6 Pests You Might Find at a Tailgate

It’s football season, and what better way to watch your favorite teams compete than by gathering with your friends and family over some of the most delicious food ever? That’s right, we’re talking about tailgates! This sports-centered party has taken on different forms over the years, but both the indoor and outdoor versions are a guaranteed good time. There’s just something about gathering in the parking lot of the stadium or in someone’s living room that makes football even more enjoyable. But one type of guest that isn’t welcome at either function is the pest. Let’s discuss 6 common pests that can cause some major problems for anyone trying to enjoy a fun food-filled party centered around this sport.

Ants

Of course ants are on this list. Any kind of gathering that has plenty of food is the ant’s idea of paradise. The workers are the ones we see marching across our kitchen counters and foraging for any kind of food they can find to bring back to their colony. Many of the hundreds of ant species love our food, so they spend their days searching for crumbs to carry. Ants can carry up to 5,000 times their own body weight, so the food particles they find can be much larger than the ant itself! Although they will be happy with any kind of food they can carry back to the anthill, ants favor items with lots of sugar or protein. This is why they can be found near baked goods, cereals, and meats most often. 

At a tailgate, ants would naturally gravitate towards the barbecued meats, sugary desserts, and drops of spilled soft drinks. The workers all leave pheromones behind for their fellow foragers, so a horde of ants can be found around the same food source before long. Odorous house ants and pavement ants are the most common ones near a party like this, but carpenter ants are a surprisingly frequent face. Since they don’t actually consume the wood they frustratingly burrow into, carpenter ants seek their food from outside sources to bring back into their tunnels. They love sweets and cooked meats, just like many other ants. No matter which species is the current invader of your tailgate, there are few things more horrifying than realizing that those tiny “seasoning” specks in the bowl of chips are moving.

Stinging Insects

Nothing ruins the “party” mood quite like stinging insects making their presence known by stinging someone. Unfortunately, pests like wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets can all invite themselves in for various reasons. If their nests are disturbed in any way, stinging pests will not hesitate to attack anyone in the area. Yellow jackets like to keep their nests underground or in burrows, while hornets and wasps keep theirs above the ground attached to something that is relatively tall. But even if their nests are safely hidden away from the party-goers, these pests can still cause problems at the party. 

Stinging insects love sweets and proteins, just like ants, so they have plenty of food to choose from at these parties. If you have ever tried to enjoy a soft drink or sugary fruit drink outdoors, you have likely encountered a stinging pest trying to share your beverage. Any kind of meat dish sitting out will be a main target of the stinging pests, as well as desserts and sweet snacks. If you keep all desserts covered until the very end, it can help eliminate a major attraction for wasps and their kin. And if you happen to spot a stinging insect’s nest near the party spot, we recommend staying as far away from it as you can. There are plenty of fun activities to enjoy at a tailgate that don’t involve accidentally (or purposefully) knocking down a nest full of angry hornets.

Mosquitoes

Even though the weather is steadily cooling off, mosquitoes can still be a major problem. The random days that are warmer than normal or humid can be enough to give mosquitoes the opportunity to reproduce and search for food. Female mosquitoes are the only ones who bite us, as they require protein for their eggs. Male mosquitoes just live off of nectar, so they don’t have as much to choose from when the flowers are less full. Mosquitoes also reproduce more often after a rain storm since they need still water to lay their eggs in, as the first stages of mosquitoes are spent completely in the water. If it has rained recently, mosquitoes may be inviting themselves to the party more than you would prefer. 

The best ways to keep mosquitoes from ruining the party are to be prepared in the first place. The most efficient way is also the easiest this time of year, and that is to keep your arms and legs covered. These are the areas most commonly bitten by mosquitoes, so wearing pants and long sleeves takes away the ease of choosing their targets. On that note, placing fans around the outdoor party area can also cut down on the number of mosquitoes in the area, since they can’t fly through the winds. This may not be the most pleasant in cold weather, but since everyone is likely bundled up anyway, it may not make much of a difference. Lastly, citronella candles can also be useful. They are not 100% effective at keeping mosquitoes away, like the commercials lead us to believe, but they do help to keep the numbers of biting pests down to a minimum.

Flies

Yet another infamous food pest, flies can turn any party with food into a frustrating experience. Houseflies don’t bite, thankfully, but that does not mean they are completely harmless. The amount of harmful bacteria on the feet and bodies of flies is immense, thanks to their early stages of life being completed in garbage and rotting organic material. Some studies even conclude that flies can be dirtier than roaches, which are disgusting pests on their own! But the bacteria found on flies has been linked to food poisoning symptoms in humans who eat the food that flies walked all over it first. This is definitely not the kind of souvenir we want to take home from a tailgate party. 

If none of the garbage cans are in the immediate proximity, the flies can actually travel quite a ways in order to get to the food they want. House flies can travel up to 20 miles away from their home when they are seeking food or shelter, so the flies plaguing your tailgate may be from the next town over. Despite their persistence in seeking out the best food, which often includes actual trash, flies are actually not the strongest fliers. This is why they can be easily combated with a fan of some kind, as it can keep flies away even on the lowest setting. Flies are quite the nuisance when they invade a party, but they can also provide more problems if they are left to crawl all over the delicious food before everyone has the chance to eat.

Spiders

This is definitely one of the least overbearing pests at a tailgate party, as spiders are independent critters that do not like to be seen or near anyone who could be an enemy. If you see multiple spiders around your party, it is because there are pre-existing pest issues that drew them here. Spiders only live where they are consistently fed, so finding more than one spider in a small area is a good sign that there are plenty of smaller insects around. Unfortunately, one of the most common hiding places for a spider at a party is an empty shoe.

This is not to make you paranoid about putting on your shoes after staying at the tailgate for a few hours, but it is something to keep in mind. Think of how quickly some spiders can scurry across our floors, and imagine how quickly they would want to get inside a warm shoe for shelter. They can hide out in here and wait for their prey to unknowingly come close enough to snatch. One of the common culprits of this tactic is the brown recluse, which is one of the most dangerous spiders in the residential U.S., next to the black widow. The brown recluse loves to be isolated and lives to hunt their prey, and they like hiding in places like our shoes. Just shake your shoes out a little before slipping them on, and you should be good to go. If there are too many spiders at your home for your comfort (we get it), contact pest control to eliminate the spiders and find out exactly why these pests found this spot to be the best feeding area around.

Fruit Flies

As if house flies weren’t an annoying enough problem, fruit flies are another issue that can arise from food sitting out for too long. These flies love anything rotting and fermented, which is essentially anything organic that has been left out for too long. This may not be an issue at the beginning of the party, but it can quickly become a problem if certain items are left out for hours so people have the chance to graze. Fruit flies can smell food items fermenting, and they will travel to that area just to get to that food. 

Since they only need moisture and fermentation to survive, it can be anything. Their favorites include rotting tomatoes, bananas, potatoes, and grapes. You probably won’t have a dish of plain tomatoes just sitting out at the tailgate (or maybe you will, no judgment), but a plate of burger toppings, like tomatoes, onions, and lettuce, won’t be fresh after several hours. These flies are so small that they will even utilize leftover alcohol in cans or bottles as their new home, yet another reason why it’s important to rinse out any drink containers when they’re finished. Fruit flies like to lay their eggs in these bits of alcohol or on the surface of overripe fruits, as this gives their larvae immediate food upon hatching. Since they can lay up to 500 eggs at a time, one fruit fly reproducing is enough to ruin any sort of party for weeks to come!

Don’t Forget the Pest Control with the Pigskin! 

If your football tailgating party takes place outside with some literal tailgates, it’s trickier to avoid having pests invite themselves to the get-together. But there are still some ways to keep the number of pests down to a minimum. For one, keeping all food covered when not in use is a huge help. If pests can’t smell or get to the food, they will have less of a reason to invade. Also, have bug spray available for all of your guests throughout the party. If the bottle says it has DEETs in the spray, it will be more effective against mosquitoes and other biting pests. Finally, the location of the tailgate matters more than we may think. If possible, try to have the party away from any large trash cans, restrooms, and standing water. These are all common breeding places for pests, so there will naturally be more insects in these areas. 

For those having a fun gathering at home, there are still ways to prevent pests from crashing the party. Keep garbage contained in a covered can, and take out the trash when the bag is full. Overflowing trash cans can attract pests as either food or a home (or both), so keeping the garbage under control greatly helps to keep the number of pests down. Also, clean up any spills soon after they happen. You don’t have to do a deep cleaning in the middle of the party, but wiping up a soda spill or a stepped-on chip eliminates that attraction for pests. If the party is happening both inside and outside, using a fan will keep flying insects away. Mosquitoes and flies can’t physically fly against a fan, and it will keep the area cooler as an added bonus. 

If you want to enjoy a tailgate party pest-free, look no further than Green Pest Services! Our team of experienced pest control technicians are here to provide thorough inspections and treatments for many kinds of pest issues. Plus, our eco-friendly treatments will combat persistent pests without leaving harmful chemicals behind for your guests. Contact us to learn how our services can solve your pest concerns in time for the big game!

Citations

Huddle up, fall pests aren’t playing around. (2017, September 19). Pest World. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/press-releases/huddle-up-fall-pests-aren-t-playing-around/ 

Pests a nuisance during tailgate season. (2010, August 31). Pest Control Technology. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.pctonline.com/article/truly-nolen-football-tailgating-pest-tips/ 

Potter, M.F. (n.d.). Fruit flies. Entomology at the University of Kentucky. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef621 

Protect your tailgate party from pests. (2016, June 30). Global Newswire. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2016/06/30/1098269/0/en/Protect-Your-Tailgate-Party-From-Pests.html