Campers Use An Unexpected Trick To Remove Flying Bugs From A Tent

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There are a lot of positives to camping and spending the night outdoors. Bugs are not one of them, but they are a constant companion for campers, particularly in warmer weather. As a result, people often take steps to repel bugs from campsites. However, even the best efforts to keep bugs out of your tent while camping aren't always 100% effective. But there's one trick you might not have tried that helps avoid sharing your sleeping quarters with flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and other pesky insects. An effective and inexpensive way to remove flying bugs from a tent involves breaking out a lint roller.

Though more commonly associated with dusty jackets and pet fur-covered sofas, using a lint roller to remove insects from your tent has several advantages. For one, it's simple to do. Secondly, it is a safe alternative to filling the air with toxins from spraying or fogging your tent's interior. It is also cost effective, as even extra-sticky lint rollers are typically under $5 each and can last through several camping campaigns. Not to mention, lint rollers can be used for a variety of other tasks while camping, so they aren't taking up valuable space just for occasional bug removal. They also work equally well on both living and dead pests, even in tight corners and seams inside a tent.

Lint rollers are effective at removing bugs from your tent thanks to their sticky nature: They feature a tight roll of paper or plastic sheets, coated on one side with a light adhesive. Insects that come in contact with lint rollers get trapped by the adhesive paper on the roller; it's essentially portable, hand-held flypaper. The simplest way to ensure contact with the roller is to wait for bugs to land. More often than not, small flying insects congregate on tent walls and in corners once they're inside for a bit. When this happens, all you need to do is run the lint roller across the tent wall. As the paper fills with bugs, tear off the used portion to expose a fresh, sticky surface, and continue rolling along the tent walls and floor until all the bugs are gone.

@shanwicki

Tent camping hack: bring a lint roller to get rid of bugs! My tent camping essentials are l!nkëd in my b!O! #tentcamping #campinghacks #campingessentials #campingwithkids #glamping #familytent

♬ Homestead – John Smith

While lint rollers are an effective means for extracting flying bugs from your tent, it is still a good idea to minimize the number of insects entering in the first place. Simple tactics like avoiding brightly colored tents and not setting up your campsite near water can cut down on how many bugs you have to deal with. And don't worry about damaging your tent's sealant or seams seals — the adhesive isn't strong enough to remove it. Even if a bug-filled tent isn't an issue, having lint rollers with you while camping can help you take care of other tasks, such as checking your skin for ticks, clearing sand and debris from your cot or sleeping bag, or removing stickers or grass from your pant legs.