School’s Out For Summer: Safety for Kids

School’s Out for Summer! Follow These Tips to Keep Your Family Safe in the Summer Outdoors

It’s mid-June. Are your kids out of school for the summer yet? If not, it’s likely your kids or the children of your neighborhood will be outside playing in their yards within the coming days and weeks.

How do you deal with summer pest control when kids are around? Here are a few tips:

Watch Out for Ticks!

Make sure your children wear long sleeves and pants when in areas where ticks are likely to be present, such as fields with long grass and wooded areas. Check for tick bites immediately upon returning inside. Ticks carry dangerous parasites that can result in illnesses such as Lyme disease.

Dry Unneccessary Pools of Standing Water

Puddles and standing water provide terrific breeding areas for mosquitos and other insects. Mosquitos will lay their eggs in this water, where their larvae will grow. Reproduction in these pools of water can happen rapidly, and as your common insect sprays tend to focus on eliminating flying adult mosquitoes, they provide only temporary solutions.

Dry puddles and landscape your yard to eliminate places near your home where water collects. If there are pools of water in areas beyond your immediate backyard, tell your children to avoid them, as they will be natural spots of high mosquito activity.

Wear Insect Repellant & Avoid Bites

Whenever you’re outdoors, make sure to apply insect repellent with DEET to yourself and your children throughout the day. Don’t forget that it will wash off every time you visit the pool!

Remind Your Kids About Ants’ Attraction to Snack Crumbs & Clutter

Summer is a great time to remind your children about how crumbs can attract insects and a cluttered play area or bedroom can hide pest problems occurring.

Let your children know how they can help prevent indoor pest issuesby cleanuing up simple, small messes that can lead to serious problems.

Dangers of Interacting with Nuisance Wildlife

As your children spend more time in the backyard, they might encounter animals like squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and skunks. Talk to your children about the risks of getting near these animals, including the various diseases their bites and feces carry. Ensure that your children understand nuisance wildlife should be left alone and to let you know if an animal is acting strangely or approaching them.