If like many families, you’ve taken up camping as a way to get out and about affordably, you’ve had to deal with one or more campsite pests. Here are some effective and cheap ways to deter pests while camping.
Cheap Ways to Deter Pests while Camping
? Snake Away- How to Deter Snakes ?
If you happen to be tent camping, it is essential that you routinely check your tent for holes. Even a small hole the size of a dime can be large enough to let in various pests including snakes, spiders, and scorpions. If you find a hole, simply patch it with a repair kit.
Keep snake food out of the campsite. Snakes are attracted to campsites because they’re seeking something yummy to eat, such as mice, roaches, toads, birds, and other small animals. If you leave food items out attracting those animals, you’ve created a food source for a snake, thereby inviting them to join you on your camping trip.
Soak rags in ammonia and place them in loosely sealed plastic bags around your tent. The bags can easily be secured to the tent stakes, creating a nice barrier. Snakes hate ammonia and will avoid it at all costs.
Snakes like to hide under things, so get stuff away from your tent, don’t have piles of firewood or coolers stacked together, etc. This inviting looking hideaway attracts them. Instead, keep firewood separate and away from other camping supplies.
If you’ happen to have pets, small children, or are just super scared of snakes, you could opt to purchase snake repelling granules to sprinkle around your tent. The granules are rain resistant and last up to thirty days.
While deterring snakes from your campsite can be helpful, you should still be aware that snakes may be in the roads and pathways at night. Always use a decent flashlight when walking between campsites or to the bathhouse.
If you are camping in an area that has venomous snakes, wear close-toed= shoes, rather than sandals or flip-flops. Some snakes will not move if they hear you coming.
Copperheads, for example, will simply lie still, waiting patiently for you to pass by. Unfortunately, they blend in extremely well with their surroundings and a misstep could land you in the hospital!
How to Deter Ants
There are several types of ants that can quickly go from minor nuisance to severe infestation in a short period of time. When we set up camp, we immediately sprinkle a generous amount of https://amzn.to/30yj2CU (D.E) around and on the RV tires, power cord, around the power outlet box post, anything that touches the ground to the camper.
Diatomaceous Earth is a dust-like powder that is made from crushed fossilized algae (diatoms) that come from freshwater sources. DE is all-natural, safe for use around kids, pets, and the food-grade DE version is safe for human consumption for various health reasons, including killing internal parasites.
Be aware that there are two different grades, insect killer DE should not be consumed.
If we’re putting out a patio rug, we sprinkle generously under the rug area before laying it down, as well as the perimeter. This prevents creepy crawlies from entering the camper.
We’ve found this to be quite effective on sugar ants as well as fire ants. There are literally hundreds of different types of ants and they’re definitely not all created equal.
Avoid stomping or squishing ants, many species of ant have a horrendous smell if crushed, such as the odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile) which releases a disgusting, putrid rotten fruit odor if squished.
To avoid attracting ants to begin with, keep all food, coolers, and storage containers tightly sealed. If a container or item does become infested, get rid of it immediately to avoid swarms moving into your campsite.
How to Deter Ticks
Ticks are notorious for spreading a vast number of diseases. When camping, if you’re opting to use a tent, pitch the tent away from the edge of the woods.
Avoid grassy areas and walking through areas of weeds or reeds. Overgrown grass is a wonderful environment for ticks and they’ll likely hitch a ride on you if you happen to pass through it.
Bring portable chairs and avoid sitting on the ground or on firewood or logs.
Opt for loose-fitting clothing in light colors. Ticks have a tendency to blend in nicely on darker colors, making it much more difficult to identify them.
Once again, treating the campsite with a generous sprinkle of Diatomaceous earth will go a long way in preventing ticks from bothering you while camping. If you’d like, here are several do it yourself tick repellents that work quite well.
