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I got a mosquito repeller that heats a product and creates a “bug free” zone about 10 x 10 that we can use at our campsite
But what do campers find effective against ticks and mosquitos in general
Our dog is on heartworm med and flea/tick but know we will have to check her more closely
Thankfully she is not an active dog—she is 15
We likely won’t do lot of walking around because we aren’t really vacationing—just camping to travel from Dallas to Sarasota for this trip
We hope to do more of it in FL
So mosquito info and gnats/midges too would be helpful
Mosquito: Three things work 1. Deet. 2 Catnip oil. 3. Those off clip ons (which I believe are deet) these only work when there is no wind or very little. Citronella works in a very limited area. If you are outside of the smoke cloud, even your elbow, they will not work. You can find this information if you do about 150 hours of research on the internet and in books. However you will have to figure out how to sort out real science from the snake oil sellers stuff. Nothing else has any signficant impact. Not bats, not mint, not co2 emitters and not bug zappers. However people will still swear these things work for them even though study after study proves they don't.
Tic Peremthin. Or something like that. It is a chemical that you put on your clothing, not on your skin. Nothing else works other than completely sealing every inch of your skin inside protective clothing. No off does nothing against tics even if people claim to have seen it work - it doesn't. Various oils also do not work.
Alternately you can poison them so they do not exist to bite you. For a while, California had helicopters spraying malathion all over the place. Works great, except for the fact that they were malathioning people too.
Mosquito: Three things work 1. Deet. 2 Catnip oil. 3. Those off clip ons (which I believe are deet) these only work when there is no wind or very little. Citronella works in a very limited area. If you are outside of the smoke cloud, even your elbow, they will not work. You can find this information if you do about 150 hours of research on the internet and in books. However you will have to figure out how to sort out real science from the snake oil sellers stuff. Nothing else has any signficant impact. Not bats, not mint, not co2 emitters and not bug zappers. However people will still swear these things work for them even though study after study proves they don't.
Tic Peremthin. Or something like that. It is a chemical that you put on your clothing, not on your skin. Nothing else works other than completely sealing every inch of your skin inside protective clothing. No off does nothing against tics even if people claim to have seen it work - it doesn't. Various oils also do not work.
Alternately you can poison them so they do not exist to bite you. For a while, California had helicopters spraying malathion all over the place. Works great, except for the fact that they were malathioning people too.
Deep woods off works pretty well but you still need to wear long sleeves, pants, hat, and tuck your pants into your socks and top into your pants. And you still may get a tick or two. Yes, I know it is Florida, but in some parts of Florida the ticks are terrible. I am in IL now and can actually hike here with less on than I had in the marshy parts of FL.
Another Florida critter you will be dealing with is the no-see-um. They are almost invisible but when they land and bite... holy cow they leave itching and welts that last for a while. Ouch! We are just south of Sarasota in Charlotte County and those have hands down been the biggest problem for us here.
The best solution we have found, because they are so tiny they cannot fly in any sort of breeze, is to use fans. I think if you are camped at a site that includes an electrical drop, you might want to consider keeping a few fans that move the air well (with stands) in your gear.
Another Florida critter you will be dealing with is the no-see-um. They are almost invisible but when they land and bite... holy cow they leave itching and welts that last for a while. Ouch! We are just south of Sarasota in Charlotte County and those have hands down been the biggest problem for us here.
The best solution we have found, because they are so tiny they cannot fly in any sort of breeze, is to use fans. I think if you are camped at a site that includes an electrical drop, you might want to consider keeping a few fans that move the air well (with stands) in your gear.
Deep woods off works pretty well but you still need to wear long sleeves, pants, hat, and tuck your pants into your socks and top into your pants. And you still may get a tick or two. Yes, I know it is Florida, but in some parts of Florida the ticks are terrible. I am in IL now and can actually hike here with less on than I had in the marshy parts of FL.
Agree. Keep pants inside your socks and shirt tops and sleeve cuffs buttoned. Ticks jump and can get in places on your body that you wouldn't believe. I have covered myself completely with Deep Woods Off and they still went for my eyes, so you may have to cover your eyes with netting or goggles too. Nothing else worked for me and the catnip oil sounds expensive. I am thinking about making or buying mosquito repellent clothes like they sell at bug shirt.com. Of course, the clothes will not help you when you have to remove them or squat in the woods to...
Last edited by glenninindy; 06-13-2020 at 08:31 AM..
Nothing. If you attract them, you attract them. I have bugs bite me through my clothes regularly when I go camping.
I went to Costa Rica and the DEET was useless. My husband and I were eating the same things, putting on the same spray and I ended up eaten alive and he had one bite total for the entire trip.
I have read on some camping forums about consuming a bunch of garlic to keep them away. Worth a shot, I suppose.
Nothing. If you attract them, you attract them. I have bugs bite me through my clothes regularly when I go camping.
I went to Costa Rica and the DEET was useless. My husband and I were eating the same things, putting on the same spray and I ended up eaten alive and he had one bite total for the entire trip.
I have read on some camping forums about consuming a bunch of garlic to keep them away. Worth a shot, I suppose.
It's worth a shot but I would not eat too much garlic. I heard that if you eat too much of it you can burn your stomach, so be careful. Maybe you could somehow drape mosquito netting over yourself.
Last edited by glenninindy; 06-13-2020 at 09:42 AM..
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