“If all insects on Earth disappeared, within 50 years all life on Earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the Earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish” (Jonas Salk)
I watched an episode of “Naked and Afraid” recently as it was set in Peninsular Malaysia and I wanted to see how the contestants got on – the title of the programme was something like “Pain in the forest” which seemed to reflect the vicarious delight we were meant to take in watching these would-be survivors endure 21 days of suffering from the comfort of our armchairs.
A large part of the problem they faced was due to insects – bites from mosquitos, leeches, and sand flies plagued them almost immediately and the discomfort was something that was clearly demoralising (although, to their credit, they took it all with stoic good humour) Obviously being naked doesn’t help in such situation but what really struck me was why had they chosen to set up camp for three weeks in area where such bloodsuckers flourish?
They were dropped off on the shore of a lake somewhere and set up camp more-or-less at the tree-line itself. This was exposed secondary jungle where bamboo, tall grasses and other sun-hungry plants thrive. It was also marshy and damp. However just up the hill from the shoreline was nice primary forest – tall trees and canopy – where there are less blood suckers, more protection from the elements, where it’s not marshy and there’s less nasty undergrowth to hack through.
To be fair to the contestants they may have been told to camp in a certain spot: perhaps chosen to make life harder than necessary (and thus more entertaining for us?) or perhaps for logistical filming reasons (i.e. easy for the camera crew to get in and out).
Putting aside the risk of disease for a moment, the simple irritation and discomfort caused by getting multiple insect bites is enough to test anyone’s patience and can turn you from someone who is calmly making good, rational decisions into someone so distracted and miserable that only the thought of escaping the insects dominates your thoughts.
On a number of trips I’ve seen people laid low by insect bites, reaching the point where they simply can’t take it anymore and just want to get out of the jungle asap and never come back….and I understand this, insects can be unbelievably persistent, show no mercy and will just keep biting you until you can’t take it anymore.
So I wanted to give some basic tips on how to minimise the problem with insects and how to avoid getting too many bites (one or two bites are just part of the experience!) and a key aspect here is awareness: being aware of your surroundings can, in itself, make a huge difference.
For example, just 50 yards from my house is an area where the mosquitoes are so bad that within moments there will be at least 10 of them buzzing you and they’ll bite any exposed skin within seconds. Whenever I go there I cover up as much as I can and still I get a bite or two….it’s almost unbearable to stay there for more than a few minutes. The reason there are so many mosquitos there is the proximity to a bamboo grove where water trapped in dead bamboo provides a fertile brewing ground.
…and yet, we rarely get mosquitoes in, or next to, the house. A difference of just 50 yards can make a big difference!
There is a saying that “If you want to get rid of mosquitos, drain the swamp that breeds them”. For the jungle trekker the corollary would be “If you want to avoid mosquito bites, don’t camp by a swamp”.
Mosquitos breed in stagnant water but this isn’t only limited to marshes and pools, they can also breed in water trapped in fallen logs, dead bamboo, even in water trapped in banana and palm tree fronds. In a healthy, primary forest you get less of them (often none at all) – not only because the conditions aren’t ideal for them to breed but also because there are other creatures that prey on them (bats, other insects, birds).
Similarly leeches need damp conditions to function – in dry, well drained parts of the forest leeches aren’t a big problem; in areas where it’s damp they are. During the dry season leeches will dig down into the mud and patiently wait for the rains.
The other thing to realise about bloodsucking insects is that they need to feed – you won’t find leeches/ticks/mosquitos in areas where there are no animals for them to feed upon – and the presence of leeches is an indicator of the amount of wildlife in a forest (a good thing!). So, if you want to avoid a tick bite, don’t stand near a wild boar nest or anywhere where they’ve been digging around as wild boar are absolutely covered in ticks.
I’ve talked about most of these insects in detail in earlier videos but in this video I wanted to try and sum up some general advice on the main insects that people seem to have a problem with: from the infamous ones that a lot of people fear (scorpions, centipedes, giant ants, spiders) that are really not an issue as long as you leave them alone (and walk around with your eyes open!), to those that are potentially lethal (bees and wasps), to those that are after your blood (mosquitos, leeches, ticks and sandflies).
1. Choose you camp site carefully: if it turns you chose badly and the site becomes infested with biting insects – move!
2. Cover-up: have a set of dry clothes for the evening that cover your skin and don’t leave ankles/wrists etc exposed. You could spray yourself with lots of DEET or other repellants but if you’re well covered up this is rarely necessary and the problem with repellents is that if they aren’t spread over all your exposed skin the sneaky mosquitos will quickly find that small, untreated area and bite you there.
3. Get off the ground: this will protect you both from leeches and also from an unwanted visit from a scorpion, ant or centipede. Hammocks are the way to go.
4. Get a fire going: Smoke keeps a lot of the bugs away and the trick here is to produce a smokey fire. To get your fire to smoke throw on some green leaves or green wood.
5. Turn off the light: don’t leave a torch/nightlight on through the night as you’ll get all sorts of bugs coming along to check it out – not necessarily the biting kind, but they can be irritating.
6. Be tolerant: A few bites are inevitable in the jungle and you just need to suck it up, the important thing is not to scratch those bites you get as this will only make things worse. Similarly try to avoid getting bites on your feet (use leech socks) as bites on your feet can get rubbed by your boots which exacerbates the problem – a leech bite elsewhere on your body is not such a big issue as long you don’t scratch it.
7. Treat the jungle with respect: try to cut as little as possible, step carefully and try to minimise the disturbance your path through the jungle is making and you’ll dramatically reduce the number of bites you get from insects offended by your foray into their homeland.
Hi Paul,
I’m glad the website got sorted out.
As always, very informative article and video.
In the army, we just light up cigarettes and keep the cigarette butts to ward off the insects (though I understand this may not be an eco-friendly way).
Carrying lemon grass around may help. Or we could make a spray from a mix of basil and lemon grass and spray it on to ourselves. For leeches, soaking our socks or lower end of our pants with alcohol may deter them (assuming it does not get washed off in the rain or during stream/river crossings). Or if we do get a bite, just wipe the leches off with alcohol swabs or hydrogen peroxide (assuming we have a first-aid kit) and if you happen to have sanitary pads (yes, that’s right – ‘sanitary pads’), you can use it to soak up the blood from the leech bites, until it stops.
I’m curious if there are other plants in the Malaysian or South East Asian rainforests that can be used to ward off the insects and leeches.
Anyways, keep the articles and videos coming; and keep up the good work.
Hi Shafie,
Good to hear from and you and thanks for the very interesting account of how the army deal with insects over there. I find that most of the time insects are not anywhere near as big a problem as people imagine in the jungle – however there are times (or rather places) where they can be unbearable and almost nothing stops them (in which case it is best to just move somewhere else!).
Smoke definitely helps to keep a lot of bugs away but seems to have no effect on bees at all (which is odd as smoke is used as a way to pacify them when collecting honey) – I have stood over a fire with smoke all around me and still the bees keep landing all over me!
Lemon grass is a good herbal alternative for keeping the mozzis away but often it is your clothes that act as the most effective barrier as repellent can be washed off (or sweated off) and, if it is not covering every inch of exposed skin you can bet the mozzis will find that little spot and bit you there!
Anyway, thanks again for the comment and sorry for slow reply (I’ve been away)
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I’ve practiced some techniques to reduce bugs activy on me, as I don’t want to catch any kind of disease: during my last trip in S-E Asia I was stung 9 times during a 5 months period.
That was before I could get to Nadir and get his leechsocks.
My point is:
-cover all skin, with something thick, or with two layers.
-in hammock: clothes on me, pads in the back, liner on the body
-know their habits: feeding time, nesting terrains, what kind of color, odor, movement attracts or repels the bugs.
-DEET is a bonus, not the key point.
How much your blanket weights?
Thank you Paul.
Hi Wawa,
Many thanks for the comment as always and sorry for slow reply (been away) – I’m pretty impressed that you only got stung 9 times in 5 months: not bad!….I usually get that many bites per day!
There is a trade off between comfort and protection when it comes to bugs – wearing thick clothes that cover every inch of skin will stop the bites but can be very uncomfortable in the heat of the day and become heavy when wet – I think it all comes down to a personal choice, for example I usually wear a T-shirt which means my arms get scratched and bitten but I find it more comfortable than wearing long sleeves, at night however (when it’s cooler and I’ve set up camp) I switch to a long sleeved shirt.
I not sure how much the blanket weighs (I would guess about 200-300 grams) but it’s as light and compact as I could go and does the job pretty well. I used a super thin fleece square to cover my upper body and the rest is simply sewn together bits of parachute material.
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Hello Paul,
Actually I had a notebook (a small and light one, but not waterproof, it’ll be next time though) where I wrote when, where and with which clothing was I bit 😀
You are right that the clothing for avoiding mozzis is based on personnal choices. I was way too hot, especially when I landed after a one month bivy trip in -2 / 5° area.
But it was bearable for me, with lots of water. I could remove layers when there wasn’t insects though, but as soon as I saw some, full cover was back on.
Thank for the article!
Hi Wawa,
Thanks for the reply and it’s good idea of yours to keep notes on which bits kit work and which use on different trips. It must of been a big shock coming from -2 degrees to the jungle!
Like all kit it really comes down to personal choice – however I think that testing kit is something a lot of people forget to do and that can be important too and helps to refine kit.
Anyway, thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Nice article.
Reminded me on an incident few years back.I was feeling great that day and started to slash my parang for no reason until I accidentally struck a weaver ant nest.Hundreds of them pouring on my heads.
Try to cut as little as possible.Learned my lesson the hard way.
Hi Hash,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for slow reply (been away) – and your story is one that will be familiar to a lot of jungle trekkers – it is surprising (in a bad way!) how fast the ants seem to be able to get all over you and even the small ones can have a nasty little bite.
Cutting as little as possible, as you so rightly say, makes a lot of sense.
Cheers!
Paul
On the day you posted this video I completed my 6 day hike to Gunung Benum, near Kuala Krau in Pahang. Your video’s were the most important part of my preparation for this hike. Many thanks! They helped me assess risks and decide what to bring in my backpack. I underestimated only two things: fatigue and insects.
Fatigue took me by surprise already in the first 30 minutes of the hike. The hundreds of miles I walked in The Netherlands were nothing compared to climbing hills and mountains in the jungle. Ive had cramps for three days and during trekking I had to rest every 20 minutes to let my body temperature and heart rate recover.
Insects and leeches were the main dissatisfiers on my trip. Malaysian bees seem more eager to sting than Dutch. And I didn’t know that bees were after my sweat until it was too late. The smokey fire did not seem to bother them.
My leech socks protected me against most leeches, but some found their way in during river crossings. They did some damage before I discovered them a few hours later. The bites got infected and are still waking me up at night two weeks after my return from the jungle …
Ive had a taste of your interesting world and despite all challenges I am sure I will return to the jungle next year.
Hi Pieter,
Many thanks for the comment and very interesting account of your trip over here (and sorry for my slow reply; been away).
You are not alone in getting fatigued in the jungle – the heat and humidity make a huge difference, particularly if you are not acclimatised to the weather here. I used to go trekking in the UK and could carry a heavy pack on long walks without too much problem, whereas over here I would struggle to do the same. Climbing hills in the jungle can be particularly tiring as not only does it requires extra exertion but if the trail is slippy and muddy you have to struggle to gain purchase and often have to resort to pulling yourself up using roots and tree trunks. This has been the main motivator for me in terms of getting pack weight down and opting for ultra lightweight equipment where possible as a lighter load makes all the difference on the jungle.
I would strongly recommend taking minerals salts (dehydration powders) with you next time you are in the jungle and take a couple per day – the amount of sweat you lose in the jungle means that salts and minerals are leaving your body at a fast rate and replenishing them can make all the difference.
The bees can be a real nuisance over here – while you are trekking they aren’t such a problem as they can’t keep up with you but at camp they find you! My experience was that as long as I didn’t make sudden movements (once camped) or stayed still the bees would calm down and weren’t too much of a problem.
Anyway, great to hear that you will be coming back again and thanks again for the very interesting account of your trip.
Cheers!
Paul
in one of your videos you said you use mozzi guard repellent. is it effective? any other insect repellents you would recommend? what do u think of deet?
Hi Vlad,
Thanks for the comment and question and ‘yes’ I do use Mosi-guard when needed. Most of the time in good primary type forest the mozzis aren’t that bad but if you are near anywhere swampy or in secondary forest they can be a real pain. Areas with lots of bamboo tend to be very bad as the water pools in fallen bamboo allowing the larvae to grow.
Repellents are effective but when the mozzis are really going for you they will find that small patch of skin that you didn’t cover (or where the repellent has got wiped off) and bite you there!
Mosi-guard is one I like to to use as it’s natural (made from lemon eucalyptus) whereas stuff like deet is too heavy duty for me. The other thing you can do is soak you’re clothes in permethrin which will keep the mozzis away for as long as it lasts (a few month if I remember correctly) I don’t use it but others do.
Finally you can take in mozzi coils and burn those.
If you check out this old video I did it might be of interest ‘how to avoid insect bites’
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul