A lot of people say that they don’t like camping because of all the bugs, insects and especially mosquitos.

It’s understandable why people don’t like bugs and insects, I don’t either but it comes with the whole experience of camping outdoors. There are ways to help keep the bugs and insects away which will be covered in this article.

These bugs and insects will be buzzing in the trees, flying around the campsite, crawling on the ground, and making their way into your tent. If you follow the tips in this article, you will most likely be able to keep them away from you and your tent.

There are plenty of ways to keep the bugs out of your tent, the first thing that will help is picking the right tent, location, and use of bug repellant gear.

Some of the annoying insects would be mosquitoes and ticks. These can carry diseases so you will want to avoid them the best you can, we have some tips to help you avoid them.

Common type of insects you will encounter

Usually, you will be setting up your tent on the grass, sand, or dirt. This means you will see for the most part the same type of insects wherever you decide to camp.

If you decide to camp in the deep forest then you will encounter so many other types of insects.

The common insects you may find trying to enter your tent are:

Mosquitoes
Ants
Flies
Fleas
Bees
Ticks
Spiders
Hornets
Wasps
Crickets

It will depend on the location of your campsite and the season you go camping when it comes to encountering the different types of insects. In warmer seasons there will be more mosquitoes and bees, spiders are very common especially in trees and bushes.

How to bug-proof your tent while camping?

The best way to get rid of the bugs inside your tent is to keep them from coming inside your tent in the first place.

In order to do that you need to pick the right tent and make sure there are no holes in your tent.

Picking the right bug-proof tent

Using the right bug-proof tent is the key to keeping insects out. No matter how big the tent you get, make sure that the tent’s doors and windows come with zippers and mesh.

If you want to leave your tent doors and windows open for airflow and still want to prevent bugs from coming in then you should set up a mosquito netting around your camping/tent area.

Inspect your tent

Before leaving your house, you should open up your tent and set it up to see if there are any holes and/or tears. This will also give you a chance to see if you are missing any items needed for your tents like stakes or rainfly. You should also check if all the zippers are working or not. If you find holes and/or zippers not working here are some solutions:

Holes in the tent – first clean the area around the hole with alcohol, then cut out some repair tape that is bigger than the hole. The tape needs to be at least an inch bigger on all sides of the hole. Once you tape it you will need to do the same thing on the inside of the tent to cover the stick side of the tape from the inside plus it will make it more secure.
Holes in the mosquito mesh – you can use tape but using a mesh patch for this is the better option. Wash the mosquito mesh first then put the mesh patch over the hole and use a ring repair tape to press it in place. Finally, let it sit for a day.
Problems with the zipper – if the zipper is hard to move try to clean the whole strip and tab with water and soap. Use some candle wax or beeswax balm to lubricate the zipper after you clean it. If it’s still broken or hard to move then you should look into replacing the zipper all together.

Things to do when setting up the tent and seal it off from the inside

When you are setting up your tent, you have to be smart to avoid bugs from getting into your tent. Here are some tips to keep those annoying insects out.

Keep the zipper close as much as possible.
Don’t keep your food inside your tent, in fact do not eat inside your tent.
Do not go in and out of the tent a lot and when you do, do it quickly.
Use your flashlights as little as possible because insects are attracted to the light.
Clean off any insects that is close to the tent door

Location of the tent and campsite

The location of your campsite and tent is one of the most important things to help keep the bugs out of your tent.

Windy weather is good when it comes to keeping the bugs out because the wind would prevent the bugs from flying around as much. You will have to set the tent door face away from the wind so that the wind does not blow bugs into your tent.

You would want to avoid setting up your tent around stagnant water because it’s a breeding ground for mosquitoes. You would also want to avoid hollowed-out trees because you can find a lot of insects in those.

Avoid dense trees and bushes, spiders are notorious for setting up their webs in bushes. Other bugs love to hang out in dense trees and bushes because it’s their home.

Don’t set up your tent near trash bins, flies are for sure flying around there and you can also find ticks and fleas there. Plus, you do not want to smell the bins all the time.

Some campsites may have warning signs of ticks. Try to avoid those camping sites altogether because you do not want to bring any diseases or ticks back home.

Bug Repellents

When we think about how to keep bugs away while being outdoors the first thing that comes to mind is insect repellents. There are many different kinds of insect repellents from natural to artificial repellents.

Natural bug repellents

People usually do not think about natural bug repellents because they would rather just go to the store and buy the artificial repellents because of their high effectiveness. It’s better to use a natural bug repellent because it’s healthier.

Herbs

Using herbs is one of the natural ways to help get rid of bugs. Some of the best ways to use herbs is to burn them in the campfire, keep them inside your tent, hang them around the tent doors and windows, and rub them onto your skin. The best way would be to rub them on your skin to avoid being bitten by the bugs. These bugs hate the smell of the herbs.

Some of the herbs that you should get for bug repellent are basil, lemongrass, rosemary, lavender, mint, lemon thyme, thyme, catnip, sage, parsley, and oregano.

You can also use these herbs for cooking too. This leads to the next thing you can do to prevent bugs from coming after you, the food you eat can help.

Eating Food

The type of food you consume can help you prevent bugs from biting or stinging you. The type of food you should bring to camping is garlic, citrus fruits, and onions.

Eating these foods can cause your skin to smell since it will seep out of your pores, this will make mosquitoes less likely to bite you. You can cook it and make the surrounding area smell for a bit to keep the bugs away.

Both of those methods are only helpful if you eat a lot of that food, the best method would be to rub that food onto your clothing or skin. If you rub it onto your skin, prepare to smell like that for a couple of hours.

Essential Oil

If you don’t want to use food and herbs to get rid of bugs then you can use essential oil. Essential oil is better in terms of not being toxic than traditional sprays.

You can make your own spray using essential oil. You do this by taking one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, half cup of water, half cup of natural witch hazel, then pick your essential oil and place 10-30 drops. The type of essential oils that you may use is juniper, lemongrass, sage, clove, thyme, peppermint, mint, eucalyptus, tea tree, and citronella.

You can make the spray stronger if you like by switching water with apple cider vinegar or just plain old white vinegar. Spray on your clothing if you decide to switch because it may irritate your skin if you have sensitive skin. You could also spray it on your tent.

Traditional Insect Repellents

If you don’t want to make your own repellents then you can buy them in stores, this comes in sprays, diffusers, oils, and lotions. There are also kid-friendly options too but these all contain chemicals and other artificial ingredients.

DEET Spray

This spray is one of the oldest sprays that deter insects from getting onto your skin. DEET was made chemically in the 1940s for military use but then it became commercialized. Since this product is made from chemicals we advise you to follow the instructions and safety warnings from the product. A good rule is to never spray anything into your eyes and mouth when it comes to products like these.

You should also avoid using any products like this on babies and if you see that you are getting a rash from this you should stop using it.

Diffusers And Coils For Bug Repelling

These diffusers give out a pesticide called metofluthrin around the area that can last up to 12 hours and it is 84% to 100% protection against mosquitoes.

Coils use scent and smoke to repel insects, so you will need to place them around your campsite, the door of your tent, and the food storage area.

Bug Repellent Gear

If you want to be on the really safe side of things, you could also use this gear called Thermacell Radius Zone Mosquito Repeller to help get rid of mosquitos. If you use this along with the other tips then you should be free of the mosquitos at your campsite.

The Thermacell Radius Zone Mosquito Repeller emits repellent into the air. All you have to do is set the timer and insert the repellent cartridges, remember to put it away from the wind or not use it at all when it’s windy because the wind will blow the repellent away from the area and the gear would be useless.

Another way to get rid of the bugs would be to lure them into a zapper light source. The best results would be at night where bugs will be more drawn to the light.

Couple Of Tips

There are things we can do right off the bat to avoid these insects like covering up as much as possible. Here is a list of tips that will be helpful.

Drinking water and staying hydrated, this will help keep the mosquitoes away because you will give off less chemicals in the sweat that attract the bugs.
Eat certain foods and avoid food that will attract the bugs. Eat garlic and onions to avoid bugs, there are garlic capsules to take to avoid having to eat a lot of garlic in one sitting. One of the things to avoid consuming while camping and hiking is drinking beer, it will attract bugs to you.
For your hair and skin, use unscented products. Scented products will attract bugs. Mosquitoes like floral scents so avoid products with that kind of scent while you camp and hike.
When you need to use the restroom, go far away from your campsite because the ammonia in urine and the things in poop attracts a lot of bugs like flies and other insects.
Keep the campsite clean by covering all the food, clean all cookware when done, tie up all trash bags, and wipe down any dirty surfaces after cooking.
Make a campfire, it will get rid of the bugs because the bugs hate the heat and smoke. Avoid using artificial light because it attracts a lot of bugs.
One of the best ways to avoid bugs is to camp during cold days because bugs do not like the cold weather.

Conclusion

There are a lot of ways to do camping and hiking. We’ve given you many different tips on how to avoid bugs while camping.

The biggest tip that you should follow is to research your campsite before you go camping. Know what kind of bugs are found in the area so you can prepare for them. Knowing the layout of the land is key so you know where you should set up your tent.

Don’t let the bugs ruin your fun in nature.

How To Keep Bugs Out Of Tents While Camping?