Mosquito.buzz Blog

Camping - or glamping, if you're a fancy type - can be a tonne of fun for the whole family. But thanks to biting bugs that have the potential to transmit nasty diseases, camping can be a little risky, too.

But as this decade's most famous Canadian would say; YOLO!

You only live once, so why should you let mosquitoes or ticks ruin your fun? Good news is, you don't have to. But you do have to know how to protect yourself.

Here are our top tips to prevent tick bites and mosquito bites when camping.

Finally... it's May Two Four!

The Victoria Day long weekend in Canada is more than just a holiday; it signifies the start of Spring, and more importantly, the beginning of cottage season.

Escaping to the cottage in Spring and Summer has it's perks; all that sensational scenery, idyllic days and no-worries nights among the woods and the lake, and not to mention, the whole family adopting a new found sense of well-being. 

Just like everything, there's gotta be a downside. And we're willing to bet that the number one downside of going to the cottage is bugs, and in particular, mosquitoes.

We've heard it time and time again; there's something about you, in particular, that mosquitoes just love. Is it your charming personality? No, probably not. Your exquisite taste in music and film? We think not. Is it something about your aura? Well, sort of.

It all boils down to one simple fact; You stink. Good, bad... we don't know. But whatever the perspective, mosquitoes all have acute receptors that detect scents from up to 100 feet away. These are the primary indicators that female mosquitoes (the ones that do the biting) use to pick out their prey.

You may've had the cheesiest most amazing french onion soup. Your waitress might've had the loveliest smile. Your cocktail could've got you just the right amount of tipsy. And your crème brûlée might've been torched to perfection, with the much anticipated 'crack' meeting your highest expectations.

But if you sat through multiple mosquito bites during your dining experience, it'd be safe to say those fond memories were overshadowed by another more irritating one.

Fresh herbs are a staple in every healthy home. They're handy for a bunch of reasons; from adding extra nutrition (and not to mention flavour) to home-cooked meals, or for soothing miscellaneous ailments, a few sprigs of your favourite herb can go a long way.

While most of us are quite keen on herbs (except for almost half the population that despise cilantro), mosquitoes aren't too fond of them.

6 herbs in particular are pretty good in helping deter mosquitoes around the home and backyard. Now, don't get us wrong; they're not going to eliminate mosquitoes completely, but they'll give you a good chance at warding them off.

Even though our furry friends may have a full coat of hair to cover them, they're still at risk of mosquito bites, particularly around the ears and nose. Mosquitoes aren't overly fussy when they're looking for a blood meal, and pets find themselves in a range of situations, just like us. From an irritating yet harmless itch, to a serious, harmful health concern, you just never know what might happen when it comes to mosquito bites.

Let's face it - nobody really like mosquitoes. Although we love the great outdoors, much of our time outside is spent unsuccessfully warding off biting pests.

From cheap as chips to not so much, there's a range of products out there for repelling mosquitoes, and the average Canadian has probably tried most of them.

Here's a quick guide to the types of products you should just scratch off the shopping list.

Barbecues, going swimming, basking in the sunshine, watching the sun go down; all these things are what makes the summertime so great. But mosquito bites... not so much.

Female mosquitoes love to feast on us; we provide the necessary nutrients for them to breed even more mosquitoes. While they're going to town on our nutritious blood, they inject saliva into us as an anticoagulant; in other words, their saliva acts as a blood thinner that makes it easier to suck up more of our blood.

That residual spit is the reason we get itchy; coincidently, it's also the reason why mosquitoes are the number 1 killers in the world, since their saliva can sometimes contain diseases. While mosquito borne illnesses are becoming more of a global concern, most of the time you're just left with ugly and incredibly itchy red bumps.

Here are a few ways you can get a bit of temporary relief.

How good is Summer? Especially when you have your own backyard and some crazy friends and family... what's the point of even going out? Your backyard doesn't have cover charges, closing hours or long queues, so why not keep the party going til whenever o'clock?

The American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) have just released their latest fact sheet, this time covering the Zika Virus.