I haven't camped out in a long long time and would like to get back into it. I'm planning on doing some car camping and motorcycle camping, but I don't think that matters too much on what I do about pest control.

My main concerns are keeping ticks away. The other bugs would be keeping away gnats, biting flies, mosquitoes, etc.

I've been reading about permethrin sprays, but there are many and I'm not sure which one would work best for treating my camping gear and clothing. So I need help there.

As far as dealing with flying insects....what do you do about that? Do you just spray on a product like OFF? I'm not a big fan of those types of sprays, but if that is then I guess I'll just deal with the smell and film it leaves on you.

Maybe a hat with a bug net is something I should be looking for as well.

I'd like to hear what you guys are doing and what works for you.

If it makes a difference I'll probably be limiting myself to Alabama, Georgia, and maybe Florida to start with.

IF you have any questions, please ask, I'll be reading replies every now and then.

Thanks
220

If you can find it Avon Skin So Soft keeps the skeeters away. They make citronella candles that seem to work pretty well but I think they stink.

If you’re having trouble with yellow jackets aka flying assholes you can get a few traps and put them away from your campground.

If you have a camping neighbor that you don’t like just remove the bag from the trap get it wet and toss it next to their tent.

I have an old field hat that I just spray every surface of with off deep woods. It keeps bugs out of my face the entire time I wear it.

I also spray 100% deet on my pants and boots. Be careful with that, it will eat the shit out of a lot of plastics.

Get the Sawyer permethrin.
Yellow bottle.

If you have cats keep them away from the sprayed clothes until they are dry and make sure they are not around when you are spraying the clothes.
Permethrin acts as a nerve agent to felines. Should be fine with dogs but I keep mine away until the clothes are dry (hang on clothes line outside, spray, and let dry for 24 hours).

In addition to the outside of my clothes I spray the tops of my shoes, socks, and a few inches inside of my pants cuffs.
Ticks suck and Lyme disease is bad stuff.

Look up DIY permethrin spray. Amazon sells concentrate for about twenty bucks. Pick up a garden sprayer at Harbor freight, mix and and spray everything. Tent, sleeping bags, clothing, shoes, socks, hats, etc. Wet the stuff kills cats, no problem when dry. Use rubber gloves, you will have a bug free camping experience.
Get permethrin concentrate with no hydrocarbons.

Thermacells work great if you're not moving around.

Don't buy nerve agent from Amazon.

Sawyer makes a permethrin spray.  Buy that, and use it per their directions.

It will cost more, of that I am sure, but if you are burning through those bottles, you are going to have bigger problems.

Permethrin is a nerve agent, but most mammals have an enzyme that counteracts it.  Except cats.  When cats come into contact with sufficient quantities of permethrin, it's not quite like sarin gas, but I'm pretty sure in enough concentration, it would be.  It's seriously bad.  Were it not for an enzyme we (and dogs) produce.

That’s why I only camp in cool or cold weather. Not to mention the lack of air conditioning. I would much rather be cold than hot and dealing with bugs.

Additional info.

I spray the tent with Permethrin, too. The floor and the no-see-um netting. Bugs that crawl on it, will die.

Permethrin is toxic to cats, as well as fish and amphibians, so make sure to keep it away from those, too.

In addition, I’ve learned to bring along a Thermacell. They work well for chilling outside at night, but there are 2 other handy uses;

1) place the Thermacell near the door of the tent before entering. It chases the bugs away, so they don’t follow you into the tent (nothing more annoying than realizing there are mosquitoes inside your tent).

2) in the event that mosquitoes have already gotten inside the tent, the active ingredient in a Thermacell is Allethrin, and you can use it to hotbox the tent to kill the bugs in it. Allethrin is in the pyrethroid class of pesticides (like Permethrin). Bugs can sense it, and keep their distance from it, BUT if they can’t keep their distance from it, it can/will kill them.

If mosquitoes have gotten inside the tent, I turn the Thermacell on and place it in the tent, then completely close it up and let it hotbox for 10-15 minutes to kill the bugs inside. Then remove or turn off the Thermacell, and open the fly to air out with the no-see-um mesh closed.

We don’t have deer ticks up here, only winter ticks that are hard on moose but don’t parasitize humans. But I’d almost rather have deer ticks than the black flies, deer flies, and mosquitoes that will appear by the billions soon and make the outdoors miserable until mid-late July. They’re the main reason I always camp on the highest summits around (3600’+) where it’s too cool, too windy, or too dry for them most of the time. The highest percentage DEET you can find is a necessity for the hike up.

The one time I've encountered yellow jackets while camping, I somehow managed to setup my tent up about two feet from their nest. I got stung 5-6 times in about as many seconds. Now before I pick my spot I sit back and observe the area for "them" coming and going out of the ground.

Did not know about Permethrin and cats. Thanks all those that mentioned it, I would not want to cause harm to anyone's cat. I don't have any or any that hang around so I should be good there.

Didn't even know about those. I'm looking at them on my other screen while replying. I'll have to look closer...I see some are battery and some are fuel powered.