The spring and early summer is the time that most of us are itching to get back outside. As the weather breaks and becomes nicer, nature calls us. Sometimes, nature is not the only one that is making us itch.  It is also the time for all of our insect friends to come out as well. As I write this post, I can’t help but sing a song that I learned at camp when I was younger. It is a fun catchy little tune about battling those outdoor insect pests.

Flea Fly Flow Mosquito
A Traditional Campfire song
Written by: Unknown, Copyright: Unknown

Flea.
Flea fly.
Flea fly mosquito.
Oh, no no no more mosquitoes.
Itchy itchy, scratchy scratchy, oh, I got one down my backy, backy
Beat that big bad bug with the bug spray
SSSSSSsssssssssss!

Flea
Flea, fly
Flea, fly mosquito
Calamine, calamine, calamine lotion
Oh, no more calamine lotion
Itchy, itchy, scratchy, scratchy, got one on my backy, backy
Eck goes the bug when you hit it with the bug spray
Ready?? SSSSHHHH!!

So how do we prepare for these little pests so that we can make the most of our outdoor experiences?  Prepare! Wear appropriate clothing, bring bug spray, treat your clothing, and bring your 10 Essentials and first aid kit. Also, knowing the truths and myths about treating bites is important.

Removing Ticks

There is a myth going around the internet right now about how to remove ticks by putting essential oils or soap on them. Ticks are one of those insects that you don’t want to mess around with. The more truths you know about them the more comfortable you will be if you ever have a bite. You can find out more about First Aid for tick bites at the Mayo Clinic website, but basically there are three steps.

1. Remove the tick promptly and carefully with tweezers or with a gentle upward motion. Experts don’t recommend using any other method because it could cause the tick to release the toxins from its body into yours.

2. If possible seal the tick in a container in the freezer so that if you develop symptoms you can take it to your doctor to be tested.

3. Wash your hands and the bite site after you remove the tick. You can use warm water and soap, rubbing alcohol or iodine.  

How do you keeping the bugs from biting?

We love hiking and backpacking in the summer months but that also means bugs. In Michigan that means mosquitoes, ticks, black flies, deer flies, sand flies, noseeums, and other bugs out for blood. The method we use to keep the bugs off is a layered defense made up of repellents, clothing choices, and practices.

Repellents

Bug repellents are a powerful weapon in our battle with bugs and we make use of a few. Many of you will have heard of DEET bug spray as it is the world’s most common bug spray. We use DEET sparingly because of the effects it has on plastics and synthetic gear fabric but we have not found anything better for extended stays in the wild. For shoulder season trips (spring and fall) where the bugs may not be so bad we tend to use Picaridin repellents simply because it won’t fog plastics (watch faces and compass) or degrade technical fabrics on our backpacks or clothing like DEET can.

One repellent we use on our gear is Permethrin. Permethrin is a synthetic chemical that acts like the natural extracts of a chrysanthemum flower. Permethrin is not for use on skin and is only for use on gear and clothing. We spray our pants, shirts, packs, hats, and shoes with a 0.5% solution of Permethrin (we use Sawyer Products pre-mix) and the treatment is good for up to 35 days for mosquitoes and 6 weeks for ticks. Spraying your shoes and pants is an excellent way to prevent ticks from crawling up your clothing.

Clothing Choices to Battle Bugs

Clothing choices make up a lot of our bug protection. We tend to hike in long pants unless it is extremely hot and wear close nit synthetic shirts and hiking pants. Our hiking pants are treated with Sawyer Permethrin and our hiking shirts will be treated with Sawyer Permethrin or a commercial permethrin treatment called Insect Shield or a proprietary treatment like Columbia’s Insect Blocker technology.

One item each of us has in our 10 Essentials kit is a Sea to Summit Mosquito Head Net. When worn over a hat, the head net provides a bug repellent way to keep mosquitoes and biting flies out of your face. A bonus with the bug net is that it protects not only your face but also your ears, neck, and the back of your head. They are not the most stylish thing but will prevent bugs from flying in your face.

Avoiding Bugs

While it may be difficult to avoid mosquitoes and biting flies in the outdoors, you can make some choices to reduce your exposure to the insects.

For ticks, avoid brushy, overgrown areas and tall grass. You can do this by staying in the middle of the trail whenever possible (practicing LNT Principle II) and avoiding hanging branches when you can.

Mosquitoes tend to not be as active in the early morning and afternoon or in breezy areas. If you can, hike in open, sunny trails rather than in a forest and pick to camp where there is a breeze that will keep the mosquitoes away.

Biting flies tend to find you anywhere so make sure to be ready with the treated clothing and repellents.

And if you do get bit, remember

Calamine, calamine, calamine lotion!

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