Is it possible to sleep without a bugnet and survive?

[Steve D]

Our backyard hanging spot is just a short distance from a detention pond and another larger pond...we're in skeeter heaven and skeeters love us. But...last year we hung most weekends during the spring and early summar and just about every weekend from mid August through December without bugnets. We got plenty of skeeter attention in the afternoons when hung our hammocks and tarps but very little to none after we finally settled in, typically between 10:30 or 11:00. Like someone mentioned previously, skeeter activity pretty much dies off a couple of hours after sunset.

Now, that said, we were hanging at home and could wait inside. The big challenge out on the trail is surviving until the skeeter activity dies off for the evening. Bug sprays and treatments and a smoky fire when you can stand it help with that...

[Owl]

I'm sure you'll SURVIVE without bug netting...LOL...unless you're someplace known to have a concentration of mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria and encephalitis.

You've got some excellent advice here. Treat your hammock and your trail clothes with permethrin, exposed skin with Picardin, and that will go a long way towards reducing/preventing bug bites in general.

Mosquitos don't like a lot of direct sunlight or exposed, windy areas, so setting up in natural breezeways might help reduce their presence some too.

[c0wb0y_hubs]

Just come down to southern NM. It hasn't rained here for months, so the skeeters are just about non-existent, and the weather is great right now (mid 80's in the day with cooler nights)

[peeweeburrito]

I camp all over Kentucky during skeeter season. I never use a bug net. The campfire and a little insect repellant work for me. I have a nice bug net but find them hot. This is not to say that I would not deploy my net if I ever needed to.

[canoebie]

I cannot in my wildest dreams imagine hanging without a net in Michigan. Well, then I guess I wouldn't have dreams, because most likely I wouldn't be sleeping. I recall specifically on a July trip turning on my light inside my hammock and the light was hardly able to get out because the mosquitos had created a solid block on the netting. It was amazing. And it was before I had discovered Permethrin. Just the sound of them was distracting enough to keep me awake.

I use Permethrin on clothing, chairs, hammock and netting. Shoes as well. In addition, I use Picaridan on my skin. There are so many vector diseases in our area I would not want to take the chance. West Nile kills in our area every year. While a net may seem cumbersome and hot, I won't take the unnecessary risk. If I am hot, I just pour a little water from my water bottle over me, remove the underquilt and I am cool as can be. Even on those 80+ nights.

[seraosha]

Deep Woods Off bugspray, Avon "skin so soft", and bullfrog bug/sunblock spray work well here in SE Texas/ Louisiana... but West Nile Virus is now something to worry about, so a hammock bugnet is on my "must have" list.

A little girl on the soccer team I coach contracted WNV from a mosquito bite, and I wouldn't wish that illness on my worst enemy.

[G22inSC]

It seems to me that a little smoke from the campfire keeps most bugs at bay. I'm more worried about the massive 3" spiders I see on the side of the trees in camp sometimes. I am always paranoid one of those will end up munching on me.

[Wolverine]

"Seemed like a good idea at the time" always followed by "What was I thinking"

[Bigfitz]

I learned the HARD Way. I didn't take the time to properly set up my skeeter better pro bugnet and paid a steep price.
Any piece of skin that touched the net( legs knees and hands) got covered.
I should've taken pics because it was the worse I've ever been bitten. This was in a small patch of woods near a swift stream.
From now on Permethrin is my best friend. Fwiw I was covered in DEET and it didn't do shite.
I don't wish those bites on anyone.
Cover up

[SnrMoment]

I'm with Old Four Hats on this. Plus, west nile is here. Add that to the fact that I don't like messing around with chemicals on my rickety old body.
At my age, comfort rules.