By Sean Fagan
Enjoying the deterring benefits of a smokey fire in a mosquito-infested wood (Photo: Sean Fagan).
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In the above photo I'm taking a midday shade-break from the hot Portuguese sun during a hiking holiday I took a couple of years ago.
Thankfully, there were no ticks in this woodland due to an absence of host species, such as deer.
Because of an absence of ticks (and other nasties) I could wear shorts and sandals - which doesn't happen often when bushcrafting in hot countries (usually I'm well covered).
However, there were quite a lot of mosquitoes in these woods, and even though my exposed skin is well covered in insect repellent, the smokey fire further repelled the more determined mosquitoes.
Repelling biting flies is very important for relaxing and enjoying a place where they commonly occur - as they can be a serious irritant when unchecked.
It's always a good idea to have multiple ways of deterring biting flies when bushcrafting in wild places - and a smokey fire is one such method that works just as well today as it did in the past.
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Smoke them out!
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Insects detest smoke - even the most persistent mosquito will avoid smoke.
Smokey fires are easy to create with (non-toxic) green foliage, damp leaf litter and green/damp wood. Many species of tree fungi, when dried, will also smoulder.
It's important not to burn any foliage or wood that is toxic. In Ireland, for example, the wood and foliage of the non-native but widespread cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, is toxic and best avoided. Another reason why good tree & plant identification skills is important.
A campfire composed of only green foliage, damp leaf litter or green/damp wood will often struggle to become established, so it's often necessary to mix in some hot-burning fuel to ensure adequate combustion.
Smokey fires can also be created using dry, herbivore dung.
Herbivore dung fires have been used by hunting & gathering people throughout many regions of the world.
For example, throughout much of North America, herbivore dung was often used by the First Nation People to create smokey fires that deterred biting flies such as mosquitoes and horseflies.
Moose dung was often favoured in the more northerly latitudes of North America.
Smokey fires, as a biting fly deterrent, highlight the fact that some simple bushcraft skills never age, never become redundant...
...and still have value in the modern bushcrafter's arsenal of skills and knowledge.
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