TheCampingGuy.com Blog | Camping Tips

I’m sure you’ve heard about Lyme disease and how it’s carried by some ticks so here’s a few tips on how to prevent getting ticks while camping and what to do if you get one.

First of all, let’s focus on protection. Here’s a couple of tips.

• Wear light colored clothing so you can see the ticks on you.
• Pull your socks up over your pant legs to prevent ticks from crawling in.
• Wear a long sleeved shirt and a hat.
• Wear insect repellant. I tend to spray an extra dose around my ankles when I’m hiking on trails.
• Check yourself and others for ticks after a hike, especially around the head and ears.

If you happen to get one attached to you, here’s what to do.

• Stay calm
• Take some tweezers from your camp kit or first aid kit and grasp the tick close to the skin and gently pull until it comes out. You don’t want to rip it out, or you might leave the mouth parts in your skin.
• Wash the wound with soap and water, put on antibiotic ointment.
• After dealing with the tick make sure you wash your hands.

Watch for symptoms over the next 48 hours to week, which are:

• A red ring-like rash may appear around the bite area
• Flu-like symptoms like fatigue, muscle and join pain, headache, fever, swollen glands, sore throat and stiff neck.

If you experience these symptoms after tick remove, please see a physician.

Above all, check with the Park Ranger of the campground to see if ticks inhabit in your camping area. He/she will give you some advice on local conditions and possible areas to stay away from. Then you’re prepared to have a fun campout!

Camping and bugs kind of go hand-in-hand. You expect those pesky flying insects when you go camping and you always need to prepare for them. Mosquitoes, black flies, gnats, horse flies, deer flies…you name it they are all out there just waiting for all you tender-skinned campers to show up so they can feast! So, what do you do?

Lather on the bug lotion, spray on the DEET-based insect spray, light citronella candles around the campsite, eat cloves of garlic? These are all popular and effective remedies that are used, but now there’s another one!

How about a patch that will last for days without reapplying? A new product has come on the market for campers that you should know about to fight bugs. Just like the quit smoking patches, this patch attaches to your arm and wards off insects for up to 36 hours. “Don’t Bug Me Patch”is all natural! no DEET, so it’s safe to use on the kids, and it’s waterproof!

So you can put it on Friday, on the way to the campsite and not have to worry about insect bites all weekend. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will on my next campout. If you get a chance to check it out, let us know your experience by posting a comment, below.

Thinking of bringing your own firewood to your campout? Hold on…and read this. The U.S. Forest Service is encouraging campers not to bring their own firewood. Why? Because insect infested firewood is causing billions of dollars in forest damage.

Many campers travel hundreds of miles or across state lines to go camping and they bring their own firewood and the insects with them. The spread of insects is so harmful that several Midwestern states are banning firewood from out of state. Parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Maryland are covered by federal and state quarantines to try to prevent infested lumber or wood products from being shipped out. Forest Service officials advise campers to get their firewood at or near their campsite. So, pass on this information to your fellow campers!

Go to the Utah Desert News for the full story.