It's football season again. Are you looking forward to a 60-yard touchdown pass, a running back breaking tackles to find the end zone, or a heart-stopping interception? Is it your love of the sport that has you braving the traffic and fighting the crowds to get into the stadium? Or, do you have food on your mind? Lot's of fans do. Tailgating and football go together like chocolate and peanut butter. But, you're not the only one who loves a good tailgate cookout. Here are four pests that may try to crash your party, and a few tips to keep them from ruining your fun.
- Ants love picnics and barbecues. If they have a way to get into your food, you can be sure that they will. If you would prefer to keep them out, make sure your pre-game snacks are in airtight containers, and keep things covered.
- Mosquitoes don't have any interest in all those tasty tailgate treats, but when large numbers of people gather together outside, you can be sure mosquitoes will be there to feed on something else. If you would prefer to not give them a blood donation, be sure to wear an insect repellent that has DEET. If you don't want chemicals on your skin, you can apply the repellent to your clothing or use a natural repellent with oil of lemon eucalyptus. And, if it's not too hot out, try to wear long sleeves and pants to give those mosquitoes less exposed skin to bite.
- Wasps are plentiful this time of year. They have had all summer to build their populations. If they smell something sweet, they may decide to come in for a closer look. Wasps are pollinators. So, they are attracted to sweet smells. Keeping sweet drinks and sweet foods inside sealed containers is a good way to avoid attracting these stinging pests. If you have something sweet laying out, make sure you keep it covered.
- No tailgate party is complete without flies. If you prefer to not have flies going from nearby garbage to crawling around on your food, there are a few things you can do. Keep your food covered whenever possible. Bring a garbage container with you that will seal the smells in and attract fewer flies to your tailgate. Park away from dumpsters, trash cans and portable restrooms. Put up some sticky fly paper, near where you'll be cooking, to catch any undesirables.
If you happen to bring any of these pests home with you, you can always count on Action Pest Control to take care of them. We control all of 40 household pests. If you don't have a pest plan yet, consider a quality of life upgrade this football season with our Premier, Complete, Advanced, or Essential pest control plans from Action Pest Control, and see what a difference home pest control can make.