How to survive with mosquitos? 5 facts about mosquitos in the archipelago

“I’d love to go camping but how to survive with mosquitos!” That’s a very common way of thinking even among Finns, but actually, it’s not that bad at all.

5 facts about mosquitos in the archipelago (in Finland):

1 Mosquitos are active typically from June to August. 

If you want to be 100% sure that you don’t face any mosquitos, go camping in May, early June, or in the autumn. There are usually no mosquitos in the first half of June, as the first generation hasn’t bred yet.

In the autumn, with cooler temperatures, (under 0 degrees Celsius) the last of them die. Anyway, I usually don’t see mosquitos anymore in September.

2 Mosquitos don’t spread any diseases in Finland.

 If you get bitten, it is not dangerous, just itchy.

3 Mosquitos breed In standing water 

Mosquitos need water to breed, and areas near puddles, lakes, rivers, and marshes can have higher mosquito populations. They don’t breed in the sea. Thus, the number of mosquitos in the archipelago is influenced by the amount of rainfall.

In the archipelago, summers are often dry, so there are no puddles for the mosquitos to breed. Each mosquito population lives about 3 weeks, so if they can’t breed, there isn’t any!

During many summers I haven’t encountered any mosquitos in July, which is the driest month. 

4 Mosquitos are active at dusk.

Mosquitos are not active during the daytime, so even if there are mosquitos, they don’t bother you all day long.

They become active at dusk so be prepared at the time the sun goes down. Have your insect repellent and protective clothes ready, and close tent doors and hammock nets.

5 Mosquitos don’t like wind or smoke

Mosquitos can’t fly well in the wind, because they are so light structured. If possible, set your camp on a windy side of the island. 

Mosquitos don’t like smoke either, so a campfire is also a good way to keep them away. Remember that you can’t have a fire if there’s an active forest fire warning, during which open fire is strictly forbidden. In Åland you always need a landowners permission to set a fire.

On the other hand, when the forest fire warning is on, it’s dry, and usually there are no mosquitos then either!

You will survive mosquitos by taking precaution!

1 Use insect repellent 

Use the ones that you apply on your skin. Don’t use vaporizing insecticides, like Thermacell. They are dangerous for our fragile nature, especially for aquatic organisms and pollinator insects.

It is forbidden to use those in national parks in Finland and as nature lovers we don’t even want to use them. I hope you agree!

2 Wear long sleeves, pants and a hat

Mosquitos can’t get to you when you cover your skin as much as possible. There are nets that you wear on top of your hat, they’ll cover your face. 

3 Close tent doors at dusk

You don’t want them in your tent for the night. If you sleep in a hammock, use a mosquito net. I would never go hammocking without a mosquito net.

It’s worth noting that mosquito activity can vary from year to year based on weather conditions, and the severity of the mosquito season may be influenced by factors like temperature and rainfall, even the snowfall during the winter affects the mosquitos.

So, there are mosquitoes, and they can be a nuisance. But it is not that bad at all. Don’t let the little buggers be in the way of your adventures. 

I must admit, I have faced situations where there are just too many mosquitos and the only thing to do is to withdraw to the tent and wait for the morning.

But that happens maybe only once in a summer, sometimes it doesn’t happen at all.  

Last summer I faced that situation once, it was in the middle of August. It was such a gorgeous sunset, but there were billions of mosquitos, so many that it was difficult to stay still, even though I had repellent, protective clothing, and a hat.

Anyway, I managed to admire these beautiful scenes before rushing into the tent.

Note! These facts don’t apply in Lapland, where the mosquito season is usually a lot harder.