How To Get Rid of Bees When Camping? [6 Simple Tips]
Bees are one of the most helpful and beneficial insects that live on this planet. It is an insect known for determination, sacrifice, and hard work, starting from sipping the nectars from the flowers and serving its colony.
It is often compared to ants, which are also the hard-working workers on the ground. It’s just that the bees are in the air and above the ground. Also, bees are known for their contribution to pollination. Have you heard of this already?
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Well, pollination is the process of pollen being scattered on the surrounding, making it possible for other plants or sprouts to pop out of the ground or serve as a triggering material for other flowers to bloom widely.
However, bees are not all the time good to be companions, especially during a camp. There are bee species that are too violent and attack anyone near their place.
This is one of the campers’ fears. The sting of a bee can hurt a lot, depending on its size and kind.
Given that, we are going to give you the best ways how to get rid of bees when camping. All of these ways are proven effective and not harmful both to humans and bees. Let us explore.
6 Effective Ways to Keep Bees Away While Camping
1. Avoid Wearing Scented Body Creams, Lotions, Perfumes
The first way of getting rid of bees, when camping, is to refrain from wearing any scented body essentials such as creams, lotions, and perfumes. Bees are highly-attracted to anything sweet and fruity.
So, wearing scented, especially the sweet and flowery or fruit-flavored body essentials, will not be helpful.
You can only get chased by bees if you do so. If it cannot be avoided to wear or apply body essentials, just make sure that it is unscented to prevent the bees from getting in.
2 Use Insect Repellents
Another way is by using insect repellents. We all know that not only bees but also other insects such as mosquitoes, flies, bugs, and others else hate insect repellents for this can kill them.
So, it is highly recommended to bring with you an insect repellent even in a small size to prevent the bees from coming.
Bees hate insect repellents, especially those that have an awful smell and strong chemical ingredients. The only thing to remember when doing this is to wear proper clothes and do proper techniques.
Insect repellents cannot harm insects only but also humans with their chemical mixtures.
So, wearing protective gear such as a face shield, mask, gloves, and jacket are recommended, especially during the process. This can help to avoid inhaling the insecticide, as well as to prevent the bees from stinging our bodies.
3. Cover Up
The next recommended way to keep the bees away is by covering up. When we say about a cover-up, it means that we need to cover the food that attracts the bees, especially the sweet-flavored ones.
Food must be stored in containers that have covers or lids to prevent the smell from spreading, attracting the bees to go into the camp area.
If the food does not have any cover, any clean cloth can do. Just make sure that the food is properly covered and sealed. Another option is to store it inside the tent or in a storage box.
4. Set A Simple Dress Table
Bees are easily attracted to anything that has a bright color. One example of that is the bright dress table.
Given that, it is recommended to set a simple dress table and not a bright or fancy one. Even a simple wood table can already do well as a dining table as long as it holds the food as we eat.
Also, choose a cloth that is plain and a bit dull. In this way, the bees can divert their attention to other bright colors such as flowers and leaves.
In addition to that, avoid also wearing bright-colored dresses to keep the bees away. If not, these bees will only chase and worst, sting you.
5. Do A Little Housekeeping
Bees normally and typically live inside their hive. However, this hive will not be made if not attached to a piece of material, especially wood or a tree. This gives the hive better structure and firmness to let the bees live peacefully and safely.
Also, there are instances wherein bees can make their hive between tight spaces that can be possible within your camp area.
Given that, doing a little housekeeping will be a big help. Starting from the very first sign of bee infestation, we already need to look and inspect the camp area for potential hive build-up.
If there is one, better remove it immediately. Suppose it is already huge, better to leave it or take even the material attached to the hive. After that, clean and apply some insecticide to prevent the bees from coming back.
6. DIY – Make Bees Bait
Another option to push the bees out of the camp area is simply setting bait. This bait will catch any bee as much as it can, eradicating its population and even possibly putting it in fear.
To do this, we only need to prepare the following ingredients:
- A bowl of flat soda
- Fruit juice
- Sugar
- Maple syrup
Procedure:
- Put the bait out every 20 minutes, for it can be located by the bees immediately.
- Then, once there are already bees lurking around the bait, you can now catch it with a net.
- Just make sure that the net has small holes and is safe for the bees.