We need bees because they pollinate fruit trees, vegetables and flowers. Without them, we wouldn’t have their sweet honey either. Sometimes, though, when we’re trying to spend time soaking-up some sun during the warm weather months, bees can be a real nuisance. If you’re allergic to them, as millions of Americans are, they can even be deadly. Read this informative article and find out how to keep bees from bothering you when you’re outside.
1. What to Wear
Wear light-colored clothing like tan or white. Bright or flowery clothing can attract bees. Avoid dark-colors, including socks. Leave red clothing in the closet because red looks black to bees. Don’t wear fur, leather, or shiny jewelry either. Two natural enemies of bees are bears and skunks, both of which are dark in color. When bees are protecting their nests, you don’t want to look like a threat to them.
2. Don’t Attract Them With Your Smell
When you’re planning to spend some time outdoors, help yourself stay underneath the bees’ radars by not bathing with sweet-smelling soaps. Avoid putting on flowery perfumes, other scents and lotions.
3. Outside Eating Events
If you’re having a picnic or barbeque, wait to take the rest of the food outside until mealtime. Keep the food covered up so its odors won’t attract bees. Sweets like desserts should be served in containers that have tight-fitting lids. Clear the table right after the meal is done, and place the trash in garbage cans that have tight-fitting lids as well to keep foraging bees away.
4. Protect Your Drinks
Another way to keep bees from bothering you when you’re outside is to have your drinks in closeable bottles or other containers. Pitchers and glasses with sealable lids and plastic soda pop can covers are good products to use. Open containers like glasses, and cups with straws invite bees who are seeking water or sugary drinks. If a bee sneaks in a drink while no one’s looking, it can also mean a painful sting to the mouth.
5. Check the Area First
Before you set-up a picnic table or a game in the yard, or start to mow the grass, for example, check the area for bee nests in the ground. Bees prefer dry, sunny areas. Honey bees sometimes nest in hollow trees. Look for bee activity to make sure you’re not located near a nest. Loud noises can disturb them and provoke an attack.
6. Don’t Tick a Bee Off
If a single bee is flying around you, slowly move away from it and it should leave you alone. Don’t swat at it, or you could aggravate it and get stung. Don’t smash it either.
Resources
http://www.hikingdude.com/hiking-bugs.php
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg3732.html
http://beespotter.mste.illinois.edu/topics/stings/
http://www.landscape-america.com/problems/insects/bees.html
