How to camp safe

Slap, scratch and swat -– it's part of campground life. Here's what to do when bugs bite, bees sting and insects go bzzzzz in the night.

Bugs and flies
• Repel blood-feeding insects such as mosquitoes, blackflies and deerflies by covering up as much of your body as possible with light-coloured clothes. (Dark colours attract bugs.)

• Use a bug repellent. For adults, a product with a low concentration of Deet (N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) works well. Note that the higher the concentration, the longer it will work. A 30 per cent concentration lasts about six hours, whereas a five per cent will last about two. Children and pregnant women should use a lower concentration.

• Wear bug hats and jackets that have mesh netting covering openings.

• Wash all bites with soap and water. For mosquito and black fly bites, follow this with calamine lotion to ease the swelling; for deer fly bites, disinfect the wound with alcohol or an antiseptic and, for those over six years old, try an oral antihistamine to reduce symptoms.

• Avoid contracting West Nile virus by removing still water in birdbaths, play pools or any toys that collect rainwater.

Stingers
• Find out if a person who is stung by a bee, wasp, hornet or yellow jacket is allergic. Watch for signs of anaphylactic shock -– difficulty breathing and rapid swelling of the throat and tongue –- or unresponsiveness. If these appear, call 911 immediately.

• Look for an allergy kit the affected person may be carrying; you can administer emergency first aid until you reach a hospital.

If there is no allergic reaction, try to:
• Keep the person calm and immobile.

• Lower the limb that has been stung to reduce the spread of venom.

• Remove the stinger if it's still in the wound, then clean with soap and water and an antiseptic.

• Walk calmly away from the nest without alarming the insects.

• Remove nests that are in a location that poses a threat, such as near play areas, at dusk, when bees and wasps typically rest.

Ticks
• Liberally spray a tick that has plunged its mouth under your skin with bug repellent, forcing it to relax its grip. Use tweezers or tick pliers (available at most outdoor stores) to gently pull it out.

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