Mosquitoes in Sweden: this is how I deal with them

Ohhh the mosquitoes in Sweden… they can really mess up your vacation. At least, if you let them. If you travel to Sweden in the summer, there’s a good chance that you will have to deal with mosquitoes. I’m often asked how I deal with them and the answer is not easy. My main answer would be: I decide not to let them ruin my time outside.

Fortunately, there is good news because there are not many mosquitoes every year and there are remedies that help against itching, but also things you can do yourself to prevent mosquito bites. In this article I will tell you everything I have learned over the past summers regarding mosquitoes in Sweden and how I deal with them.

Hej hej! My name is Antonette and in 2023 I moved from The Netherlands to Sweden. On my website, you will only find firsthand information, written by a local. Enjoy!

Unfortunately, I read a lot of incorrect information about this and that’s a shame because the last thing you want is to expect to encounter no mosquitoes yet get get chased away by them. My own experience is that the mosquito season in Sweden starts earlier than most websites claim. Last summer they were there from the end of May (and not only from July) and they disappeared again by the end of August. I had them in the Stockholm area at the end of May and even in Lapland at the beginning of June, which is much earlier than most websites claim.

Generally said, you can experience mosquitoes anywhere from end of May until end of August.

There are several species of mosquitoes in Sweden, about 45 species, fortunately not all of them bite. The smallest is the knott, which is no bigger than a pinhead and can crawl through even the smallest cracks and holes. Also those of your mosquito net, yes.

Then there are the mosquitoes as we know them in most countries, the ones which irritatingly zoom and sting you. This is the most common type of mosquitoes in Sweden. There are also the larger horseflies, especially near the water. These take away a piece of your skin and bleeding can occur here. Those I really don’t like to encounter.

Of course I realize this doesn’t sound very appealing, but there are things you can do yourself to repel mosquitoes and/or prevent bites.

The further north you go in Sweden, the more mosquitoes there are. I live in the north of Sweden myself and… I’m still here! It’s not the case that mosquitoes only sit near water or only in the forest. Mosquitoes are found almost everywhere.

They do like watery environments very much. Just like dense forests. If there is little wind, you may even find them in the mountains, above the treeline, as I experienced on Stekenjokk this early summer.

What mosquitoes don’t like is wind, bright sun and rain. This does not mean that you will not encounter mosquitoes in these conditions, but it means that you have a greater chance of encountering them on a beach by the water on a day without wind and rain than if you are on the top of a mountain where it’s windy.

First of all, it’s of course important to limit the nuisance of mosquitoes as much as possible. Let me first say that there is no silver bullet to combat nuisance, except the right mindset. If you decide to let mosquitoes ruin your vacation, then so be it.

What you can try yourself to keep mosquitoes at bay and/or prevent bites:

• Make a fire. Mosquitoes don’t like smoke.
• Use scents to repel them. All kinds of scent diffusers are for sale in Swedish supermarkets. Think of a citronella candle, a mosquito coil or atomizers of certain scents.
• Apply mosquito repellent. You can buy these from your homecountry but my experience is that you can just as easily buy them in the Swedish supermarket. I have experience with the brands US 662, MyygA Spray and Djungelolja. The latter is a greasy oil, the aforementioned brands are sprays that smell quite strong. The availability of the brands mentioned varies per supermarket or outdoor store.
• Wear loose-fitting clothing, not too colorful and not white.
• A thermacell also seems to help, which spreads a gas that insects don’t like. You can buy them in most shops but they are quite expensive, around 350 SEK including the patterns you need for them.
• When you spend the night inside, use mosquito nets in front of the windows and when you go camping, use a mosquito net.
• There are also mosquito nets for your head. I personally don’t use them but have seen others do it.
• Cover your skin as much as possible, wrists and ankles are favorite places to be bitten.
• Don’t move hysterically. When hiking, I feel like they react mostly when I’m moving around a lot.
• Wear insect repellent clothing. I have no experience with this myself yet however but one of my readers has recommended me to add this to the suggestions.

Chances are you won’t be able to completely prevent mosquito bites, especially when you’re active outdoors. If you do get stung, there are several things you can do:

• Use soothing lotion. You can buy this in Sweden.
• Don’t scratch. I repeat: DO NOT SCRATCH!
• I swear by using it myself a BiteAway. Not for the faint of heart, but this heat pen delivers a warm injection that neutralizes the histamine. This works great for me and it has really made my life here in Sweden a lot more pleasant. And oh yes, put a set of spare batteries in your bag!

Be careful with all products when using them on children and test whether you do not develop an allergy to the product yourself before applying it to your kids. This applies to both mosquito sprays and treatments after a bite.

My very best tip, besides the BiteAway, is your mindset. This may sound very cheesy, but a vacation in Sweden means mosquitoes. Some years there are more than others. Sometimes there are many, sometimes there are few. There’s no way of knowing before you go and you will only find out on the spot.

As I said before, the choice is yours whether you let the mosquitoes ruin your trip. If you love the outdoors, you’re going to have to deal with mosquitoes no matter what. Take the necessary precautions, try not to get too annoyed and just enjoy being outside!

Hopefully you found this article about mosquitoes in Sweden useful. I have tried to write as objectively as possible, in combination with my own tips and experiences from the past ten years. I realize that mosquito bites have a greater effect on some people than others.

My partner and his children come from the far north of Swedish Lapland and when I see how relaxed they are when we go out in nature, I think we can learn from that. Don’t worry too much, accept that it is part of it and keep spraying with remedies.

Have a nice trip to Sweden!

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Are you planning your first trip to Sweden? Excellent choice—there’s a good chance you’ll fall in love with this country just like I did.

I was once a beginner myself. Back in 2015, to be exact. Since then, I’ve traveled to Sweden every year, and since 2023 I’ve been living in Swedish Lapland. In my e-book, you’ll find everything you need to know about your first trip to Sweden, written by a local (me!).

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Hopefully you found this article about mosquitoes in Sweden useful and I have given you some tips on how to deal with them as good as possible. If you want more useful tips for your trip to Sweden, you will also find the following articles useful:

• Picking berries in Sweden: these are the rules
• Sweden packing list: this is what you need to take with you on holiday
• What is a fika? You can read that here!
• The weather in Sweden: this is what you need to know

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