Securing your campsite from leeches & other annoying things

[wildwanderer]

Hi all

I'l likely be camping in some fairly leech infested locations over summer. Does anyone have any tips for securing a campsite against intrusion? Mainly the small circle where I have the fire and sit while cooking/relaxing etc. (My tent has an inner so no worries while sleeping). Its fairly annoying to be relaxing at the end of a days walking to find a family of leeches has slithered up and started snacking on my legs/torso.

Some ideas I had.

- bringing a small bottle of salt and making a ring. This also apparently works for bull ants which are annoying when they bite you on the a$$ while your enjoying a brew Its my understanding that small amounts of salt does not impact the environment to a significant degree. (although happy to hear a evidence supported contrary opinion).

Need to be careful there isnt already leeches inside the ring.

- Liberal spraying of DEET over all areas of body/clothing that will be in contact with the ground. Its what I currently do but Id rather not do this as I try and limit chemicals and it doesnt stop the leeches from sliding up right next to me.. seeing 1/2 a dozen within a few cm doesnt make for a relaxing campsite evening if they aren't actively biting you.

Ideas / tips appreciated.

[Mark F]

Take a small ground sheet to spread out and sit on. Having a dry surface will discourage leaches and if you get a light coloured one any intruders will be easily spotted and dispatched.

[Biggles]

A tent inner is no guarantee at all from intrusion by leeches in filthy wet and obviously leech-infested territory, which can squeeze through the tiniest opening e.g. between zippers and potentially between the smallest tears in the fabric. A spray of Bushman's insect repellant over the fly once it has been erected can offer some protection. Movement is what attracts leeches (they know you are coming long, long before you are aware of them!) so they will keep coming and there will be legions of them if there is the slightest hint of blood! Walking up in the morning to a blood-soaked sleeping bag is unpleasant, but only a minor inconvenience compared to a leech entering your nose, mouth or ear while sleeping — potentially a full-scale emegency. My encounters with leeches in the summer months in a tent have been relatively benign — babies that are easily flicked off. Not so the experienced thrill-seekers that can and do make a terrible mess.

In any case, please consider: you cannot go into the rainforest without making a contribution to the ecosystem — 'tis hard work being a leech. So roll up a leg please and form an orderly queue...

[Xplora]

DEET melts plastic and destroys waterproofing. Also not good for your body. Up to you.

[ChrisJHC]

You could always go to a hammock. That way, the only points of contact are around 6 feet up a tree.
If you're still worried, you can spray the suspension (e.g. whoopie slings) with some form of leech repellent.

Just sit in your hammock, check your legs are free of leeches then swing your legs into the hammock and sleep easy.

[wildwanderer]

thanks for the advice.

- already do the ground sheet, though i notice they still manage to find me. They have military grade radar I swear..

- Hopefully wont go into an area that is so infested they make it into the tent through the crack between zippers. A bit of DEET rubbed over the metal zipper shouldn't hurt if things become that drastic.

- Yeah DEET aint great. I'm trying to avoid it where possible. I found most outdoor gear fairly robust but I never apply large amounts near plastics. DEET doesn't affect nylon from what Ive read. Though unsure if that applies to silnylon and wouldnt want to try.

- A hammock would be ideal. Unfortunately I don't own one. Would still leave me with the cooking issues but would solve the rest.

- Im interested to try the salt line. I have this vision of 10s of the little buggers all grouped at the edge but unable to make it over the line of salt

[ChrisJHC]

You can make a hammock in a day. Check out Tier Gear in Tasmania for fabrics and instructions.
There is also a discount for forum members.

[Xplora]

All insect repellents work on the buggers so get one without DEET but still not a good thing to spray on waterproofed things. I usually spray my socks and the tops of my boots when walking around them.

[crollsurf]

A ring of Salt will work so long as it doesn't rain. Personally I wouldn't be camping anywhere near leeches.

[north-north-west]

A ring of Salt will work so long as it doesn't rain. Personally I wouldn't be camping anywhere near leeches.

which eliminates a good 2/3rds of Tassie . . .

[taswegian]

I defy anything to work against the blighters at Frog Flats.
Why it ever got that name is a mystery, maybe the poor person who named it was so befuddled from leech bites he was dilerious and those huge leeches 'must have been frogs', and everywhere '

All the best with your endeavors.

[Tortoise]

...

[Tortoise]

Its my understanding that small amounts of salt does not impact the environment to a significant degree. (although happy to hear a evidence supported contrary opinion).

I don't have the evidence you may be after. But I'm sure a ring of salt around a person is enough affect the immediate vicinity. After all, it's used to kill 'weeds' (which I've seen), and obviously doesn't do much good to little critters.

A tent inner is no guarantee at all from intrusion by leeches in filthy wet and obviously leech-infested territory, which can squeeze through the tiniest opening e.g. between zippers and potentially between the smallest tears in the fabric.

I've not found that to be a problem. Had a few thousand outside the tent in Lamington N Pk one winter (the ground was black with them), had a few hundred outside a few times in Tassie (even in the snow!), but after the obligatory leech-pick when entering the tent, I've never had a problem. Having said that, I've camped hundreds of times where there are leeches, and the vast majority of the time I've been able to relax outside in the evenings with the odd flick. Pants tucked into decent socks (not loose knit) helps a lot.

Take a small ground sheet to spread out and sit on. Having a dry surface will discourage leaches and if you get a light coloured one any intruders will be easily spotted and dispatched.

I'm with Mark. Sitting on a light-coloured something allows relaxing time and flicking time. Usually my little orange CCF square that I use for lots of things is enough.

Personally I wouldn't be camping anywhere near leeches.

which eliminates a good 2/3rds of Tassie . . .

My thoughts exactly. You'll miss the best bits!

[Orion]

I'm with Tortoise. I think a ring of salt on the ground wouldn't be a great idea. But you could do that on a groundsheet and then sweep it up and collect it afterward. Or maybe a squirt-gun with salt water wouldn't be so bad. It wouldn't be a barrier but would provide you with some entertainment.

I've been in a few places crawling with leeches. Worst for me was a rainy night at Four Ways. In addition to them crawling everywhere they were also falling out of the trees onto us, which might make you rethink the hammock idea. But, like Tortoise, the tent kept them out. I wouldn't camp where there were leeches unless the tent closed properly. That reminds me, I have to replace the zipper on the inner tent of our Nallo.

[Neo]

Take a small ground sheet to spread out and sit on. Having a dry surface will discourage leaches and if you get a light coloured one any intruders will be easily spotted and dispatched.

I once sheltered in a picnic shelter after being leeched, flicked one off my gaiter then took a photo of it as it kept on coming like a zombie across the dry dusty concrete towards me

[Neo]

Spraying DEET etc also rubs off into your environment.
I go for OFF! as a last resort which is Picaridin instead as per other leech topics here. Less toxic to you and your gear.

Haven't been back to leech territory yet to test that pantyhose theory.

Have had small leeches work their way through the weave of a sock to the skin side

[rcaffin]

Leeches are attracted to heat - they will swarm a stove for instance.
But repelling them? HA!

Cheers
Roger

[ribuck]

Leeches are attracted to heat - they will swarm a stove for instance.

So maybe the answer is to have a "decoy" stove burning, just to the side of your campsite.

When the leeches wave around trying to find which way to go, what are they trying to detect? If it's heat, that explains why the stove works. If it's carbon dioxide they're detecting, the stove will also provide that.

If they're detecting vibration, a small battery-powered device that vibrates might work as a decoy. I'll try it with my phone's vibration alarm, next time I'm camped near leeches. On the other hand, if it attracts hordes of them from far and wide, the cure might be worse than the disease!

[Warin]

I've been in a few places crawling with leeches. Worst for me was a rainy night at Four Ways. In addition to them crawling everywhere they were also falling out of the trees onto us,

In the interest of providing first aid information:

I have heard of one case where a leech fell onto an eye and remained attached for some time. Finally removed using a saline solution ampule as a wash - while offering the leech a warm attractive place to go. These are available in 15ml and 30 ml sizes, they are a clear plastic flexible container that you can squeeze to get a pressure spray that helps clean things out. Say 2, maybe 3 for safety, of the 30ml ones should be good for the eye/leech problem and I'd carry a few of the 15ml ones too.
Fingers crossed that it never happens again.
PS .. wear a broad beamed hat ..
Link - ignore the injection stuff https://store.independenceaustralia.com ... -10ml.html
http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/ ... Ampules-15

[Neo]

Regarding a leech on an eyeball, I read that (forcibly) removing it can damage the eye so the advice was to wait it out!

Nice idea with the saline and decoy. A finger decoy?

[gayet]

Definitely leave the leech alone if its attached to your eye. Firstly, it hurts trying to pull it off, secondly it will increase the damage to your eye - the surface has already been chewed a bit and annoying the leech will just result in more chewing.
It will drop off by itself eventually. A saline bath may convince it to leave earlier.

I did find that being a smoker assisted greatly. Not realising it was a leech on my eye ( I thought I had scratched it, got some grit in my eye, while pottering around in thick growth) i lit a cigarette, ignored the discomfort in the eye from the scratch/grit and within a few minutes at most, the leech departed of its own accord. I felt and saw it drop out, and then blood on my hand when I wiped my eye told me it was a leech. The damage to the eye was noticeable for a few days but no discomfort after an hour or 2.

[cajun]

No way will I sleep tonight after that!

[Neo]

Aussie leeches have two teeth and are favoured for medicinal purposes.

Asian leeches have three teeth/FANGS and some come from the ground, others from above.

Go Aussie

[Neo]

(stuff you read close to midnight)

[Warin]

The damage to the eye was noticeable for a few days but no discomfort after an hour or 2.

A visit to a doctor with a possible referral to an ophthalmologist would be advisable.

And yes I'd much rather it were on my finger than my eye.
Back of the finger has less nerve endings if you have a choice.
The sooner it is off the eye the less damage is possible, so I use any persuasive means .. other than increasing the potential damage.

[rcaffin]

So maybe the answer is to have a "decoy" stove burning, just to the side of your campsite.
Maybe so.

We were camped at Thunder Bend in poor weather, and I was cooking dinner in the tent vestibule. Every time I put my hand on the ground so I could lean over to check the stove, I got a leech in seconds. Check stove, remove leech, repeat many time.

We were going around a circuit near the Great North Rd (Dharug Loop?), and we were sitting on a large round low flat boulder - with the stove on the rock beside us going for morning tea. We could see a ring of leaches on the ground all heading for us - or for the stove.

Cheers
Roger

[Orion]

It seems doubtful that a decoy stove would attract 100% of the surrounding leeches.

Maybe you need to make a fire ring that's like a doughnut -- a ring that completely encircles you.

[Flipper Hands]

/shudder

I say we nuke the site from orbit - it's the only way to be sure

[madmacca]

Definitely leave the leech alone if its attached to your eye. Firstly, it hurts trying to pull it off, secondly it will increase the damage to your eye - the surface has already been chewed a bit and annoying the leech will just result in more chewing.
It will drop off by itself eventually. A saline bath may convince it to leave earlier.

I did find that being a smoker assisted greatly. Not realising it was a leech on my eye ( I thought I had scratched it, got some grit in my eye, while pottering around in thick growth) i lit a cigarette, ignored the discomfort in the eye from the scratch/grit and within a few minutes at most, the leech departed of its own accord. I felt and saw it drop out, and then blood on my hand when I wiped my eye told me it was a leech. The damage to the eye was noticeable for a few days but no discomfort after an hour or 2.

One of the reasons I carry a small sachet of salt in my 1st aid kit.

[ChrisJHC]

In the interests of research I set up my hammock in a leach-infested area on the weekend (Nash Creek campground, Bunyip State Forest. As expected, I was immediately attacked: 6 or 8 latched on while I was setting up, and a few more while I was doing general “camp things”.

When it came to going to sleep, I stripped down to shorts and T shirt and checked that I wasn’t carrying any passengers into my hammock. Once I was all settled, I didn’t have any worries until it was time to get up the next morning.

I rate this a definite success.


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