Preparing for an attack of the mosquitoes!

In less than seven weeks I'll be flying out to Seattle to meet up with my fabulous mate LJ and the rest of 'Team Mountie' to start our Trek America adventure. Although I absolutely can't wait to get out there, I have heard quite a lot about blackfly, mosquitoes and horseflies and as someone who definitely seems to have tons of 'insect-appeal', I need to think about preparing for this.

According to the 'Rough Guide to Canada', the biggest problem appears to be in Northern Canada and I won't be venturing that far north, but I'm still going to take precautions. I've previously taken Vitamin B complex for a couple of weeks before going on a trek (Atlantic Dream, last June, starting in New York and ending in Miami) and that seemed to make a big difference to the number of bites I would have expected to get with sleeping outdoors. If you're travelling at the height of the summer season in some areas, you will find it is too hot to sleep in a tent, so be prepared for this. Taking vitamin B complex is well documented as a measure to prevent mosquito bites and the 'Rough Guide to Canada' also confirms this (p.295 on the e-book version I've downloaded onto my iPhone):

'If you're planning an expedition into the wilderness, you'd be well advised to take three times the daily dosage of vitamin B complex for two weeks before you go, and take the recommended daily dose whilst you're in Canada; this cuts down bites by up to 75 percent.'

I've never experimented with taking three times the daily dose but I'm confident that it will help. Of course I will also use other preventative methods whilst I'm away:

1. Boots Soltan sun cream and after sun with insect repellant is worth using (or any other sun cream containing repellant) and I always use it unless I'm swimming and then I switch to the water resistant version. I always use high SPF to minimise the risk of skin cancers - having experienced a family member being diagnosed with malignant melanoma, I know too well, how dangerous the sun can be.
2. Insect repellant in sun cream is not sufficient alone when camping outdoors though, you really need to use repellant containing deet (this stuff is not good for you though, so you have to use it with care and always read the instructions) - I always carry repellant that contains at least 50% deet, but for this trek I think I'll take some 100% along (you can buy Life Venture 100% deet from adventure stores like Millets).
3. If you need to buy any clothes for your trek and want to keep the mozzies at bay, check-out the clothes that contains insect repellant and sun protection (it all helps and some clothing claims to reduce bites by 90%). Remember, wearing white clothing also helps.
4. Consider taking a mosquito net - I've got one you can wear over a hat, although to be honest, I've only ever needed it so far to pose for stupid photographs, but you never know. I've also got a bug sheet, that folds up tiny and is good for staying in hostels.
5. Of course other insects can bite too and if you are camping somewhere where there's a lot of dry leaves etc on the ground, it can be a good idea to sweep all of that stuff away and keep the area around your tent clear.
6. Keeping food out of your tent is obviously another way to stop insects from wanting to enter - if you're camping in bear country, you should not have any food, drinks or toiletries in your tent anyway - park rules are there for a reason!
7. Gaffa tape can be useful for blocking any holes you might find in your tent. Generally the tents I've used on Trek have been in pretty good shape, but you never know.
8. Leave the perfume and aftershave at home. We all like to smell good, right? And we certainly prefer it if our trekking buddies smell good too, but if you want to keep mosquitoes away, then it's time to eliminate using perfumed products as much as possible. Another benefit of reducing the toiletries you take is you have more space in your bag for shopping whilst you're away ;-)

What happens if they bite anyway?
For some, no matter what you do, the mosquito will find a way so I never, ever travel without my mosquito bite zapper! For me, there is nothing else more effective at killing the desire to scratch that itchy bite! I've tried 2 brands, Mosquito-Click and Boots' own version (both available from Boots). The device works by giving the bite a small electric shock (seriously, this does not hurt, although guys are always very cautious about trying it - haha!). You can find out more about Mosquito-Click here

Depending upon where you travel in the world, mosquito (and other) bites can lead to illness and even death so it is important to be careful, research the areas you are visiting (before you leave home) and identify the risks - knowing what signs to look for, if you or someone else displays symptoms, can be important. Always make sure you follow local advice too. For many, bites are just an inconvenience, an irritation which for some, can spoil a holiday.

So, if you also suffer from high 'insect-appeal' (we can't help it if we taste so good!) and follow at least a few of the above tips, hopefully you will find those darn bitey insects give you a wide berth and go pester someone else!