"The insect tribe is a perfect curse; one has no rest or peace. Mosquitoes on the wet ground and sand flies in the dry, bulldogs in the sunshine, bugs in the oak woods, ants everywhere - it is maddening…" - James Carnegie, Earl of Southesk

With the mosquitoes currently descending upon Edmonton like a horde of invaders, intent upon drinking our blood (presumably from flagons while cackling), I was asked to provide an historical perspective.

Simply put, the best answer to 'what did they do back then for mosquitoes' is and always has been 'woodsmoke.' There are other solutions and tactics, but first and best is always a thick woodsmoke. I've been told mosquitoes have very sensitive 'noses' and the smell drives them away. I can't confirm that reasoning. I just know it works.

And I can confirm that smudge-buckets, or even just fire with turf atop it for big billowing columns of smoke has been the first and best line of defense for time immemorial. Not only for humans either, but also for dogs and horses when things became particularly thick.

What else?

• Grease up. When I asked Alice, one of our Cree interpreters what her people used as a natural repellent, smoke was her first answer (I told you!). Bear grease was her second. Bear grease was used by indigenous groups as both sunscreen in summer and protection from frostbite during winter, and it also did double-duty in preventing some biting insects from getting at you.

• Climb as high as you can. Height is another good refuge. It wasn't just because of the views that Company men and tourists liked the mountains. Closer to home, many trading posts, including Edmonton, had tall watch-towers. These were useful to keep an eye out for trading parties, for horse thieves, and to ensure that no chimneys were belching sparks (fire was an omnipresent concern.) But the Company Governor once rebuked the men of York Factory for building a watchtower, giving a hint to one of its other uses. He suggested it was a useless make-work project for the men, serving only to give them a place above the mosquitoes for their after-dinner pipes.

• Blow off steam by ranting. In the 1850s, the Earl of Southesk, a Scottish nobleman, journeyed to Edmonton and the West for hunting and recreation. He enjoyed himself for the most part, but wrote frequently of his hatred for mosquitoes. His first major mosquito encounter had him up all night feverish with bites all over his hands because he'd forgotten gloves. He never had a fever again, as his blood got used to the venom, but he never got over his distaste. He called them the "pest of creation," and declared "Welcome rain, wind, sun - anything that annoys and destroys the tormentors." What did he use to keep them away? Smoke. Lots and lots of wood-smoke. And a well-sealed tent. Did I mention woodsmoke?

• Plants are your friends. A book published in 1880 called 'Garden Receipts' (an antiquated spelling: he really means 'Garden Recipes') offers another interesting tidbit. Gardener Charles Q. Quinn recalls a fellow who "being very much disturbed in his sleep by Mosquitoes, took it into his head to place a young plant of Eucalyptus in his bedroom overnight. From that moment the insects disappeared, and he slept in comfort…a few tomato plants trained across the windows will also have the same effect." I cannot confirm the efficacy of these tactics. Further, I cannot confirm what effect woodsmoke would have on the plants.

• Send away for the latest paste. The arrival of the railway in Edmonton in the 1890s coincided with the era of the catalogue, when anything worth getting could be got from Eaton's or Montgomery Ward & Co. The latter's 1894-95 catalogue includes mosquito netting and "Dr. Cook's Black Fly and Mosquito Paste" repellant. DEET wasn't developed until the Second World War, so how effective this paste was is anybody's guess. Probably not as effective as woodsmoke.

Besides the methods listed above, there are countless other home remedies and tactics used by families and individuals throughout history. Garlic, citrus, baking soda & water. I even read of communities taking steps to provide habitats for bats and bug-eating birds. Mosquitoes have been our inveterate enemy since first the female of the species sank in her proboscis and took a deep drink. For as long as they've been biting, we've been fighting.

But I think woodsmoke is still the best.