Keeping the Bugs Away From Your Celebration

You are having an outdoor party. You check the Farmer’s Almanac months before, become very intimate with Sam Champion and make Weather.com your screensaver. Rain may be public enemy #1 when it comes to parties, but party enemy #2 is actually something you can prevent. Before firing up the grill, take some precaution against insects. It’s much easier to have a good time when you aren’t incessantly swatting.

— Get rid of stagnant water. Don’t forget to look for it in places that aren’t obvious, like behind the garage.

— Clean all your garbage and recycling pails well. Bees love the sticky stuff at the bottom of the pails and flies love the stank.

— Yard Guard works. It is approved by the FDA, but still raises concern for some people. Use it as directed. Personally, I’ll take a small amount of pesticide over a large amount of pests any day.

— Put Listerine in a spray bottle and spray it around the yard. My experience is this works, but the efficacy fades after a couple of hours.

— Keep family friendly bug spray on hand for guests. Afraid of DEET? Provide some dryer sheets for guest to rub on their clothes or put in their pockets. I’ve heard Vick’s Vapor Rub is great too.

— Cover food and sweet beverages as much as possible.