12 Effective Ways To Keep Mosquitoes Away When Camping

I really love being out in nature to relax and spend time with friends. But one of the things that annoy me most is having itchy mosquito bites. I’ve done some research to find the 12 most effective ways to keep mosquitoes away when camping, and I’m excited to share them with you.

1. Apply bug spray

The most common way to keep bugs away is to apply bug spray to bug cream. These insect repellents typically contain DEET, which is the most common active ingredient in them((Wikipedia contributors. DEET. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.)). The more DEET in the bug spray the longer it usually lasts. These sprays are very effective in keeping mosquitos away.

Many people don’t like using bug spray because of its smell and feel, and because it contains chemicals. You can apply the spray to your clothes and to objects around you, like your bag, chairs, and more, instead of directly applying it to your skin.

2. Wear bug-repelling bracelets

An alternative to bug spray is to wear some mosquito-repelling bracelets, which typically contain natural bug-repelling herbs and oils. What’s nice about these is that they don’t require you to apply anything to your skin, especially chemicals.

If you’re in an area that doesn’t have a lot of mosquitos but you want to keep them away, these will probably do fine. But if you’re in an area with a lot of bugs, this probably won’t do.

3. Set up a mosquito trap

You can get a portable mosquito trap, that has some UV light that attracts and zaps them. These do attract some mosquitos, but aren’t 100% effective, as mosquitos mostly find us through smell first((How Do Mosquitoes Find Their Prey?)). It also attracts other bugs you might not want to zap.

If you tend to get mosquitos in your tent, this can be a good solution. You can set up a trap inside your tent after you’ve closed it for the night, and if there are any bugs inside, they might eventually get trapped.

4. Start a campfire

Mosquitoes avoid smoke and generally stay away from fire. Smoke is a natural bug-repellent, and it also masks a person’s natural smell, which makes it hard for mosquitos to find them((Do Mosquitoes Avoid Smoke?)). The heat of the fire also repels bugs.

If you’re out camping, a great way to keep mosquitos away is to simply start a fire. You can use it to cook and keep yourself warm while keeping bugs away from your camp.

You can also burn some natural repellent herbs in the fire, which will repel the bugs even more, or use some specific firewood that has the same qualities. Eucalyptus and pinion wood are good firewood that repels mosquitoes, and herbs like lavender, mint, sage, rosemary, and lemongrass are effective as well.

5. Keep the campsite clean

While mosquitoes mainly try to feed off animals, they are attracted to various things, including trash((Does trash attract mosquitoes?)). Like many other bugs, they’re attracted to the smell of garbage, so any uncollected scraps and pieces of trash can attract them.

A good way to keep mosquitoes away is to simply keep your campsite clean, by collecting your trash into plastic trash bags, where the smell of garbage can’t get out. If you have a trash bin near the campsite, it’s even better to through the trash there right away.

Things to consider when cleaning your campsite:

• Any exposed food should be thrown out or stored in a sealed container.
• Dishes should be washed right away after eating.
• If you ate on a table, you should make sure it’s clean and wipe it down.
• Don’t leave trash outside when leaving a campsite, and if possible, don’t leave it out overnight if you have a nearby trashcan.

Keeping your campsite clean is a quick and easy way to reduce the number of mosquitoes.

6. Close the tent net

Tents come with multiple layers of fabric, and almost all tents have some layer of netting, so you can keep bugs outside while the tent stays well-ventilated. If you’re in a tent, make sure to always keep the net closed, because the little buggers will get into it really quickly if left open.

You can create this bug-free area by keeping the net closed, and only opening it to quickly enter or exit the tent. If possible, you should even fold your tent with the net closed, so you don’t have bugs inside the next night.

Still, even if you try to keep the net closed, a mosquito can eventually get inside, especially when you frequently enter or exit the tent. These should be easier to fight off, since they’re usually few in number.

7. Use a netting or a screen room

If the weather is nice and mild, you might want to sleep outside without a tent, but if you’re in an area with a lot of mosquitoes, you probably won’t sleep very well. In that case, you can use a netting or a screen room.

Camping mosquito nettings are quite useful and effective in keeping bugs away. You can hang them from a tree branch or use rope, and sleep outside without a tent, safe from bugs.

Screen rooms are like built mosquito nettings, that have tent poles to support them. They’re easier to set up, because you don’t need to find somewhere to hang them, but they weigh a bit more. Some tents come as a screen room with a cover on top – these are really versatile.

While these aren’t the cheapest solutions, a good netting or screen room can be used for many years, so if you’re usually camping in mild climate areas, they can be a good investment.

8. Shut the lights down

Just like other bugs, mosquitoes are attracted to light, so using bright lights where everything else is completely dark makes them come. These artificial lights will mostly attract moths and flies, but mosquitoes as well.

That means that if you can, you should avoid turning on artificial light sources when camping at night. You can use small lights like a headlamp for a short time, but try to keep it to a minimum.

As I mentioned before, you can leave your campfire, if you have one. The light of the fire won’t attract the mosquitoes because of the heat and smoke it produces.

9. Eat foods mosquitoes hate

When you eat certain foods, your body odors can slightly change, as compounds found in the foods linger in the body((Tattelman, E. (2005). Health effects of garlic. American family physician, 72(1), 103-106.)). This can result in garlic, onion, cumin, or curry smell appearing in your body odor.

Mosquitoes and other bugs can recognize the smell, and it acts as a natural repellent. Food like garlic, onions, beans, tomatoes, grapefruits, chili peppers, and vinegar((Keep Mosquitoes Away by Eating These Foods)), can be effective in beating mosquitos.

The other side of the matter is to avoid foods that attract mosquitoes. For example, things like alcohol and salty foods can cause mosquitoes to bite you.

You should then incorporate foods mosquitoes hate into your diet, especially when camping, and avoid eating foods they like.

10. Bring mint

While most people like the smell of mint, mosquitoes and other bugs don’t like it. You can use this natural repellent to your advantage.

If you’re camping in your backyard, for example, you can pot a few mint plants around. This can be used in refreshing salands and teas, and also act as a natural repellent.

When camping away, you probably won’t be able to find a natural spot with a lot of mint plants. Instead, you can crash mint leaves with mortar and pestle, combine with alcohol, and pour it into a spray bottle, which can be used around the campsite or even on your body.

Like I mentioned before, if you have a campfire, you can also burn some dried mint branches, which will keep bugs away.

11. Use essential oils

If you choose the right essential oils, they can act as a great natural bug repellent, as a replacement to a traditional bug spray. You can make this ahead, and use it when camping.

Creating natural bug spray out of essential oils is quite easy:

1. Mix a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and a cup of water.
2. Add the mixture to a spray bottle.
3. Add 10 to 20 drops of essetial oils.
4. Shake well to combine.

There are a lot of different essential oils and natural herb mixtures that are effective againt mosquitoes. These include((10 Natural Ingredients That Repel Mosquitoes)):

These vary in smell and effectiveness level, but they all act as natural bug repelents in some capacity. Creating your own bug spray using essential oils is a great replacement to chemical filled tradition bug sprays.

12. Choose a dry campsite

The location of your campsite is essential. Some areas are infested with mosquitoes, while others are safe from the little buggers. Mosquitoes are typically located near water, especially but not exclusively standing water, since that’s where female mosquitoes lay eggs.

While the idea of waking up next to a lake or a stream is really appealing, it might not be worth it if you’re being annoyed with mosquitoes all night. You can choose a campsite away from water, and go to the body source in the morning.

Areas with water should generally be avoided when camping, but if you have to stay near water, choose a place where there’s a lot of flow.

Conclusions

In this post, we learned about different ways to keep mosquitoes away when camping. You’ll probably have the best success using multiple different methods, so the little buggers stay out of your campsite.

Even if you don’t manage to keep all mosquitoes and bugs away, you can still have a good time camping. They are annoying, but they are also a natural part of nature.

Anyways, have fun camping!