Don’t Bug Me – 9 Tricks to Keep Bugs Away from Your Picnic

Having a picnic is a wonderful thing to do in the summer. It’s a great way to celebrate the heat and bring the whole family together. The only down fall of a picnic is an attack by insects.

Insects seemed to love picnics just as much as we do. As a result, we have to learn how to keep them away. Here are a few tricks.

Trick #1 Intense colors attract insects. Keep this in mind when selecting paper plates, tablecloths and the clothes you’ll be wearing for the day. Try select colors that are fun, but not so bold.

Trick #2 Grapes, melon, sweet fruit drinks and strongly scented foods attract insects. Bear this in mind as you prepare your food. Place items such as these in seal proof packaging or containers that ‘seal’ in the smell.

Trick #3 Since insects tend to gather near water, pick sites that away from rivers, lakes and streams.

Trick #4 Wipe your table down with undiluted white vinegar in order to keep flies away. You can also achieve this by laying some citrus peels on your tablecloth.

Trick #5 Cover serving plates so that insects can’t touch down on your meal. You can buy domed food covers or inexpensive nylon netting. You can even turn a large bowl over platters to achieve the same effect.

Trick #6 Cover your canned sodas or juices with aluminum foil and then push a hole through them with a straw. This way, no insect can just fly down into your drink. You can also bring cups that come with lids with straw holes to pour your drinks into.

Trick #7 Sit the legs of your picnic table in tin cans filled with water. Disposable pie tins or old frisbees work well for thicker legged tabled. Why go through all of this trouble? Ants can’t make it through water, so you’ll prevent a pathway for them to climb up your table.

Trick #8 Keep insects away from your picnic by giving them one of their own. Several yards away from your eating area, fill a pie plate full of water and sugar. The bugs will be so busy with their meal that they won’t pay any attention to yours. Don’t forget to pick up the pie plates before you leave the area.

Trick #9 Citronella candles and other effective outdoor bug repellant products work well. Try to make them an intricate part of your picnic if possible.