When the sun comes out in the summer, so too do the biting insects! On top of this of course we tend to wear less clothing making us a ready made meal for mosquitoes, black flies and other insect pests that are looking for a free meal.

This year, be sure to follow a few simple steps to avoid your children attracting unwanted attention from some of the more irritating aspects that summers tend to bring.

Below are 7 key tips to minimise your child's exposure to biting pests:

1. Make sure your kids do not play in wooded areas (and other places where biting insects are likely to congregate) without wearing long sleeved shirts and long trousers. Keep their skin covered to reduce biting opportunities.
2. In your garden, remove any type of container that is likely to collect water. Standing water is likely to attract breeding mosquitoes.
3. Try not to apply any type of perfume or hairspray to your kids before they go out and avoid using soaps that are scented on them.
4. The correct way to apply insect repellent to your children is to apply or spray it onto your hands first and then rub it onto your childrens' exposed skin. Do not apply the repellent near the eyes, ears and mouth and be careful to avoid applying it to their hands or any open wounds they may have.
5. Do not put insect repellent on body parts that are covered by clothing and if the repellent does inadvertently come into contact with clothing be sure that it gets washed before being worn again.
6. Always give your children a bath at the end of the day if they have been wearing insect repellent.
7. Only use DEET-based insect repellents that have a 5-10% DEET concentration on your children if they are older than two months, but DO NOT use DEET-based repellents on children younger than this.

There's no reason why your kids should not have a great time this summer… so don't let the bugs get them down!