ivyblossom | How to avoid getting West Nile Virus

Gather round, my friends, gather around. It's time for the mosquito lecture. Yes, it's mosquito season again, and this time it comes with West Nile Virus. I want to tell you have to prevent mosquito bites. My quals: I've been camping since I was six years old, and I mean camping without my family. I won't even count the hundreds of tent trailer trips I've been on. I've been camping in the wilds of Canada with strangers since the age of six. I started working at a mid-northern girls' summer camp when I was fifteen and spent between two and four months there every summer for the following eight years. I shall hereafter refer to myself as 'the mosquito expert'.

Don't get bitten by a mosquito. Hey, who wants to get bitten by a mosquito anyway, right? Well, I am concerned about your health, so I'm going to tell you exactly how to avoid getting bitten.

One word: DEET. This is the only thing that works. Mosquitoes just laugh at everything else, no matter what people tell you. It probably causes cancer, but these are the risks you have to take. Skin So Soft does not work. Citronella is pretty but also does not work. The only things that I will stake my life on working to prevent mosquito bites is any product with DEET as more than 90% of the content.

Some favourites: Deep Woods OFF! is probably the one you'd want, particularly since they make a cream that's also a sunscreen. See, mosquitoes aren't really sun creatures, so you're more likely to avoid them if you're in the sun, but for years there's been a conflict between sunscreen and mosquito repellant. I always go with repellant, because I only burn when I'm canoeing for days on end and the I'm getting double sun (from the sun and from the sun bouncing off the water). Very bad of me, I realize this. But Deep Woods has a good rep, and I'm thrilled to see them do a combo cream.

I used to use it as an oil, but I guess they don't sell that anymore. It will dissolve your rubber boots if you spill it. I'd avoid the aresols. They seem smarter, but they're not. You just lose most of it in the air, and you don't get the accuracy you get with a cream. Also, that stuff is MURDER on your lungs. My sentimental favourite repellant is Muskol. Hmmmmm Muskol.

If you're going to be need forests at all, shower at night before you go to bed. If you shower in the morning you will be more attractive to mosquitoes, who will aim for your scalp if it's all they can get at. Wear a hat.

Don't keep standing water around. Mosquito eggs hatch in four days in standing water, and any standing water will generate mosquitoes, including a puddle from a tap or garden hose.

If you have a semi-indoor area that you want to fumigate of mosquitoes, keeps some mosquito coils on hand. Last time I checked they still sold these at Canadian Tire, and if you're in the US I have no idea where you go to buy such things. Your local hardware store should have it. Mosquito coil is like curled, thick green incense that smells pretty horrible. You burn it and it kills every flying thing in the area. If you don't have a problem ignoring warnings you can use them indoors too. If gives you a great smoker's voice. *coughs* The only disadvantage other than any medical issues you might have later on, is that you have to sweep up a lot of dead bug bodies later on. That's okay with me.

Eat oranges, avoid bananas. This sounds silly, but it's actually true. It's the difference between being the person mosquitoes like and the one they ignore.

If you're camping, air out your beds and tents during the day, but make sure your tent is zipped up tight by 5pm. You think I'm being silly, but trust me. Yeah, it's lovely and sunny, yes, there are no mosquitoes out at 5pm, but I SWEAR TO GOD if you wait until 5:30pm your tent will be FULL OF BUGS by the time to go to bed. I don't know why but it's TRUE.

Mosquitoes don't particularly like smoke, but it's hard to breathe when you're standing in the way of the smoke. Kind of a catch-22 there.

In the shade: socks, long sleeved shirts, a hat. Remember the back of your neck when you put the repellant on.

Aww man. I wanna go camping! *pouts*