Watch out for allergic reaction. Be prepared if you are hyper-sensitive to stings, and get medical help immediately.
| Insect | What it looks like | Where it lives | When it's most active | Comments |
| Mosquito | Brownish, flying bug with long nose | Breeds in stagnant water and rests in dark, shady spots during day. | Dawn & dusk mid-to late summer | Carries West Nile and other viruses, and encephalitis. |
| Wasp | 5/8 inch long striped with brown, orange or black. | Under a sheltered overhang, tree or house's eaves. | Daytime in mid-to late summer. Less aggressive than yellow jackets. Stay 10 feet away. | If you have trouble breathing or
develop a skin reaction, get medical attention immediately.
People who know they are allergic should carry epinephrine
injectors. Use Benadryl orally while hurrying to a medical
facility. Sting produces a little white pustule. Don't try to break it and lead to infection. If it does break, apply antibiotic cream. |
| Fire Ants | Red-ish brown, 1/16 inch long. | Mounds varying in size | When ground temperature is 70-90 degrees. In summer about 8 am to dusk. | |
| Brown Recluse Spider | Light brown 1/4 inch long, leg span up to a silver dollar in size. | Dark closets or hideaways. | Year round indoors, spring and summer outdoors. | Check your shoes before putting them on. See doctor ASAP, causes skin damage. |
| Honeybee | Yellow & brown, long barbed stinger attached to a venom gland. | Flying about flowers, lives in hives or stumps | Year round. Attracted to bright colors and scents like clothing, flowers, perfume, etc. | When the bee stings, the bee dies, the stinger and gland stays in your skin. Use fingernail, tweezers, or knife to get the stinger out as soon as possible. Apply antibiotic ointment or anti-itch lotion. |
| Ticks | brown oval, not flat | Hides in grass, animals, furniture, clothes | Year round- mainly summer time | Use tweezers to grab the tick close to the head. Use a gentle steady motion to pull it straight out, do not twist and break off the head. Use antibiotic ointment. |
For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov.