Megan Stewart – One of the best places to spend time is in the wild outdoors. But along with all the beauty that Mother Nature provides, humans must also contend with the insects that make the wild outdoors their home. Insects that sting, bite, or otherwise make their presence known to humans can ruin an otherwise perfect day and in a survival situation, they can really make things worse.

Mosquitoes are attracted to:

Lactic acid

Type O Blood

CO2

Metabolic rate (high resting metabolic rates are more attractive)

Heat

Movement

Drinking alcohol and exercising both raise metabolic rate and make you more attractive to mosquitoes. Movement and sweating will make you more attractive to mosquitoes. But have no fear, there are a number of ways to prevent bug bites in the wild.

For example, Caleb from Crazy Ant Pest Control in Fresno (an organic pest company) suggests you make your own bug spray by combining essential oils. Specifically mix citronella, clove, lemongrass, eucalyptus, rosemary, or geranium in any combination to prevent many types of bug bites. There are tons of natural bug spray recipes out there but I’ve personally used combinations of these oils which both smell great and keep the bugs away.

Here are some additional ways to repel bug bites. Continue reading →