Leech, trekking pest

I love trekking at waterfall and I remember during my very first trekking experience at Endau rompin (Malaysia), I had to overcome my fear of leachees. They are such a pest as they sometimes can spoil the amateur's hiking experience. They latch on you, release an anticoagulant (hirudin) and after they have their blood fill, they drop off, leaving the wound bleeding for the next few hours. The thought of it still chills down my spine as I recall.

Though leech bite is harmless, it is still undesirable to have one.

Creating a natural repellent against this leech pest can be quite tricky if you want to protect the environment at the same time. But nevertheless, it can still be done.


Natural repellents:-

Tea Tree essential oil

Add a few drops of tea tree oil with your favourite repellent. And apply it onto your arms and legs, your clothings and your socks. It is this easy. And when it crawls to your skin, you can aim on the leech using a small spray bottle containing tea tree oil with your homemade repellent (to repell insects).

Deep Heat or oinments that contain menthol

As the leech dislike the presence of menthol, it becomes a suitable repellent you can consider as well. As usual, rub onto the surface that is vulnerable to leech attacks and the leech may think twice about sucking your blood.


Prevention measures at leech infested areas:-

Witnessing a leech sucking your blood can be quite frightful though there is no pain. Thus it is best to look prevent yourself from falling into the leech victim.

Wear thick socks or leech socks

Wearing a pair of thick socks can prevent them from latching onto your skin before you get rid of them. I have witnessed the leech crawl quickly within split seconds into the holes from your shoe lace portion or up from the socks. You can further thicken your socks by wearing double layers for double protection. You should also wear your socks over your trousers for better seal.

Wear good shoes

As I mentioned, wearing the right shoe is important. Make sure that the layer of the shoe is thick enough so that the leech is not able to access to your skin and suck the blood from the outside. Also make sure that you tighten your shoe laces to leave no little gaps for the leech to crawl in. They can crawl really fast!!

Wear long trekking pants

There are trekking pants that tightens the seal down from your ankle so you may consider investing on one. This can help to at least reduce your exposure of bare skin as they sometimes would playfully jump high enough to reach your calf. And remember to wear your thick socks over your pants.

Avoid stagnant and dark waters

Swimming along the rivers where the water is stagnant and dark are typically where the leeches would be, especially on the rocks. So enjoy yourself in the water but avoid those areas.


Useful reference

1) Wikipedia - Leech
2) Travel camping first aid

3) Use of Tea Oil

4) The Herbs place - The Tea Tree oil