Summer is the time for picnics and other outdoor activities…and also the time for insect activity. When insects and picnics meet, the outing can be a disaster.
There are a variety of insects that may be bothersome to people trying to enjoy a picnic. Among these are ants, picnic beetles and mosquitoes. With a little planning and the practice of good sanitation, these pests may be noticed, but should not be a major problem.
Ants are probably the most common picnic pests. These colonial insects will appear anywhere food is present. Individual ants will discover the food that your picnic is providing to them and return to the nest, leaving a scent trail that will allow other ants from the nest to find your food. Thus, what started as a couple of ants soon turn into a hundred ants.
Reduce your ant problems by keeping food covered until it is time to eat and then recovering the food and cleaning up any waste as soon as possible. If an ant is found near the food, either squash it or carry it several yards away from the picnic so that other ants do not find out about your picnic.
Picnic beetles are small, black beetles about 1/4-inch long that have four yellowish spots on their backs. These insects feed on decaying plant material and are attracted to your picnic by its odors. The odor of mayonnaise, salad dressing and beer is particularly attractive to these beetles.
Control is achieved through prevention. Keep food tightly covered before it is consumed, and clean up thoroughly after the meal is finished. Since these insects are then attracted to the trash barrel that contains the waste from your picnic, locate your picnic at least 50 feet from the nearest trash barrel.
Mosquitoes become a problem at picnics as dusk approaches. Use of repellents reduces the problem. If the picnic can be moved into a screened porch or other screened shelter at dusk, most mosquito problems can be avoided. The breeze produced by an electric fan can greatly reduce mosquito problems by blowing these insects off course when trying to attack.
Picnic areas can be treated with a fogger or spray before the picnic begins to reduce the mosquito problem for several hours. You should spray or fog shrubs, trees and other masses of vegetation to achieve the best control. These insecticides should not be used routinely, but should be appropriate a few times a year when major outdoor functions are planned.
Contact University of Illinois Extension—Fulton County at fulton.extension.uiuc.edu or 309-547-3711 for more information on pesticides to use for control of ants, picnic beetles and mosquitoes. Always remember to read and follow all label directions.
Source: David J. Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture, drobson@uiuc.edu
