With college and pro football season already well underway, millions of football fans around the United States are once again taking part in the art of tailgating. As glorified picnics outside sports venues, tailgates are a perfect vehicle for unwanted insects to join the party; however, there are ways to keep insects from spoiling the fun.

For starters, it is important to know what type of insects will be on the offensive at a tailgate before you can prepare a proper defense. Crazy Ants, Mosquitoes and Brown Recluse Spiders all fit the profile of tailgate party crashers. Each of these insects has the ability to cause problems for food, guests and pets under the right conditions.

One proven method of keeping Crazy Ants away is to make use of properly sealed food containers, because food scent will otherwise attract these uninvited guests. Meanwhile, with football a traditional warm-weather sport, the range of impact mosquitoes can have during tailgating season is tremendous. It is important to drain any sources of standing water near your favorite tailgating spot. In addition, applying insect repellent repeatedly to exposed skin and clothing can help keep mosquitoes at bay while outdoors.

One of the sneakier pests at a tailgate is likely to be the Brown Recluse Spider. Because tailgaters often take their shoes off and relax in the hours prior to a football game, these spiders can crawl into shoes without warning. I cannot stress enough the importance of shaking out shoes prior to putting them back on in order to minimize the possibility of being bitten by a Brown Recluse Spider. If changing clothes prior to the game, avoid keeping clothing on the floor as well.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends – interested? Visit www.facebook.com and friend the Truly Nolen Mousecar!

Barry The Bug Guy

Tags: Insects, Pests, Tailgating

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 3:57 pm and is filed under Ants, Mosquitoes, Pests, Spider, Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.