Tips for dealing with insects on your Baltic Sea camping holiday

If you follow these tips, you can reduce your chances of being disturbed or stung in nature and enjoy your holiday by the Baltic Sea at ostseequelle.camp to the full.

However, remember that you are visiting nature and are a guest there. In most cases, insects may be a nuisance but they are not harmful, they are worth protecting. We offer natural protection areas for these animals on our slopes out of conviction. See also our article on sustainability:

• Wear long, light-coloured clothing. Beetles, especially rape beetles, are attracted to bright colours, so it’s better to wear white, grey and brown shades when you go camping. Long clothing also helps to cover your skin and keep mosquitoes away.
• Avoid light outdoors. Flies, moths and spiders are attracted to light, so it’s better to avoid wide and very bright light sources. Artificial light plays a special role in attracting flies, so favour candles, paraffin or gas lamps, but be aware of the risk of fire. Dim your electrical appliances and use spot lamps with a strong light angle.
• Keep your camp clean. Ants and flies are particularly attracted to leftover food and rubbish, so it’s important to keep your camp clean. Dispose of leftover food and rubbish in closed containers and tidy up your camp regularly. Rubbish is separated at the central rubbish bin at the south sanitary block. Water used for cooking must also be disposed of in the kitchen. Hot water destroys our lawns.
• Avoid certain odours. Wasps, flies and beetles are attracted to certain odours, such as alcohol, citrus fruits, meat and sweets. Avoid eating or drinking these foods and drinks when you go camping. There is also nothing wrong with showering every day;-) Our sanitary buildings are modern and clean.
• Keep shelters and buildings closed. Insects can get in through small openings in your tent, so it is important to close your tent well. Make sure that all zips are closed and that there are no holes in the tent wall. In the sanitary blocks and bungalows, keep doors and windows closed without nets.
• Use mosquito nets. Mosquito nets can help protect you from bites at night. Attach mosquito nets to the windows and doors of your motorhome, caravan, tent or sleeping bag.
  
• Use insect repellent. There are many different types of repellent on the market that can protect you from mosquitoes and ticks. Make sure you use a local product that is suitable for outdoor use. Minishop Fruit Source has a small selection available in our local mini shop.
• Use natural insect repellents. There are many natural repellents you can use. Some popular natural remedies are:
  • Citronella candle
  • Lavender oil
  • lemongrass oil
  • tea tree oil
  • basil
  • mint

Severe infestation in an accommodation

Your accommodation is heavily infested because you left the doors and windows open during the day, left the light on until late in the evening and didn’t cover the table or clean the kitchen after meals. Now you are enormously affected by insects and don’t know what to do? Please avoid a fly swatter, which would make it necessary to paint the accommodation afterwards. In this case we offer the hire of an electric insect trap.

Further tips on specific types of insects:

• Ants: Ants are attracted to food scraps and rubbish, ants are particularly attracted to sweet and fruity things. Keep your camp clean and dispose of leftover food and rubbish in closed containers. In shelters, you can use ant bait to keep ants away. We do not recommend this outdoors. In case of heavy infestation, ask us for an alternative pitch.
• Flies: Flies are attracted to leftover food and rubbish. Keep your accommodation clean and dispose of leftover food and rubbish in closed containers. Heat and light also attract flies. Keep your accommodation closed and use nets to keep flies away.
• Mosquitoes: Mosquitoes are attracted to body heat, CO2 and odours. Wear long and tight clothing and use insect repellent. You can also use mosquito nets to protect yourself from mosquito bites at night. Good to know, although we have many bodies of water here, we suffer little from mosquitoes, as mosquitoes tend to avoid the sea and winds.
• Spiders: Spiders are attracted to light. You can easily catch spiders with a jar and cardboard and guide them outside.
• Ticks: Occur very rarely here. There are no known cases of TBE. Avoid our insect protection areas, i.e. ditches and slopes, but also the swampy alluvial forest to the east of the campsite and stay on the lawns. The mown lawns are avoided by ticks. We have tick cards and tweezers in the office which we will be happy to disinfect and make available to you.
• Wasps/bees: Wasps are attracted to sweet and fatty foods. Seal food and drinks immediately after consumption and keep your pitch and accommodation clean. You can easily catch wasps with a glass and cardboard and guide them outside. Do not hit wasps. Close your mouth, breathe slowly and wait until the wasps lose interest. Avoid the wasp or wasps.
  If you find a wasp, bee or bumblebee nest in a building, please inform us so that we can quickly and safely eliminate the danger.
• Rape beetles: Rape beetles are attracted to rape plants, they love the colour yellow. So dress in inconspicuous shades of white, grey and brown and avoid bright colours, especially neon. Then you won’t have any problems with our rape beetles.
• Thunderflies: Thunderflies are attracted to light. Before a thunderstorm, these creatures land close to the ground. These very small and thin creatures 1-3mm long are a little itchy. In our experience, it is best to ignore them as they do not cause any damage. They disappear after a few days.
  However, there is one thing that is very annoying. They get through the smallest cracks and are often permanently visible behind the screen when it can no longer be left. We can show you a few examples in our office;-)

Insect bite

If you are stung by wasps, bumblebees, bees, horseflies or mosquitoes despite all precautions, there are a few things you can do to relieve the itching:

• Wash the area with cold water and soap.
• Apply a cold compress to the area.
• Take an antihistamine.
• If necessary, use a cream containing hydrocortisone.

If you have an allergic reaction to an insect bite, see a doctor immediately. For emergencies, you will find a list of doctors and hospitals at the information desk and on the large map opposite the entrance.

Insects are important and useful because they

• Pollinators of plants. Without insect pollination, many plants would not be pollinated and there would be no fruit, vegetables or cereals.
  are a food source for other animals.
• Insects are food for birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
• Are natural remedies. Insects contain many active ingredients that are used in medicine.
• Are Biological pesticides. Insects can be used to control pests such as aphids, caterpillars and beetles.
• Habitat for other animals. Insects provide a habitat for other animals such as spiders, mites and worms.

As campers, we can protect ourselves by:

Keeping our camp clean. Food waste and rubbish should be disposed of in closed containers.
Avoiding the use of artificial light. Insects are attracted to artificial light.
Using natural repellents such as citronella candles, lavender oil, lemongrass oil, tea tree oil, basil and mint.
Support insect hotels, these provide them with a good habitat and keep our nature in balance.
Learning. The more we know, the more we can protect them.
This article was originally created by artificial intelligence (Google Board). The article has been enriched with personal expertise and adapted to our region.

Insects are important for our environment and for our lives. We can all do something to protect insects.