You sit and wait to ambush them with a fly swatter or rolled up newspaper in hand. You lunge your way through the motorhome, from one end to the other. Thwack! Smack! No success. Not only are these tiny insects annoying, they also zip about fairly quickly. We’re sure you’ll be all too familiar with them. We are too, unfortunately. But we do have a solution.
Natural protection. Natural protection.
One thing’s certain, no matter how careful you are, at least one mosquito will find its way into the motorhome at some point. Even if you’re meticulous about making sure that all windows are closed, you turn on the light and always have the anti-insect screen doors closed. But there’s still more you can do – without having to use anything artificial. Nature provides us with an abundance of plants that have smells and essential oils that mosquitoes absolutely hate, such as lavender, sage and lemon balm.
There’s a long list of such plants, and many of them can easily be taken on the road with you since their little pots don’t take up much space. There are also quite a few plants, such as sage and lemon grass, that can be used in cooking with tasty results. If you don’t exactly have a green thumb, don’t worry, you can also buy the aromas as essential oils to vaporise in small oil burners. It not only keeps the small pests away, but fills your motorhome with a pleasant and natural fragrance, so you could say it kills two flies with one swat.
If you’ve already been bitten. If you’ve already been bitten.
If it turns out you’ve been bitten, calm the affected area immediately. This helps ease the itching and stops the skin from swelling. Just don’t scratch it – that’s what our grandparents always used to say after all. But it’s particularly difficult to stop children from doing it, that’s why itch relief creams and medicines are a must-have in your first aid kit. (Link to: First aid kit).
Simple home-made remedies will also do in a pinch, such as lemon juice, cucumber slices or sliced onion. Just rub them on the skin where you’ve been bitten; it will calm the affected area while relieving itchiness. For more severe bites, you can use “bite away”, an electronic pen-like device that relieves itching using heat.
Insect bites are uncomfortable, that’s no lie, but most aren’t really that bad. And if they’re treated properly, you’ll soon forget about them, so you can go back to enjoying your motorhome holiday without a care in the world.
*If you know you are allergic to mosquito bites or bee stings, seek medical assistance immediately. Please note that the information listed here are only suggestions. We would like to remind you that we do not accept any liability for the accuracy or completeness of all information on this website.
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