They are small but deadly they have only one thing in mind, food, and the problem is you are the perfect source. Let’s assume that you have smelly food in your hammock. The food might attract flies; the flies, in turn, might attract spiders and other dangerous creatures. This means that a camping trip can turn tragic if you don’t take the right measures to protect yourself from insects. If you're interested about hammocks, you can read more here.
You may be thinking that it’s manly to get stung by insects but in reality, it’s just as risky as jumping into a volcano, you see the thing is the list of diseases caused by insects is endless. Some examples of such diseases are Lyme disease, malaria, Zika virus, dengue fever, leishmaniasis, Heartland virus, etc.
The most common pests
The most common pest that attacks hammock campers worldwide is the mosquito; mosquitoes feed exclusively on blood. This means that to them you or your pet are seen as food, the real issue here is mosquitoes transmit deadly diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and recently the Zika virus.
Understand that not all bites will result in disease; most will result in inflamed sometimes painful bumps. Now this doesn’t mean that you should leave yourself at the mercy of mosquitoes. Doing this is like playing Russian roulette because you never know what the insect might carry, to protect yourself from mosquitoes when hammock camping you should do the following:
• Don’t camp around mosquito breeding zones (avoid wet areas)
• Use insect repellent and wear light colored long sleeved shirts and pants, you should also protect your feet with socks and shoes
• It is recommended that you avoid being outdoors early or late in the evening; however, since you are hammock camping you should buy a bug net; this will keep the mosquitoes from reaching you when in your hammock.
Ticks
Just like mosquito’s ticks feed on blood, this means that they will attach themselves onto you or on your pet; this is bad because it can result in diseases such as Lyme disease. The easiest way to keep such insects off you and your pet is to use insect repellents; you should also avoid areas that ticks may reside e.g. bushes or areas with tall grass.
It is recommended that when you are on your hammock camping trip, you should only stick to trails that have been set; if you go into the bushes there is a high chance that you will encounter deadly insects.
Spiders and ants
The easiest way to control spiders and ants is by using insect repellents if you spot webs near you it is in your best interest to remove them. You should also avoid areas with tall grass or weeds.
Chiggers
Chiggers are not insects they are mites, but just like insects they can transmit diseases. Chiggers are common in North American that’s why I have included them here, the best way to avoid these pests is to wear insect repellent, long-sleeved, tightly woven pants, and shirts and avoid going into areas that have tall grass and weeds.
The best way to avoid these pests is to stick to set out trails, these trails are created to keep you safe so don’t wonder off into the bushes who knows what you might encounter.