear them while you wander around in mosquito-infested locations.

Screen tent is a long-term investment and might be a good purchase for those who frequently go on camping. It is like a tent made out of mesh walls with a solid upper roof. They are offered in various sizes and come with different features; some are very large, while some others are petite-sized. Make sure you look for a screen tent whose mesh walls have small holes to block out mosquitoes and other bugs as well.

Always make sure to keep the screen tent zipped up while you are out to prevent mosquitoes from entering. When nothing else seems to work, be assured that a good-quality screen tent will keep mosquitoes out of reach. And a bonus point, you can still enjoy the ambiance as these screen tents are see-through and well-ventilated.

4. Camping Apparels

Nowadays, you get an innovative type of product to help prevent mosquito bites during camping, and that is treated clothing. Unlike, common mosquito repelling methods, here you don’t have to spray any repellent on your clothes or skin. Instead, such apparels are already treated with insect shield that repels mosquitoes as well as other bugs.This insect shield fabric works well until several washes, unlike repellent sprays that are just effective for about 6 to 7 hours. Treated clothes are usually odorless, and many of them also feature UV protection.
Nowadays, you get an innovative type of product to help prevent mosquito bites during camping, and that is treated clothing. Unlike, common mosquito repelling methods, here you don’t have to spray any repellent on your clothes or skin. Instead, such apparels are already treated with insect shield that repels mosquitoes as well as other bugs.This insect shield fabric works well until several washes, unlike repellent sprays that are just effective for about 6 to 7 hours. Treated clothes are usually odorless, and many of them also feature UV protection.
Needless to say here, you could always wear long pants and full-sleeved T-shirts along with socks. It is indeed a great way to keep mosquitoes away.
Mosquitoes tend to get attracted towards dark colored clothes. So, always pick light and bright colored apparels during camping. Doing this might not repel mosquitoes, but is more of a preventive measure against mosquito bites.
Avoid applying too much perfume on your clothes while going for a camping trip. You can spray a little deodorant if you have to.
Mosquitoes get easy access to your skin if you wear tight fit clothing. So, make sure to wear loosely fitted clothes. Thick fabrics like polyester or nylon will provide better protection as compared to thin fabrics like cotton.

5. Pre-treated Camping Gear

Different camping accessories like hats, bed nets, clothing, jackets, etc. can be pretreated with a particular repellent viz. Permethrin. Various products that contain permethrin can be used to treat your camping gear 24 to 48 hours before your trip. For safe and effectual results, make sure to check whether the product is registered with EPA.

Image by- consumer reports

And, also follow all the instructions provided on these repellents. The effectiveness of the repellent on the camping gear lasts for several laundries, but demands repeated retreating.

6. Camping Food

Food rich in potassium has a smell that attracts mosquitoes. It includes bananas, pomegranate, avocados, sweet potatoes, etc. Avoid bringing or eating these potassium-rich foods during camping, as they might appeal mosquitoes towards you.
Instead, garlic, onion, apple cider vinegar are the foods whose smell tends to repel mosquitoes. Garlic is the most powerful one among them. When you consume garlic, it releases a compound called Allicin which seeps on to your skin through pores. Allicin happens to impact your natural scent and somehow works as a mask to keep you free from mosquitoes. Onions, chives, etc. are also the foods that give out allicin, when consumed.
If you are going to cook on your campsite using a propane grill, you are just placing an invitation for mosquitoes. Propane grill generates CO2, which is appealing to mosquitoes. If you just have to, make sure you use this grill far away from where your sleeping/sitting area is.

7. Bonfire, Tiki Torches, Candles, Lanterns, Fans

Create a sustainable bonfire on your campsite because mosquitoes cannot stand too much heat and smoke. However, they might get attracted to its light. But when they get near, the heat and smoke will repel them. Make sure to abide by the rules and regulations of your camping location and whether it allows all-night bonfires.

You could also throw in small quantities of dried sage and rosemary. When these plants burn, they tend to release some incense and smoke that repels mosquitoes. Make sure to pack these plants in your backpack before trips.

Tiki Torch is like a bamboo torch that not only enhances the beauty of your campsite but also works to repel bugs and mosquitoes. These bamboo sticks have some flammable fluid in the container on the top, along with a wick. Tiki Torches might use Citronella oil or Petroleum-based eucalyptus as a flammable fluid for burning. Tiki Torches come in various designs and heights, most commonly they are up to 45” to 60” high.

As we all know, mosquitoes have poor flying abilities. If you are stuck with a campsite that doesn’t promote a free flow of breeze, then use a small fan. Place a fan around the area where you will be sleeping or sitting. It will prevent them from coming near you.

Candles are another great way to lit up your campsite, making it more beautiful and auspicious. Citronella candles are a popular and traditional method for repelling mosquitoes. But now, there are myriads of natural mosquito repellent candles available in the market that have more amount of active ingredients rather than just the scented and smoke-releasing natural oils.

Place just enough of these candles all across the outer limits of the area where you will be sleeping or sitting. Keep a distance of about 1 or 2 feet between you and the candles.

Mosquito coils work well in a closed room. However, they might not work very efficiently in an open camping area due to a breezy ambiance and open space.

Specifically customized for repelling mosquitoes, the camping lanterns are another gear that emits a smell to fight those critters. They feature a detachable cartridge that releases the scent to keep mosquitoes away from it. However, these cartridges demand a timely replacement.

Sunscreen or Mosquito Repellent?

You can apply sunscreen along with the mosquito repellent. However, the sunscreen might not work well in protection against UV rays, when combined with such repellents. Never purchase a product that has both sunscreens as well as mosquito repellents. That is because sunscreens are supposed to be applied few times in a day to get the desired results. But using repellent too many times is not safe at all.

Use them separately. Apply sunscreen first and then apply mosquito repellent.

Final Words

Hope you have gathered enough awareness and useful measures from this tutorial on how to repel mosquitoes while camping. Even though not all of the measures are highly effective, it is still better to use them as a preventive measure against these annoying buzzing critters. Many of us do not take heed of how dangerous these mosquitoes-borne diseases can be. If you are taking your family or friends out with you, it is your due responsibility to keep them safe from such situations.

We have comprehensively tried our best to lay out some competent methods and precautions you can take to wick mosquitoes away. If you have any more viewpoints regarding the same, you could always refer them down below in the comments section. Share this article if you think it will be of high benefit to your friends or family.