Summer is a perfect time for kids to enjoy the great outdoors. But summer camps can be crawling with critters, some just annoying, others a health hazard.

Here are a few steps you can take to help ward off unwanted insects and parasites, keeping your campers happy and healthy.

Blood-sucking mosquitoes are usually just an annoyance, but some can carry a number of serious diseases. Among the most common are the West Nile Virus, with thousands of cases reported to the CDC every year.

Ticks can also make you sick with Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease.

“So insect repellent is going to be key,” said Catherine Roberts, Consumer Reports health editor. “Counsellors should be applying insect repellent to kids.”

For the best protection against both mosquitoes and ticks, look for products that contain 15 to 30 per cent diethyltoluamide, or DEET, which health experts say is safe for use on children more than two months old. But even so, kids should not handle insect repellent themselves.

Ticks are a particular danger in grassy or wooded areas. Campers hiking or spending time in tall grass should make sure they’re well covered.

“Long pants, socks, closed toed shoes. Long sleeves are good. And go ahead and tuck kids pants into their socks,” suggested Roberts.

As for natural repellents, Consumer Reports testing found they generally offer very little protection.

Another creepy crawly, lice, is most commonly spread through head-to-head contact.

“It takes just three to four seconds for a bug to spread from one person to the next,” explained lice expert Anna Krosche.

Making matters worse, a majority of lice are now resistant to many over the counter treatments, which means you’ll need to comb them out, preferably with a metal comb.

“The tines of the teeth are very close together and it really, really helps to remove the nits and the bugs,” said Krosche, “A plastic comb, not so much.”

And while there are products such as shampoos or sprays that claim to repel lice, Consumer Reports says save your money. There is little evidence they work.