Trail Talk: Controlling Insect Attacks

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One of the biggest complaints that my friends have about spring and summer camping and hiking is the amount of insects that swarm you when you hit certain areas. Sure, ticks are something that everyone needs to be concerned with but gnats, jiggers, mosquitoes, wasps, hornets, honey bees and even beetles can cause major problems. Did you know that lactic acid plays a large part in insect attacks; it is secreted through the skin and is present in sweat and acts like a flashing neon light to insects that are on the prowl for a meal. There are other factors that come into play but if you can cut down on the lactic acid you consume (without it causing cramps or dietary issues) you can have a much nicer hike. I noticed that if I stretch and get my body warmed up before getting back to my hike (whether waking up in the morning or after taking a break and having a meal) and wipe myself down with a wet wash cloth or baby wipe I have a lot less problems with insects. I am the person that gets bit by anything and everything, even when they are supposed to be dead or hibernating. Last year I started working on a sage and tea tree oil spray as a natural alternative to products like DEET. I planted sage and dried it out then crushed it and boiled about a pound of it in water. After it cooked down I strained it and added one part tea tree oil to two parts sage water concentrate. There's almost no scent or smell to it and I have never had any skin irritation from it. I bought some small plastic spray bottles (two ounce and four ounce) to apply it but I am also playing around with a zinc oxide cream and a viscous mix of the crushed sage (powdered) and tea tree oil. I do have to apply my "formulation" about every two hours but I would rather do that than to have something seeping into my skin that could cause seizures or contain neurotoxins. Keeping your skin clean is one of the easiest ways to avoid being swarmed (along with keeping food you are carrying sealed tightly) but sometimes that's just not an option. Baby wipes (unscented) and body cleansing pads can really help to keep the stink to a minimum but it's unavoidable that you are going to become 'ripe' if you are out on the trail for more than a couple days. If you camp or hike, what works best to clean up at the end of the day? Any tricks or tips on how to keep bugs and insects at bay when camping? What's the worst bite you've ever gotten in the spring or summer?