Insect Protection & Poisonous Plants - CleverHiker.com
25.8 هزار بار بازدید -
9 سال پیش
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Most of the time, insects in the wilderness are an annoyance rather than a danger. They will buzz around your ears, cause itchy red bumps, and may even bite through your clothing.
But insects like ticks and mosquitoes can also be carriers of viruses and diseases, so it’s best to avoid them and protect yourself whenever possible.
One of the best ways to avoid bug annoyances is to avoid the bugs altogether. Fall, winter, and early spring are generally cooler times when fewer bugs will be active.
You can also limit bug exposure by wearing long-sleeved clothing with a tight enough weave so insects like mosquitoes won’t be able to bite through it.
Along with avoiding bugs, you can also use a couple of chemical treatments to greatly increase bug protection to almost to 100% effectiveness.
DEET and Permethrin are generally considered the two most effective chemical treatments in bug protection.
DEET is very effective, but it’s also a very harsh chemical, so many people try to use it as little as possible. DEET can damage plastics, leather, and synthetic fabrics.
Permethrin is a treatment that should be used on your clothing and some hiking clothing even comes pre-treated.
Using a combination of Permethrin and DEET is about as close as you can get to total insect protection.
Poisonous plants are another common annoyance that can be easily avoided if you know how to spot them in the backcountry.
Make sure to know the poisonous plants living in the area that you plan to visit and know how to identify them before your trip.
In North America, poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac are the plants that you really need to watch out for. In Europe you may need to avoid stinging nettles and giant hogweed.
It’s generally a good idea not to touch plants that you can’t identify, especially in winter when many plants don’t have identifying leaves but can still cause reactions.
Poison Ivy and Oak can easily be spotted because of their leave formations. They always grow their leaves in groups of three.
Regardless of if the plant is a shrub or a vine, poison ivy and oak will have two leaves attached to a stalk opposite each other and one leave jutting out on a short stem.
Poison sumac much less common and is usually found in swampy areas in the form of a small tree or shrub. Its leaves grow in pairs of 6-12 with one single leaf at the end.
If you suspect that you have made contact with one of these plants, wash your skin as soon as possible. If you get to it quickly, you might be able to avoid a painful reaction.
Remember, with insects and poisonous plants, a little knowledge and preparation will go a long way. Bite and itch free trips can be your new standard.
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10 Best Sleeping Bags and Quilts: https://www.cleverhiker.com/best-slee...
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More Gear Recommendations: https://www.cleverhiker.com/best-back...
See the FULL series for FREE at https://www.cleverhiker.com
Most of the time, insects in the wilderness are an annoyance rather than a danger. They will buzz around your ears, cause itchy red bumps, and may even bite through your clothing.
But insects like ticks and mosquitoes can also be carriers of viruses and diseases, so it’s best to avoid them and protect yourself whenever possible.
One of the best ways to avoid bug annoyances is to avoid the bugs altogether. Fall, winter, and early spring are generally cooler times when fewer bugs will be active.
You can also limit bug exposure by wearing long-sleeved clothing with a tight enough weave so insects like mosquitoes won’t be able to bite through it.
Along with avoiding bugs, you can also use a couple of chemical treatments to greatly increase bug protection to almost to 100% effectiveness.
DEET and Permethrin are generally considered the two most effective chemical treatments in bug protection.
DEET is very effective, but it’s also a very harsh chemical, so many people try to use it as little as possible. DEET can damage plastics, leather, and synthetic fabrics.
Permethrin is a treatment that should be used on your clothing and some hiking clothing even comes pre-treated.
Using a combination of Permethrin and DEET is about as close as you can get to total insect protection.
Poisonous plants are another common annoyance that can be easily avoided if you know how to spot them in the backcountry.
Make sure to know the poisonous plants living in the area that you plan to visit and know how to identify them before your trip.
In North America, poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac are the plants that you really need to watch out for. In Europe you may need to avoid stinging nettles and giant hogweed.
It’s generally a good idea not to touch plants that you can’t identify, especially in winter when many plants don’t have identifying leaves but can still cause reactions.
Poison Ivy and Oak can easily be spotted because of their leave formations. They always grow their leaves in groups of three.
Regardless of if the plant is a shrub or a vine, poison ivy and oak will have two leaves attached to a stalk opposite each other and one leave jutting out on a short stem.
Poison sumac much less common and is usually found in swampy areas in the form of a small tree or shrub. Its leaves grow in pairs of 6-12 with one single leaf at the end.
If you suspect that you have made contact with one of these plants, wash your skin as soon as possible. If you get to it quickly, you might be able to avoid a painful reaction.
Remember, with insects and poisonous plants, a little knowledge and preparation will go a long way. Bite and itch free trips can be your new standard.
9 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1394/03/13 منتشر شده
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