How To Prevent And Protect Yourself From Stinging Insects

Mosquitoes. Bees. Wasps. Yellow Jackets. The summer brings a swarm of insects ready to crash your party and ruin your day; there’s nothing that quite throws a wrench into a beautiful summer day like a painful bee sting or a cluster of itchy mosquito bites. But you don’t have to let them! There are a number of ways to keep stinging insects away, and protective measures that you can take to protect yourself, your family, and your pets from painful and irritating stings. That’s the goal of this post: we want to provide you with some tips to stop these stinging nuisances in their tracks. Let’s go over some preventative and protective steps you can take to protect yourself from stinging insects this summer.

Preventing Stinging Insects

There are a couple of things that you can do to reduce your chances of attracting stinging insects:

• If you tend to like cookouts or eating dinner outdoors when Summer rolls around, make sure that you’re covering up the food while you’re cooking or after you grab a serving. A spoonful of macaroni salad screams Summer, but you’re going to like it a lot less if it starts attracting bees. Take advantage of tin foil and plastic wrap!
  
  
• Yard care is a huge part of prevention when it comes to stinging insects. If you have parts of your yard that may puddle up water during a rainstorm, you run a huge risk of attracting mosquitoes; they’re especially attracted to any standing water, because it’s where their larvae grow into adults.
  
  
• If stinging insects are a concern and you have a garden, be mindful of the sorts of flowers that you have. Yellow jackets, bees, and wasps are pollinators, which means they’re all  attracted to most flowers. But don’t fret! Other plants like Wormwood, Citronella, and Lemongrass can actually repel some stinging insects. If you want a little more color in your garden and don’t mind honeybees, Marigolds are known to repel wasps.
  
  
• Garbage cans and recycling bins can be a feeding ground for pretty much every stinging insect, because chances are you’ll have the residue of something sweet or otherwise appealing to these pests somewhere in your trash. Make sure bags containing waste are tightly closed, and consider using scent eliminating bags to cut down on sweet smells that draw a whole range of insects.

Protection From Stings and Bites

Even if you take all the proper prevention precautions, there’s always a chance that you’ll forget something, which is why it’s important to be aware of good protective practices; it’s always good to have a backup plan! If you have a dog or outdoor cat, you know that pets can have an especially reaction to stings or bites; young children and babies can also have more serious reactions, so if you have a child or pet, you’ll want to be especially cautious. Citronella candles have the admirable effect of repelling mosquitoes, wasps, honey jackets, and bees. If you have outdoor pets or kids playing in the yard, keeping a couple citronella candles or diffusers in your yard to ward off threats is a good way to protect them from both bites and stings. Citronella doesn’t actually hurt the pollinators, it just keeps them away, which is a plus!

When it comes to mosquitoes, there are a huge range of spray repellents that are safe for adults and children alike, and there are even a number of pet friendly mosquito repellents (DEET free) that can protect your dog or outdoor cat. If none of these options are particularly appealing to you, there’s also always the old fashioned way: wearing the proper clothing. If stings and bites concern you, a long sleeve shirt and pair of pants can serve as a protective layer to combat stinging insects.

My Home has a Serious Problem With Stinging Insects: What Now?

If you’ve recognized bees, wasps, or yellow jackets building nests in or around your home, it’s best to contact a professional, or else risk getting stung. Similarly, if you’ve noticed that your property has become a mosquito breeding ground, you’re going to want to seek out the experts; exterminating a serious infestation of any pest isn’t something that you should try to tackle on your own. Thomas Pest Services are just the experts you’re looking for. We will identify the problem areas on your property, offer recommendations, apply any affected areas with an organic control treatment, and offer ongoing treatment to ensure that the stinging insects are gone and stay gone. We have special processes for bees, wasps, honey jackets, and mosquitoes, so no matter your problem, we’ll help solve it!