Warm weather brings guests you never invited. Ants find the cake table, bees investigate juice cups and mosquitoes arrive as the afternoon cools. You cannot control nature, but you can make your party far less appealing to insects with a few days of preparation and some smart choices about food, drinks and timing.
Walk the Yard a Few Days Ahead
Give the party area a careful look several days before the event, while there is still time to deal with anything you find.
- Look for ant mounds in the lawn, especially where the play area will go. In parts of the South, fire ants build mounds in lawns, and their stings are painful
- Check eaves, sheds, fences, play structures and holes in the ground for wasp, hornet or yellow jacket nests
- Note flowering shrubs that attract bees, and plan the play area and food table away from them
Do not try to remove an active nest yourself, especially with children around. A pest control professional can advise you on timing and safe options, including how long children should stay off any treated areas.
Cut Down on Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, and they can breed in surprisingly small amounts of it. In the days before the party, empty anything holding water: buckets, toy bins, flowerpot saucers, wagon beds, tarps, birdbaths and clogged gutters. Do it again on the morning of the party if it has rained.
Many mosquito species are most active around dawn and dusk, so an earlier party is often a less buggy one. Mosquitoes are also weak fliers, and a fan or two blowing across a seating area can help keep them off guests.
Manage Food, Drinks and Trash
Sweet drinks and food are what draw bees and wasps. Serve drinks in cups with lids and straws, especially for children, so no one takes a sip with a bee inside. If guests are drinking from cans, encourage them to check before each sip. Keep food covered until it is served, and put leftovers away rather than leaving them out all afternoon.
Trash cans matter more than most people expect. Use cans with tight lids, line them and place them away from the play area and the food table. Empty them partway through the party if they fill up with sticky cups and plates.
Plan for Stings and Bites
Even with good preparation, a sting can happen. Keep a small kit nearby with cold packs, a flat card for gently scraping away a stinger and whatever your pharmacist recommends for minor bites and stings. Ask parents on the RSVP to let you know about any insect sting allergies, and make sure children with known allergies arrive with their emergency medication and a parent who knows how to use it.
If a child shows signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat or hives spreading across the body, call 911 right away. For questions about bites and stings, your pediatrician is the best resource.
Setting Up the Party Space With Bugs in Mind
Where you put things matters as much as what you do. A layout that keeps food, trash and play apart makes the whole party less interesting to insects.
- Place the play area first. Choose a spot well away from flowering shrubs, clover patches, garden beds and any nests you found on your walk. Clover in the lawn draws bees, and toddlers on hands and knees are the ones most likely to find them.
- Put the food table at a distance from play. Children with sticky hands and sweet drinks attract bees. Keeping eating in one zone keeps the insects in one zone too.
- Set trash and recycling farther still. Downwind of the party and away from both play and food is ideal.
- Create a cleanup point. A basin of water, soap and towels between the food table and the play area means children wash sticky hands before they climb.
- Add fans to seating areas. Even one fan near adult chairs and the snack table can help keep mosquitoes from settling.
The Morning-Of Checklist
- Walk the play area again and look for new ant activity, especially if it rained overnight.
- Empty any water that collected in toys, buckets, tarps or saucers since your last check.
- Look for wasps around the eaves, the grill and any play structures.
- Cover food with mesh food tents or lids, and keep dessert inside until it is time to serve.
- Set out lidded cups, straws and markers for writing names, so half-finished drinks do not sit around unclaimed.
- Line every trash can and close the lids.
- Put the sting and bite kit somewhere shaded and easy to reach.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Dressing the party in floral scents. Heavily scented candles, perfumes and air fresheners may draw some insects. Unscented choices are safer and kinder to allergic guests too.
- Swatting at bees. Flailing tends to provoke stings. Teach children to stand still or walk slowly away, and model it yourself.
- Applying treatments at the last minute. Any lawn or pest treatment has label directions about re-entry, often for children and pets in particular. Schedule well ahead, or skip it.
- Leaving the cake out. A frosted cake sitting uncovered in the sun is a beacon. Bring it out for candles, then cover it or slice and serve promptly.
- Forgetting the play equipment. Spilled juice on a mat or slide attracts ants and bees. Keep drinks off the play area and wipe any spills right away.
Questions Hosts Ask
Do citronella candles work?
Results vary, and open flames near toddlers create their own risk. Fans, timing and removing standing water tend to be more dependable choices for a party with young children.
Should I put insect repellent on other people’s children?
No. Repellent choices belong to each child’s parents. Mention on the invitation that the party is outdoors so families can decide what they want to use before they arrive.
What if we find a fire ant mound on party day?
Move the play area or food table well away from it and mark the spot so no one steps on it. Treating it can wait until after the party, with professional advice and the product’s directions about how long children should stay away.
Is an evening party a bad idea?
Not necessarily, but expect more mosquitoes as dusk approaches. Plan fans, light-colored clothing suggestions on the invitation and an indoor area to retreat to as the light fades.
