Summer’s in full swing in New Hampshire! And for those of us enjoying the outdoors, so is bug season. From black flies to ticks to mosquitos, these little biting bugs can be a big nuisance.
So for July’s Big Question, we asked: What are your go-to strategies to keep bugs from attacking you in the New Hampshire outdoors?
Here’s what some of you said:
Amanda - Washington: We mostly just focus on checking ourselves after, rather than prevention. But we do try and stay out of bushes and brush, mostly just staying where the path is more clear. We try and stay away from a lot of toxic stuff and a lot of bug sprays are pretty toxic. There are more natural ones, so maybe in the future we'll try one of those.
Reed - Alabama: We went to a park once and a tick fell onto us from a tree. So I feel like at some point, you just have to be aware and check.
Ava - Concord: My best tip to avoid ticks is to wear light colored clothing so they are easier to see.
Stefan - Morrisville, Vermont: So we saw on Instagram these clip-on dragonflies. And we thought to ourselves, “Wow, it would be so nice to have something that's not bug spray that you put all over your body and just are uncomfortable [when] trying to escape the bugs.” And this is the perfect solution. [We] just ordered them in a big batch because they're a little delicate and their wings break off. But, you clip them on your hat and it makes the bugs think that there's a predator and they leave you alone. So it's something that absolutely works and is very noninvasive. And it's a good conversation starter.
Sarah - Concord: My favorite way to avoid or deal with bugs [is] I'll braid my hair so that they don't get stuck in my hair and then I don't hear them buzzing. I'll wear light pants so that I can see if there's ticks. I'll wear long sleeves that's like a light shirt so that there's less space for bugs to bite.
And I also always go out with friends that bugs bite more than me because different people have different blood. So if somebody else next to me is tastier, then I'm fine.
Quinn - Jaffrey: My favorite trick to avoid getting bitten by bugs is to accept the fact that it's going to happen, no matter what you do. Sometimes I'll do bug spray. Oftentimes I just can't be bothered. I get quite annoyed by these bugs and I get bitten by them quite frequently. Sometimes life involves a little bit of pain, and that's just one of the things that you have to accept when you go in the great outdoors.
