Nothing is more disturbing to a camping trip — or more common — than the omnipresent flies and mosquitoes. They make up a good portion of the Great Outdoors. And when they are in season, these pests can quickly ruin even the best of camping plans.
 Your camping gear inventory should always include a good supply of bug repellent. And plenty of citronella candles for the campsite.
It's tempting during the heat of the day to wear shorts and a tee shirt, and if you do, be sure to use the repellent often on all exposed portions of your body, especially arms and legs. A hat will protect you against some of the sun's rays, but will do little to curb the bug population that can — and will — hover around your head. Spraying the hat will help, as will an anti-bug lotion rubbed on your face and neck areas. Some golfers believe that placing one of those scented laundry drying sheets in their cap wards off insects. But to be sure, use a tried and true product that can be bought at any drug store or super market.
Guarding against unwanted guests on your skin is especially important in this age of Lyme disease, when a tick bite can be incapacitating for a long stretch of time. So it's better to err on the side of safety and wear long pants, long sleeves and spray them (not you) with an anti-tick product like Deet. It's also a good idea to check over your exposed skin areas during the day, perhaps while resting after a hike or after lunch, to make sure that you are tick free. If you find one, pull it off immediately and treat the affected area with an over-the-counter remedy such as iodine.
 Depending on where you camp, you may also find yourself sharing the woods with snakes. While poisonous snakes are common in many areas of the United States, most often their bites are not life-threatening. Having a good snake-bite kit in your gear, and knowing how to use it, can prevent the onset of a serious illness and an emergency trip (or evacuation) to the hospital. Can you spot a poisonous viper from a harmless garter snake? If not, play it safe: give any snake a wide berth when you come upon it. And don't poke around a snake habitat. That's just looking for trouble.
So is heading into the woods without knowing how to spot poison ivy and poison sumac. Again, cover up, and don't touch any flora you can't positively identify. And keep some calamine lotion handy, just in case.
And speaking of trouble, any food left open or outdoors is an invitation to trouble in the form of unwanted woodland creatures, anything from ants to bears, and all manner of living creature in between. Even some more adventurous (and hungry) birds will swoop down to snatch a meal. So seal and store all food supplies.
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