Don’t Let Them Bug You

August is typically the hottest month of the year making it an ideal time to be outside for fresh air and sunshine, but mosquitoes and other flying biting stinging insects can take the fun out of it. You want to enjoy your outdoor spaces, so what can you do? Here are some fun facts and tips about these pests.

In studying how wind affects mosquitoes, researchers found that mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide which humans and pets emit. When you turn on a fan to blow on you, it disperses the concentration of carbon monoxide, which is why fans are such a good deterrent for mosquitoes.

Male mosquitoes like nectar, not humans, but the females seek blood to nourish their eggs, using receptors and vision for cues such as body heat, perspiration and skin odor to find a potential host according to Off.com.

What doesn’t work to repel mosquitoes, says Science.org are citronella candles, bracelets containing herbal extracts and sonic mosquito repellant which claim to use high-frequency sound to drive them away. Instead, try spray repellents with DEET and products with lemon eucalyptus oil.

Wasps, like honeybees, are most aggressive in late summer and windy or cloudy days when they can’t forage for food and they can sting multiple times, warns Terminix.com. Yellow jackets can live in holes in the ground or in hanging nests made of leaves, stems, mud, and bark. They love sweets, so only serve drinks in open containers. Use repellents with mint or clove oil.