Don't want to be bugged by mosquitoes, yellow jackets and ticks?
Repel insects, protect yourself with a few simple steps.
by Susan Swartz

This summer's garden-party hosts may want to place a couple of bowls with floating spearmint leaves on the table and hang some dead chickens in yonder trees.

That may help keep some of the biggest neighborhood pests away, specifically yellow jackets. To deter mosquitoes, you might add some citronella candles and a planter full of mums.  And for ticks, have everyone tuck their pant legs into their socks.  Then, for good measure, swallow large amounts of garlic.  And spray on the DEET -- or some organic equivalent.

Face it: The season means there are creatures waiting to get under your skin.  Most are just plain annoying, although some can make you sick.  The mosquito, which can deliver West Nile virus, continues to be the big menace.  Ticks can carry Lyme disease.  And yellow jackets at the very least can ruin an event, and at worst send someone into anaphylactic shock.

Short of staying inside, there is no way to avoid summer's big pests.  But there are ways to repel and treat, using a combination of new sprays, old standards, folk remedies and common sense.
 

Mosquitoes

They're at the top of most people's worry list, and for good reason.  "In California, the mosquito is the largest nuisance; and worldwide, it is the most dangerous insect out there," said Chris Canterbury with the Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District.

To date, there have been no human cases of West Nile in Sonoma or Marin, although there have been confirmed cases in six birds and one horse.

"West Nile is here, and it will continue to grow in the environment, "Canterbury said.

The best prevention for the virus, he said, is "to control the mosquitoes."  The district's abatement program does that by treating thousands of mosquito breeding sites to kill the larvae and getting residents to police their properties for standing water where mosquitos breed.

"I'd say people around here are concerned but not panicked about West Nile," said Canterbury. "After all, it has been coming in this direction since 1999."

Still, even with all the media attention, only 40 percent of Americans report using mosquito repellent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The standard repellent, DEET, fell out of favor in recent years due to health concerns over long-term chemical exposure.  Plus, many users simply can't stand the smell.

Earlier this year the CDC declared DEET safe to use and added two new and less offensive ingredients that work against mosquitoes to the approved list: picaridin, a lighter and less smelly chemical; and oil of lemon eucalyptus, a natural and strong-smelling alternative.

According to the CDC, several companies are working to develop a vaccine against West Nile virus.

Ticks

Usually found in shaded grasses, shrubs and piles of leaves, ticks are more the nemesis of hikers and campers, but can be found in urban back yards.

The ones that carry Lyme disease are infected Western black-legged ticks.  Lyme disease symptoms include flu-like body aches and fever along with a spreading rash.  If diagnosed early, the disease can be cured by antibiotics, but if untreated can move into arthritis, heart ailments or nervous system disorders.

Infected ticks usually do not transmit the Lyme organism during the first 24 hours, and the risk of infection increases the longer the tick remains attached.

The tick's bite is painless, however, and according to the California Department of Health Service only about half of people with Lyme disease recall being bitten.
 

Yellow Jackets & Honeybees

Victims often say they've been stung by a bee, but it more likely was their ornery cousin, the yellow jacket.  According to Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District, they account for about half of all insect stings on humans.

Yellow jackets -- a type of wasp -- seek carbohydrates and protein, which is why they love human food and what makes them "the major pest of summer," according to the district's Ed Meehan.

The larger paper wasp, which makes umbrella-like nests in the eaves of houses, is only a minor pest, he said, although it looks menacing.

"The paper wasp is kind of beneficial.  They hunt live insects and they do have a stinger.  If you got up close to a nest, they would defend it, but they're not the ones who come after your barbecued chicken or bologna."

Honeybees are rounder and fuzzier than the taxicab-bright yellow jacket, said Eric Mussen, a bee expert at UC Davis.

"You can walk next to honeybees when they're around flowers, collecting food, and walk right up to their nest, he said.  "They usually only sting when they feel trapped."

But hungry yellow jackets may sting when they are shooed away from a potential meal -- such as your alfresco lunch -- or when disturbed in their nests.  Late summer is when yellow jackets are most bothersome and "they're starting to heat up now," said Ron Kaczmarek, owner of Sonoma Valley Pest Control.

In early summer they tend to go after meats, he said, and switch to sweets toward the end of summer and into fall.

His company uses a minimum of man-made chemicals to deter pests, relying more on natural products like pyrethrum, a plant-based insecticide that comes from the chrysanthemum.

"We try to stay as natural as we can," he said, joking that one option is to "hang a couple of chickens far off in the trees" to draw yellow jackets away from human gatherings.

For most people a sting from a bee or yellow jacket is a painful but brief annoyance.  For others a sting can be life-threatening.

"The first time you're stung you won't have a problem," said allergy nurse Virginia Hughes of Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa.  "But after that, no one knows.  An allergic reaction can happen to anyone.  Maybe you're stung once and you develop hives and itching.  The next time you could have a deadly reaction.  But there is no real warning sign."

Danger signs include a swollen tongue, breathing difficulty, blurred vision or nausea, all signs of anaphylactic shock.

"It happens in 20 to 30 minutes after you're stung," said Hughes.  "You need to get to the emergency room or call 911."

For less severe reactions, beekeeper Ettamarie Peterson of Petaluma believes in natural antidotes, such as the plantain weed that grows commonly in fields and yards.

"What you do is pick the plantain leaf, put it in your mouth and chew it and spit it on the sting.  It makes a poultice" to draw out the venom, Peterson said.  "Some people also use toothpaste or baking soda.  My mother swore by meat tenderizer."

Peterson said honeybees will also sting, but you have to make them pretty angry to do so.

"Then you need to scrape that stinger off as fast as you can, because even if the bee falls off you, that stinger is still pumping in poison.  That's how you can tell if it's a honeybee, if the stinger stays in you."

Honeybee stingers are barbed.  But the yellow jacket's is not and so it can make multiple stings.

"It's a nasty little critter," said Peterson, who baits her yellow jacket traps with cat food -- "the smellier the better."

MOSQUITO REPELLENTS

On the recommended list by the Centers for Disease Control are the chemical DEET and
 two new ingredients: picaridin, considered as effective as DEET but odorless;
and the plant-based oil of lemon eucalyptus.
They work by blocking an insect's ability to locate a warm-blooded human.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises using DEET sparingly on children and
 not at all on babies under two months.

In general, apply repellent only to exposed skin.  Do not use under clothing.

Don't use on irritated skin or cuts.

When using a spray, apply to hands first.
Do not spray on face directly and avoid getting it near the eyes or mouth.
Use sparingly on the ears.

DON'T GET BUGGED

There are simple steps you can take this summer to avoid annoying and potentially dangerous stings or bites from the big three of seasonal pests: yellow jackets, mosquitoes and ticks.


Discourage yellow jackets:

Place food in garbage can with tight-fitting lid.

Don't leave food uncovered.

Eliminate water sources like dripping faucets.

Keep lids on soft drinks.

Check food before you put it in your mouth.

Have your picnic when the sun goes down because yellow jackets fly sunrise to sunset.
 

Avoiding mosquitoes:

Stay indoors at dawn, dusk and in early evening, the peak mosquito biting times.

Place mosquito netting over infant carriers.

Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

Wear light colors; mosquitoes like dark colors.

They also like floral perfumes, sweet-smelling hair products and perspiration.

Avoid tick bites:

Stay out of brushy and grassy areas.

Wear light-colored clothing so you can see ticks if they land on you.

Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Tuck pant legs into boots or socks.

Repellents include sprays with DEET or clothing permeated with permethrin.

Examine your body after you've been in a suspicious location.
Look for ticks around the hairline, armpits, back of knees and groin,
 up to three days after being in a tick infested area.


If you find one on you:

Remove the tick by grasping it with tweezer and pulling gently straight out, not twisting.

Apply antiseptic and if you develop a rash or other symptoms within two to four weeks,
 call your doctor.

A tick can be taken to the Sonoma County Public Health Department
to determine if it is infected with Lyme disease.


Repellent options:

Some people swear by so-called natural repellents and others scorn them,
 but there are a number of such products said to repel mosquitoes including:

Catnip oil, castor oil, spearmint oil, geranium oil and garlic.

Fans, because mosquitoes don't like moving air.

Citronella, because they don't like the smell.


Bug-repellent clothes:

Buzz Off insect repellent is infused in outdoor clothing gear,
 like L.L. Bean, Ex Officio Orvis and Bass.
It has Environmental Protection Agency approval and has been used by the U.S. military.
The product contains permethrin,
a synthetic version of a natural repellent found in chrysanthemums.
Like sun-protective clothing, anti-bug wear isn't cheap.
One brand of a long sleeved man's shirt with permethrin sells for $80.


First aid kit:

Tweezers and magnifying glass for ticks.

Epi pen (to inject epinephrine, which will dilate airways)
for those allergic to yellow jacket or bee stings.

Rubbing alcohol, Benadryl or topical steroids like Cortaid or Cortizone
to minimize itching and swelling.


Helpful links:

Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District
 www.msmosquito.com

Centers for Disease Control
 www.cdc.gov

California Department of Health Services
 dhs.ca.gov

Kaiser Permanente Hospital Information on insect-sting allergies
 kaisersantarosa.org