Watch a few episodes of Naked and Afraid, and you’ll see people covered in bug bites, and tons of mosquitoes and ants and other bugs that attack them. There are ways to minimize this, but not all locations will have the necessary items to keep you from getting devoured by bugs. So, what can you do?
At minimum, starting a fire will keep some bugs away. Some insects do not like smoke, and they tend to stay away from it. But watching Naked and Afraid, they sure bite the crap out of them even when they are by the fire.
Here are some quick and effective ways to keep bugs away from where you rest and sleep.
- Start a fire
- Build a platform shelter
- A mosquito net (this is my favorite)
During the hike into your basecamp, look for the following:
- Termites’ nest
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Lavender
- Mint
- Citronella (reddish stem near root)
- Lemongrass (green to white near root)
- Lemon balm
- Eucalyptus
All the above can be burned into the fire to keep bugs away. This way you get less bites.
Cinnamon, Citrus leaves and oils (take skin and burn them or apply the oil from the skin on your skin), tea tree oil, clove, and thyme are good to keep ants away as well.
Try these out on your next outing, but if you can carry out a bug repellent and a mosquito net, those are your best options.
