Alaska is an amazing place. We have large majestic mountains, beautiful lakes, and an amazing green belt trail that we all love to explore. However, Alaska isn’t without its dangers but we’re generally lucky in that we don’t have to worry about much when we send our kids outside to play. With that said, there are some things to be aware of.
We don’t have dangerous spiders, except when we do. Occasionally, we get dangerous spiders coming up on shipments of produce from the lower 48. Many of these spiders die in transit and others make it to the grocery store and into our homes. Many of us heard about the black widow in the grapes from Costco, but what I want to highlight is the brown recluse. The brown recluse is a rare spider in AK that can’t last the winter, but during the dry, heated summers, these spiders hide in warm and dry areas like kitchen cabinets not used, garage corners, basements, and attics. The spiders’ venom eats away at flesh and needs to be seen by a doctor for treatment.
We have a collection of other spiders like wolf spiders – the one you see in your house the most often – that also bite. If you notice a spider bite, draw a small circle around the raised bump. If it swells beyond the bump, you should see a physician just in case. If it doesn’t swell beyond the bump, then they should be okay.
Beyond the spider bites, we do have creepy crawlies that are just part of our daily lives. Mosquitos, bees, and wasps are common around town and in the places we explore. Use mosquito repellent on your kids when you go out. There are many different options for mosquito repellent form heavy-duty woodsy ones to homemade ones made from essential oils. We generally use the Coleman wristbands on Racer’s ankles. It’s pretty pungent and keeps the bugs away. If you have sensitive little ones, some of the store brands may have too many chemicals for your littles and babies should never have heavy-duty bug spray applied.
If mosquito bites do happen, they generally aren’t a big concern but do keep an eye on them. Discourage scratching as much as possible though! It can irritate the skin which is already trying to heal.
Finally, bees, wasps, and things with stingers. Honeybees and wasps in Alaska are common and set up shop in weird places, like the poles of playgrounds or in old cars not running. Keep an eye out for nests around your home and remove if necessary. Many children are not deathly allergic to bee stings, but most kids’ subsequent reactions are much scarier than the first. If your child has any allergic reaction like hives, dizziness, or difficulty breathing, then they need to be seen by a physician. Keep an eye on all bee stings, remove the stinger with tweezers if possible, and treat for pain. Here are some things that have helped others treat bee stings in the past: honey, apple cider vinegar, baking soda, and aloe.
Hope you all have a great summer playing outside!
