Labor Day represents the last gasp of summer before the kids head back to school and life returns to its typical chaos of field trips, art projects, lunch money and missing homework. Most of us like to gather for one last party or family picnic before summer ends. If you’re planning a picnic at a local park or even in your own backyard, many creatures might think they’re invited as well. With all that good food just sitting out, it’s no wonder they’d want to stop by.
One of the smallest yet biggest problems is ants. What’s a picnic without a few ants? A happy one! Nobody enjoys looking down at their sandwich and seeing something crawling on their bologna. It’s inevitable, one or two ants will always show up at any picnic, but there are ways to keep those ants from reporting back to their friends that there is good food just up ahead.
Ants Marching in on Labor Day
Avoid bringing sticky items. For summer delights such as watermelon, cut it up into small pieces before bringing it to the picnic to prevent any excess juice from dripping and attracting ants.
Use plastic containers with airtight lids. If you don’t want to bring your good plastic containers, the local .99 cent store carries a cheap assortment of toss-away containers.
Bring disinfectant wipes to clean up any spills.
Sprinkle cinnamon or place dryer sheets around the legs of your serving table. Ants don’t like the smell of either.
Distract ants with a little bait. Place a shallow bowl of sugar water and let the ants go to that instead of your cupcakes.
Bees
Bees are also a big problem when it comes to picnics and party crashing. Unlike ants, bees can really pack a nasty punch if they’re upset, especially if you’re allergic to them.
Bees are attracted to brightly colored items or anything that looks like a flower. Try storing your foods in white or clear containers to keep them from wanting to buzz by and check it out. This also applies to tablecloths.
For women especially, refrain from using flowery or sweet smelling perfume. The more you smell like a flower, the more likely bees will come swarming to you.
The same sugar water trick also works for bees as well. Just keep it far enough away from your party to not be an issue.
Roaches
Occasionally, you might have a visit from one of the nastier beetles of the picnic crashing group… roaches! Typically, they won’t show up just because there’s a picnic. And they don’t tend to show up during the day much either. But… if you happen upon a picnic area that doesn’t clean their garbage cans regularly, there is a possibility they will appear, and if they do the fun and games will quickly turn from potato sack races to stomp that bug!
Keep garbage bags sealed up tight.
Use sealable plastic bags for stinky garbage.
Clean your barbeque and remove any grease.
Don’t keep pet food on the ground after your pet has finished eating.
Rats
On occasion, you might find that that cute little squirrel your kids have been feeding isn’t a squirrel at all but a very happy rat. They’re just like squirrels… well, maybe not, but they are just as hungry. They can also be very dangerous, and they can carry diseases. They really are the last creature you want to show up to your family picnic.
Don’t feed them. Okay, some might think rats are cute, but unless they have come from a pet store, you really don’t want to go near them.
Keep food out of their reach. Unlike ants and other pests, rats can open containers and gnaw through all sorts of items. They won’t, however, have the time to chew through plastic containers with so many people around.
Anyone in the family that owns a pet dog? Invite Fido to join the festivities. Rats and other small vermin won’t stick around long if there’s a dog nearby.
If you have a problem that can’t be handled with simple remedies, then it’s time to call in the professionals. The professional team at AIPM are trained in insect removal as well as all types of insect and pests. They can eliminate the threats to your property while setting up a custom plan to ensure that you never have to face the same type of infestation again. Contact us for a free consultation today.
Source: https://www.rdasia.com/home-living/13-tricks-to-keep-bugs-away.asp
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