Insect Encounters — Mossies, Ticks, Leeches & Stings

Snakes get all the press, but in the Australian bush you're way more likely to be ruined by something with six or more legs. Mosquitoes, ticks, leeches, bull ants, march flies, midges — they're the constant background hum of any bush trip and they can turn a great weekend into a miserable one fast.

Here's the practical guide to dealing with the insects (and not-quite-insects) that actually matter on Aussie camping trips, and how to handle them when prevention fails.

Photo by Felipe Ledo A. on Unsplash

Mossies are everywhere in Australia and they're the single most likely insect to actively pursue you at camp. Beyond the itchy welts, several Australian mozzie-borne viruses are worth knowing:

• Ross River Virus — fever, joint pain, swelling, sometimes a rash. Not life-threatening but can wipe out months of activity. Found across most of Aussie outdoor areas
• Barmah Forest Virus — similar symptoms, found mainly in eastern and northern Australia
• Dengue Fever — northern wet tropics (FNQ urban areas mainly). Severe fever and joint pain
• Murray Valley Encephalitis — rare but serious. Northern Australia after wet seasons
• Japanese Encephalitis — more recently emerging in northern NSW/VIC. Vaccine available; ask GP if camping in active areas

Defence:

• Avoid camping next to stagnant water
• Long sleeves and pants at dawn and dusk (peak biting times)
• Light-coloured clothing (mossies are attracted to dark colours)
• Effective repellent — Bushman, Aerogard, or RID (DEET-based for serious country, picaridin for skin sensitivity)
• Tent insect screens in good repair (mossies find any gap)
• Mossie coils or thermal mat repellents at camp around dusk

Ticks live across most of eastern Australia, with the worst concentrations in coastal NSW and QLD. Paralysis ticks (Ixodes holocyclus) inject neurotoxin that causes severe allergic reactions in many people and full paralysis in pets.

Critical: do NOT pull ticks out with tweezers or your fingers. Squeezing the body forces more saliva and toxin into the bite. The current Australian medical recommendation is:

1. Spray the tick with an ether-based aerosol (Wart-Off, Medi Freeze Tick Off, Lyclear) or apply permethrin cream
2. The tick freezes/dies and detaches on its own within 5-10 minutes
3. Don't disturb it during this time — let it fall off

For tick paralysis (signs: drooping eyelids, weakness, difficulty walking) — get to hospital immediately. Removing the tick won't reverse symptoms; only medical treatment will.

Prevention: permethrin-treated clothing, full-body checks each evening (ticks love armpits, groin, hairline), tucking pants into socks in tick country.

Leeches are everywhere in damp forest country (Otways, Vic Alps, Tassie, Blue Mountains, Daintree). They're harmless — no toxin, no disease — but unpleasant.

Removal:

• Salt or alcohol (methylated spirits, hand sanitiser) — applied directly, leech detaches instantly
• Don't pull a feeding leech off — leaves the head in your skin which can cause infection
• The bite will bleed heavily for 30-60 minutes (their saliva contains an anticoagulant). This is normal. Apply pressure
• Treat the bite as a normal puncture wound — antiseptic, bandaid, watch for infection

Prevention: Bushman repellent on exposed skin and footwear. Long pants tucked into socks. Don't sit on damp ground.

Stings from bees, wasps and bull ants are painful but only dangerous if you're allergic. Around 2-3% of Australians have severe allergic reactions to insect stings; for them, a single sting can be life-threatening.

Routine treatment for stings:

• For bee stings: scrape the sting out sideways with a credit card or fingernail edge — don't squeeze (forces more venom in)
• Wash the area, apply ice, take an antihistamine (Zyrtec, Claratyne) for the swelling
• Pain relief if needed (paracetamol)

Watch for anaphylaxis — signs appearing within minutes:

• Swelling or itching far from the sting site (face, mouth, tongue)
• Difficulty breathing or wheezing
• Dizziness, confusion, low blood pressure
• Hives spreading rapidly

If anaphylaxis suspected: call 000 immediately. If victim has an EpiPen, use it (jab in outer thigh through clothing — not arm muscle). Lie them flat. Be prepared to do CPR. Even after EpiPen use they need hospital — adrenaline can wear off.

European wasps and bull ants can sting multiple times; bees only once. All are more aggressive when their nest is disturbed.

Not life-threatening but they'll genuinely ruin a beach holiday if you're not prepared. Most active around water at dawn and dusk (sandflies/midges) or hot days (march flies).

• Sandflies/midges — tiny biting flies, mostly tropical Aussie beaches. Bites itch for days, sometimes a week+. Repellents help but the only real defence is covering up at dusk and not camping right on the beach
• March flies — large, persistent, painful bite. Active on hot days. Long sleeves and active swatting are your only defences
• Treatment: antihistamine cream (Stingose, Aerogard After Bite), ice, oral antihistamine if itchy

For tropical beach trips during stinger season, wear a stinger suit when in the water — also doubles as sandfly protection on the beach.

For most Aussie bush trips, a good repellent (DEET or picaridin), tick-removal spray, antihistamine cream, and basic awareness handle 95% of insect annoyances. Pack the EpiPen if you've ever had a serious allergic reaction. Check yourself for ticks every evening in tick country.

The bush is still safer than the highway. Just slightly itchier sometimes.