Your campfire = best bug repellent

H

HoosierGuy

Joined
Jul 20, 2011
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Check out my latest blog post on using your campfire as your natural bug repellent. Naturally this just works in a contained area, but you do stay comfortable and can sleep bug-free.

www.hoosierbushcraft.com

The blog is still work in progress :) Thanks!!

- Bill
 
I like your gear and the set-ups you do. Good stuff:thumbup:

Mosquitos are nuts here. Highest mosquito count in this city compared to the rest of Canada. Going bush in a couple of weeks and wondering how they will be there. I like your fire tip. I've been doing that as long as I can remember , especially when I was young and forgot the deet !
 
hiwa said:
I like your gear and the set-ups you do. Good stuff:thumbup:

Mosquitos are nuts here. Highest mosquito count in this city compared to the rest of Canada. Going bush in a couple of weeks and wondering how they will be there. I like your fire tip. I've been doing that as long as I can remember , especially when I was young and forgot the deet !
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Thanks for the compliment! I'm just doing what's fun to me and learning/sharing as I go :)

It's a neat little trick and if you have a slight breeze in your favor, your set for the day and night.

- Bill
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www.hoosierbushcraft.com
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Try vitamin B1 1 caplet per day at least a week before your trip. I dont know exatly wath happens, but it works as you sweat it. This advice came to me from a military and lumberjack

WH
 
I've also heard real mint works (spearmint, peppermint and such) no not the gum.
Not sure as to what capacity though. Do you chew it, burn it, plant it or rub the essential oil on ya. any ideas?
I camp with a few Asian guys who grew up in China and they use this stuff that has a Minty Vic's vaporur rub kinda smell, they dab a drop or two on their neck, wrists, and ankle area which seems to keep the bugs away, it almost kinda gives you your own little safety bubble. It doesn't banishsh or drive them away but seems to give a bit of relief, and boy is pungent
 
I found that bush onion works ..
Its a bush medicine .. " topical wash" or something its technically called .. you splash it onto your problem area , cut , burn , sunburn , bruise etc .. magic stuff . Takes away pain almost instant , kills infection the same, and keeps bugs off the wound .
We had serious bug issues when we were camped up and kinda got flooded in just north of Katherine , NT . biting flies making huge , like serious huge welts on us that were begining to go pussy , and mum burned her arm .. big time ..
I was looking at the creek and spotted a bush onion .. I had been told about it being a good medicine plant , and it was kinda our best shot at the time , given we were stuck for what looked as days to come ,bush onion looks like a naked lady lilly , but one less petal on the flower , I dug it , crushed the bulb , boiled that , and when it cooled put the juice on mums burn , it was magic, the redness vanished , the swelling went down , pain stopped , and the bugs stopped landing on it ...
We tried it on her bug bites , and the effect was the same , so we put it on all our bites .. then I tried the stuff on my hat collar and cuffs .. no more bug issue at all .
It was weird , the bugs in the tropics int he wet are kinda the stuff of legend .. but this gave us about a 5 cm personal bubble of bug freeness when we moved around the bugs hit into us but didnt land on us .
The bush onion juice boils up whiteish , smells like slightly bitter old boiled potatoe water , barely noticeable when you splash it on , but it is one powerful pain killer / antiseptic / swelling reducer

I was careless and had it on my hands and scooped some rain water off a tarp for a drink , and it numbed my throat , and I pooped for ages after .. it is seriously powerful stuff . external use only .
 
Awesome blog:thumbup: I really like your knife reviews! Look forward to more articles!
 
I done a lot of backpacking in areas where no fires were allowed (just spent a week in the Florida Keys...couldn't make a fire and with temps in the upper 70's and low 80's at night it would have been too much anyways)...Texas was probably the worst. A pipe does help a little, but I distinctly remember canoe trips up in British Columbia where the mosquitos would even brave the thick smoke of the fire as I was completely standing in and still got bites! The little buggers in the Keys weren't as robust as northern mosquitos, but they would stick you as soon as they touched you! My poor daughter was eaten up...we had to use heavy sprays of DEET to combat them around the camp site in AM and evenings. Still, smoke is your best natural defense if you can make a fire...thanks for sharing your blog!

ROCK6
 
GREAT STUFF!!! The knives caught my attention right away
 
Wow guys, thank you for all the great replies and the kudos towards my little site :) I'm finally starting to do what I always wanted to; work with outdoor equipment, write about it and continue to learn new bushcraft skills.

wizzard1717 said:
I've also heard real mint works (spearmint, peppermint and such) no not the gum.
Not sure as to what capacity though. Do you chew it, burn it, plant it or rub the essential oil on ya. any ideas?
I camp with a few Asian guys who grew up in China and they use this stuff that has a Minty Vic's vaporur rub kinda smell, they dab a drop or two on their neck, wrists, and ankle area which seems to keep the bugs away, it almost kinda gives you your own little safety bubble. It doesn't banishsh or drive them away but seems to give a bit of relief, and boy is pungent
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I'm wondering if you would either burn it, or rub the mint on you where you have exposed skin. I'll do some research and post what I find out. Good ideas!

@Myal, GREAT information there! I wrote it down to try out when I get there chance :)


Joezilla said:
GREAT STUFF!!! The knives caught my attention right away
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Thanks Joe, it means a lot coming from you. I love your reviews and what you do for the kids. Check out my site from time to time, you will like the items I start to post up ;)

Thanks again everybody. I will have a full review on the performance of that tent after I take it out or a week in early Aug.

- Bill

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www.hoosierbushcraft.com
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Good stuff. When I'm splitting wood, I keep a small fire beside me and make sure it's always covered with long, green grass. It's certainly a different kind of fire from your normal campfire, and it takes a little practice of its own before you figure out how hot you want it and when it's time to poke it back into flame. I love grass smoke's sweet smell.
 
i dont know how it will work for you guys, but there is an old trick down here that a couple of people use, if you find some old beehive (dry/rotting still works) and throw some on the fire, the smoke it produces seems to drive away all flying insects, ive been told that termites nest works also but never tried that.
 
G'day Hoosier

Out of curosity, why does your first pic on your blog site show little effort to clear combustibles from your campfire? Don't you think they will dry out as your fire burns?

Please bear in mind that I have seen numerous examples of the "same lack of attention to detail" from those who attend the curiously named "PWYP". :thumbdn:

Or is this something that isn't inportant at all times during the year where you are?



Kind regards
Mick
 
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SouthernCross said:
G'day Hoosier

Out of curosity, why does your first pic on your blog site show little effort to clear combustibles from your campfire? Don't you think they will dry out as your fire burns?
Kind regards
Mick
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That's a good point Mick...I think it has more to do with season and location. I've camped in several areas where there isn't much concern at all and I've been in other parts of the country where I'm really concerned and clear several feet from my fire (most of times when it's too dry and windy, fires are banned). I still think it's good practice to clear combustables away regardless of the season and I understand your concern.

Back to bugs, I haven't used hot coals, but I've seen some examples where hot coals and fire are used to clear the ground around your camp site. At some points in the season, ticks can be our biggest pest and even though I use a hammock, I still clear out the underside of my hammock and eating area. I would think using some hot coals/fire would really remove the ground nasties...

ROCK6
 
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