Fall weather is awesome, it's just too bad that here in South Dakota fall lasts about as long as it takes to drink a cup of coffee.

Most years it seems like we get about two to three weeks of really nice fall weather, then the weatherman starts talking about chances for snow flurries up until May.

The fall months do have a reputation for offering up some of the best hiking, camping, biking, picnicking, and other outdoor activities during those rare years when Mother Nature decides to play nice.

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There's just one thing you need to bee aware of when you spend a lot of time outdoors during the Fall, and that's winged things that sting.

Bees, hornets, yellow jackets, and wasps tend to be very aggressive during the late summer months into the fall. Need proof, try having a meal outdoors on a patio during the Fall, you'll have a few uninvited guests buzzing around. Thus making the month of September a prime month to get stung.

According to the folks with Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the months of August through October can be some of the most aggressive months for stinging insects.

Believe it or not, bees are actually more dangerous than your typical, wasp, hornet, or yellow jacket. While you might consider the latter to look nastier, the gang at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst says Bumble Bees are more likely to sting you.

Here's something I never would have guessed, a person is 42 times more likely to die from a bee sting than a poisonous snake bite. Now keep in mind that you would have to be stung repeatedly for something like that to happen or be highly allergic to bee venom.

In most cases, when a person gets stung by a bee, wasp, or hornet, it's just a highly uncomfortable feeling that tends to swell up for a brief period.

What steps can you take to prevent from getting stung?

• Limit cooking and eating outdoors, especially during the fall.
• Do not leave food items in uncovered or open containers, and do not drink soft drinks from open containers. Can you say bee magnets!!
• Don't wear brightly colored, dark and patterned clothes. White and lighter-colored clothes are usually the best when it comes to avoiding bees.
• Go easy on things like perfumes, colognes, scented hair spray, suntan lotion, cosmetics, and deodorants. Scents from those items tend to attract stinging insects.
• Refrain from hitting and swatting at bees, wasps, and hornets. I know typically that's a person's first reaction, but studies have found that swatting or quick movements from a person's arms or legs tend to aggravate stinging insects even more and might increase your chances of being stung.

If you're allergic to stinging insects, consult your doctor should you happen to get stung. Especially if you begin to develop symptoms like difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, wheezing, difficulty breathing, confusion or jumbled thoughts, tightness in the throat or chest, coughing or hoarseness, and weakness leading to fainting.

As irritating as bees, hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets can be. they are beneficial insects and do serve an important purpose, so you should refrain from killing them whenever possible.

Remember, bees and other stinging insects usually don't bother humans unless provoked. Oddly enough, your chance of being stung by a bee is about 6 million to one according to a risk analysis done by the Harvard School of Public Health.

Bee aware, and bee safe this Fall when you're around winged things that have the potential to sting!

Source: Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst