11 Foods That Keep Bugs Away From Your Campfire
Don't recall inviting crawling ants and buzzing flies to your summer fun? How about those invasive mosquitoos that always wreak havoc? That's probably because you didn't give them a ring or shoot them an email asking them to join you on a camping trip or to attend your summertime get together. You don't want them at your annual campfire fun, let alone your picnic or barbecue. And yet, somehow, the bugs decided they had to come anyway.
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We never want bugs, especially mosquitos, to crash our summer adventures; they are some of the worst party poopers around. Mosquitos are such a damper because they leave everyone red, itchy and swollen — practically eaten alive. Ants take up residence in cupcakes and flies swarm to patties about to hit the grill.
It has to stop. Fly-speckled marshmallows do not make for an appetizing dessert.
Bugs are just not cute, but there are tons of ways to repel these creepy crawlers. Your options can be as practical as throwing that colander you used to wash those strawberries for your shortcakes over yummy bites for protection from unwanted invaders, or adding herbs to the fire during your big camping trip. You can even create a separate table for the bugs, so that they can have their own little party and leave yours alone. Pile insect favorites like sweet overripe fruits or colored sugar water on a different table placed far away from your serving and eating areas.
Critters can ruin a trip to the great outdoors or a garden shindig, so these are some easy natural ways to let them know that they were never invited to the party. Sometimes it just takes nature to keep nature at bay.
Garlic
Like Dracula, bloodsucking mosquitos can't stand the smell or the taste of garlic. Eating a ton of garlic or taking a supplement are also deterrents for mosquitos because the chemical compounds and the smell of garlic mask natural body odors from carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and sweat. Biting insects will have a hard time finding your campfire crew once those scents are disguised. Protect the area by hanging a string of garlic bulbs, but remember to stay inside the magic circle.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is often forgotten, but there are a slew of benefits associated it. Along with numerous health properties, apple cider vinegar also may ward off mosquitos when consumed with regularity. Also, cups filled with apple cider vinegar left around your site will keep buggies at bay.