this study<\/a>, there is some evidence that female nesting raccoons can be repelled by male raccoon urine. This is mostly important for places where raccoons have made a nest for their young. If you’re long term camping and have problems with raccoons nesting where they shouldn’t, this is an option to try. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Attracts or Repels Bugs?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Believe it or not, we don’t know exactly what attracts a bug to a human. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nLet’s get this out in the open. When we say bugs, we mean mosquitoes, ticks, or gnats. Most of the other bugs we can tolerate and leave alone if they leave us alone–it is the bugs of the blood-sucking variety that are particularly offensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even still, we don’t know exactly why your friend never gets bitten by mosquitoes and you always seem to (perhaps it’s just that your friend never gets bitten while you are around). We know that the air we breathe out, carbon dioxide, attracts mosquitoes, but there is more to the story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In any case, with these bugs, we<\/strong> are the cause of attraction. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBecause of this, we don’t know exactly what repels bugs, either. What further compounds the problem is that one species of mosquitoes will be repelled differently by a chemical than another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
DEET as a Bug Repellent<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One thing is certain, there isn’t a chemical that’s as safe for our skin as DEET is that also is repulsive to so many insects. DEET has a bad reputation, especially lately, because of it’s foul smell and because of its toxicity. These are fair concerns, and fortunately, there are other more naturally occurring chemicals to try. Remember that just because a chemical is recognizable does not mean that it is safe. Try to stick to repellents approved by the EPA<\/a>, if you are not experienced with mixing essential oils, yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFollow the Bug Repellent Dress Code<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One very effective insect deterrent is something you use every day: clothes<\/strong>. Camping clothes that will cover your skin, including your ankles and your elbows (favorite feasting locations for mosquitoes) will make your insect repellent job much easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you’re around ticks<\/strong>, tucking your pants into your socks may not win you any fashion awards, but wearing ticks isn’t very glamorous either, so choose your fashion faux pas carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNatural Bug Repellents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I did a lot of research and found there are several bug repellents other than DEET made out of common essential oils that actually work! I compiled all of this together and grouped it by insect so if you are trying to dodge mosquitoes, or if you’re looking for something to use on ticks, but don’t want to pull out the DEET, check out my article here.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Attracts or Repels Coyotes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Coyotes are wild small dogs that are considered a nuisance by many. They are not considered extremely dangerous because of their small size (they don’t usually get bigger than 35 or so lbs). They still have hurt humans (160 incidents for the 30 years before 2006. (Wikipedia<\/a>) and should be avoided. Children especially are at the greatest risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAccording to this study<\/a>, scent deterrents are not shown to be as effective for coyotes. <\/strong>In fact, one chemical called Renardine, sold in Canada, was shown to have no effect at all (