Insect Protection Outdoors

With the onset of better weather, many of us will be heading outdoors to enjoy camping, picnics, braais and sport. Unfortunately, little pests may be lying in wait for us – ready to spoil our next outdoor excursion.

Common pests include mosquitoes, gnats, sand fleas, flies and even ticks. It is important to be prepared before heading out. Often more than one approach is necessary to ensure a pleasant bug free time.

What can be done about pesky pests?

Let’s face it, it is not cool to use anti-bug methods such as poisons that may harm the environment, luckily there are many options available to us these days that do not involve killing plants or even endangering our own health.

Location

When camping out, avoid stagnant water, dense vegetation and farm animals as these tend to attract more insects.

Personal Protection

Wear long-sleeve shirts, pants and socks. Wearing light colours can help repel insects.

Always take a lotion, spray or stick along when venturing outdoors. Natural products like those from Bugger Off are safe for the whole family. The mixture of essential oils in Bugger Off products are DEET Free.

Looking for something with more punch? Then Tabard, which contains diethyltoluamide, is available in a stick, spray or lotion and is very effective in keeping you safe from mosquitoes and other bugs.

Bayticol aerosol is an effective protection against ticks and should be applied to clothing before venturing out.

Fly swatters and Bug Bat Zappers are a great addition to your arsenal. A few well-placed whirring Fly Repellers do a great job of keeping insects away from your food.

Mosquito nets are also a great way to protect you from mosquitoes when sleeping.

Candles and Lights

Citronella candles offer a gentle way of deterring insects while providing light. Used in combination with a topical lotion or spray, these can be quite good at keeping flying insects away.

Insects are attracted to light, particularly bright white light. Using amber or red lights around the camp attracts less bugs.

Don’t let insects ruin your next camp, be sure to visit your nearest Camp And Climb store for a wide range of insect protection.