You’ve just settled down to a lazy day at the beach, book in hand, lemonade at your side, surf in your ears, when bzzz bzzz bzzz! — the blackflies arrive to feast on your ankles. Later, no-see-ums swarm in to sully your patio supper. Let’s not even mention the wee hours, when a lone mosquito whines around your head, ruining your sleep and your sanity. Have these pests no mercy? Ask the bug experts, from university entomologists to your local pharmacist, and they’ll tell you: Bugs that bite are a growing problem. Not only do their bites sting and itch but more and more of them also carry harmful, even deadly, diseases, such as the West Nile virus and Lyme disease.

It’s time to bite back. Armed with just the right repellents — new formulations are fighting bugs more effectively than ever—you can avoid the stings of the season’s spoilers as well as concern over the diseases they carry. Plus, there is a wealth of ointments to quell the itch and ouch of bites when they do happen. Here, bug by bug, a guide to preventing and treating insect bites: what’s safest, what works, what doesn’t.