The 5 Worst Picnic Pests

The 5 Worst Picnic Pests

One of the most fun ways to enjoy a meal is by taking it outside and eating the delicious food surrounded by nature. It’s fun to pack everything up in a fun basket or bag, then enjoy it all with friends while sitting at a designated table or patterned blanket. But there’s one downside to picnics: pests! These little critters can quickly ruin a good time by crawling all over the food and getting into everything. Any random insects and creatures that invite themselves to the party are not fun to have around. But some are worse than others, either because they ruin the food or inflict pain upon the picnic guests who are just trying to enjoy their nice meal. Here are five of the worst picnic pests and how to prevent them from ruining your next outdoor gathering.

Picnic Beetles

Yes, there is an actual insect that has “picnic” in the name. Who knew? The picnic beetle, also called the sap beetle, is a tiny dark beetle that is infamous for attacking crops. It prefers ripe or decaying fruits and vegetables, especially when they’re still growing in the fields. The good thing about picnic beetles is that they often eat fruit that’s already considered “dead” and wouldn’t be enjoyed by a person anyway. But the problems arise when they find our ripe vegetation appealing. Picnic beetles love raspberries and tomatoes, but their favorite seems to be sweet corn. There is nothing more horrifying than preparing to shuck corn and peeling back the husk to find a bunch of black beetles! 

One of the bad facts of picnic beetles is that they are resistant to many kinds of pesticides. This could be mainly because they burrow deep into the fruits and vegetables, so they aren’t easily accessible with pest treatments. They can also fly, which is how they go from crop to crop so easily. These are two reasons why picnic beetles are not any kind of insect you want near your garden or orchard. It would be a good idea to refrain from taking any kind of very ripe fruits on your picnic. In addition to picnic beetles, fruit flies and ants love overripe fruits, so it will quickly become a pest picnic if you’re not careful. If you take any fresh produce to your picnic, make sure to check and wash everything thoroughly before packing it up in your fancy cooler.  

Flies

Flies have to be some of the most annoying insects in existence. They can’t take a hint that we don’t want them around, and they have the audacity to walk all over our food. If you have attempted to eat any kind of food outside, you know the struggle of inadvertently sharing a space with flies. Even though we don’t have to worry about being bitten by house flies, they do bring about a different concern: bacteria! Every part of a fly’s body can have bacteria, including their wings. It comes from their preferred homes and diets of trash, like in a garbage can or a dumpster. This means that a fly landing on you or your picnic food for a few seconds has likely spread some kind of bacteria to the surface. This doesn’t mean that you will get sick from the experience, but it is frustrating and could be dangerous eventually if the flies aren’t eradicated. 

When we were kids, the rumor about flies is that they vomit on everything they touch (gross!). This is true, to a point. Flies don’t have the mouth parts to chew food like we do, so they need to drink everything, like humans after wisdom tooth surgery. They basically vomit enzymes onto the material they want to eat, then drink it all back up. They prefer ripe fruit and food residue, which are both possible at a typical picnic. Flies are also attracted to food that is left out, so be sure to keep all food covered when you’re not eating it. Containers with lids and zip-top plastic bags will be your best friends during a picnic. Another must-have, especially if you know your picnic area is a fly’s wonderland, is a fly swatter of some kind. This is more effective than sporadically waving your hand at a fly on your sandwich. Just make sure to let any children know that the fly swatter is for getting flies, not for smacking people trying to enjoy the picnic. 

Mosquitoes

The worst part of many outdoor activities and dining experiences is the barrage of mosquitoes that seem to have it out for us. The mosquitoes who actively seek out the blood of mammals are attracted to the carbon dioxide that we exhale, as well as sweat and sweet smells. This means that if the picnic weather is a little too warm for comfort, mosquitoes will likely be joining the party at some point. Mosquitoes in general prefer nectar from flowers, so the female mosquitoes only bite us when they need protein for their eggs. This may not be the news you want to hear, but not every mosquito bite turns into an itchy bump. This reaction occurs when our blood interacts negatively with the mosquito’s saliva, and can be considered an allergic reaction in some cases. But this is a small consolation when you’re being attacked by hungry mosquitoes.

Nobody likes getting mosquito bites, especially when you’re trying to enjoy a nice picnic outdoors. As beautiful as the view is, it might be beneficial to have your picnic far from any kind of standing water. This is the prime breeding place for mosquitoes, and it doesn’t have to be much for them to lay their eggs there. Keep the feast in the dry areas of the lawn or park, and you should be good to go. Since mosquitoes are so erratic and often too small to see initially, bug spray will be your best bet against these pests. Make sure to spray any exposed skin (except your face) before heading out to the picnic, and take some extra just in case.  

Yellow Jackets

Any kind of wasp is a bad time in the picnic world, but yellow jackets are definitely one of the worst. You can likely guess why based on their nickname of “meat bees.” Yellow jackets are carnivorous insects that love any kind of protein, which they prefer to get from other insects or meats. Remember the time you ate a ham and cheese sandwich at the lake and a buzzing insect, stinger at the ready, wouldn’t leave you alone until either the sandwich was gone or you ran into the lake? That was likely a yellow jacket. Any kind of meat typically found at a picnic – deli meats, pepperoni, hot dogs, hamburgers – are huge draws for yellow jackets. They like to bring protein back to their nest as sustenance for the colony, and a little goes a long way with these pests. Sugary foods are also very appealing to yellow jackets, so fruits and desserts will be irresistible to them if they choose to stop by your picnic.

Unfortunately, another popular protein source for yellow jackets is pet food; dry dog food in particular seems to be their favorite. This is why you may see a few meat bees hovering above your dog’s dish before they even have time to finish eating every morsel of food. If you take your furry friend to the picnic with their own food, make sure to properly seal the food and remove the dish from the area when your dog is finished eating. This will prevent yellow jackets from coming to the party for the dog food and staying for your picnic lunch. Also, as you would do to prevent any pest, keep all food covered and put away when you’re not eating it. It might help to eat any meat-based items first so that the yellow jackets don’t have an opportunity to attack later on.

Fire Ants

If there’s a stereotypical picnic pest, it’s ants in general. There are so many drawings and pictures of a line of ants marching across a red-and-white checkered blanket, it’s overwhelming. But one ant species that is especially unwelcome at a picnic is the fire ant. That’s because in addition to annoyingly walking all over our food, they deliver some pretty painful stings. Some people have even more adverse reactions to the bite or sting of a fire ant, so it’s important to keep an eye out for any bright red ants. Fire ants can also travel quite a ways away from their nest, so even if you make sure to not set up the picnic near an ant hill, they may be willing to go the distance for your picnic fare. These pests are attracted to sweet things, so be sure to keep any sugary drinks or foods covered.

But as bad as all of that sounds, parking it near a fire ant nest is even worse. The worker fire ants leave a trail to the delicious food that they found, which means that a few scavengers can quickly turn into hundreds of ants if the food is not immediately removed. Fire ants are territorial and can sting in groups, so the only way to escape that kind of attack is to move the picnic entirely. If possible, eating at a raised table or surface is the best way to avoid ant invasions. They can still make their way up the table if they find the food enticing enough, but it will be much more difficult than if the picnic is on the ground. One interesting fact is that fire ants despise cucumber. You can use this to your advantage by leaving sliced cucumbers around your food as an edible barrier. It’s one thing to have an ant invasion during your picnic, but a fire ant invasion is a painful experience that no one should have to endure while you’re trying to enjoy the great outdoors. 

Preventing Picnic-Ruining Pests

There are a few easy ways you can make sure that your picnic is as pest-free as possible. One is to introduce something that has actually come into fashion in recent years: edible decorations! Many of our favorite fruits and flowers actually repel various pests just based on the aroma alone. One popular choice is citrus. While this smells fresh and bright to us, it is repulsive to certain pests, like mosquitoes and ticks. You could spread the peels around your picnic, but you would definitely need more than a few for it to really take effect. The good news is that you get to smell delicious citrus while you eat! As for flowers, lavender, chrysanthemums, and petunias are some of the most pest-repelling varieties. You could bring a small bunch of fragrant flowers like these and put them in the middle of your picnic, or even sprinkle some around the blanket or table for an aesthetically-pleasing pest repellant.

Another natural way to repel pests is by using essential oils. These popular aromatics have all kinds of uses for our physical and mental health, but they are also great tools in the world of DIY pest control. They won’t completely solve the pest problems, but they may help to at least reduce the population. Some of the most common pest repellants are lavender, lemongrass, peppermint, and citronella essential oils. You could add a few drops of one (or more) to your wrists and neck before heading out for personal pest control. Another option is to dilute oils in water in a spray bottle and spritz your picnic area before relaxing. Just be sure not to directly spray your food! 

Other prevention tips are probably ones that you thought of when you got to this section. Bug spray is an essential for many nature-loving people who don’t enjoy being attacked by random insects. The sprays that are EPA-approved are best because you know that they have been properly tested and are safe for your skin. Another helpful tip is to keep all food and drinks covered when you’re not actively partaking. Make sure that any serving dishes have lids or covers, and try to bring drink containers with some kind of lid. This will ensure that you are not unknowingly sharing your meal with some pesky insects. Honestly, keeping all food shoved inside a cooler is the easiest way to prevent pests from invading the dishes. This will keep your cold food cool, and provide a thick barrier between your favorite sandwiches and a bunch of hungry insects.

If you enjoy picnicking in your backyard or garden, pest control services will be your best bet for a pest-free experience.  Since no one wants dangerous chemicals in their picnic food, our technicians only use EPA-approved treatments to eradicate all kinds of pest problems. We know all of the hiding places pests love to use before attacking your picnic, and our team is prepared to find every pest before they invade. Contact us to learn more about our extensive pest control services and explore the possibilities of a pest-free picnic this summer!

Citations

All about flies – pests at picnics, but vital pollinators. (n.d.). Welcome Wildlife. Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://www.welcomewildlife.com/all-about-flies/ 

Graper, D. (2018, December 18). What’s bugging your garden: Picnic beetles. South Dakota State University Extension. Available at https://extension.sdstate.edu/whats-bugging-your-garden-picnic-beetles (Accessed on July 1, 2022).

Kraeutler, T. (n.d.). Preventing picnic pests: Ants and mosquitoes. The Money Pit. Available at https://www.moneypit.com/preventing-picnic-pests-ants-and-mosquitoes/ (Accessed on July 1, 2022).

Managing picnic beetles (sap beetles). (n.d.). Melinda Myers. Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://www.melindamyers.com/audio-video/melindas-garden-moment-audio-tips/problems-pests-weeds/managing-picnic-beetles-sap-beetles 

McVean, A. (B.Sc.). (2019, July 5). Why mosquitoes bite you and how to make them stop. McGill Office for Science and Society. Available at https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-technology/why-mosquitos-bite-you-and-how-make-them-stop (Accessed on July 1, 2022). 

Picnic 101: 6 simple tricks to keep bugs away. (2017, July 25). Spud.CA. Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://about.spud.com/blog-picnic-insect/