a. Squeeze the skin around the stinger
b. Sweep a credit card across the sting site
c. Pull out with tweezers
d. Use a match

b. By using a credit card or another straight-edged object, you can remove the stinger without causing additional venom to be released into the bite. (Using tweezers or squeezing may actually release more venom into the sting site.) Then wash with soap and water, and ice the sting. If needed, put hydrocortisone on your skin. If you experience increasing redness, swelling, or pain over the next several days, call your doctor. If you experience serious symptoms such as wheezing, difficulty swallowing, or swelling, call your doctor or 911 immediately.

a. Genetics help determine how attractive you are to mosquitoes.
b. Pregnant women are at increased risk for mosquito bites.
c. Avon's Skin-So-Soft is a better mosquito repellent than DEET.
d. Male mosquitoes do not bite humans.

c. DEET is much better than Skin-So-Soft at repelling mosquitoes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends Picardin (sold as Cutter Advanced™), which is just as effective as DEET, but is lighter and odorless. Another option is oil of lemon eucalyptus, a plant-based mosquito repellent. Be sure to follow labels for proper use. DEET shouldn't be used on children under 2 months old, and oil of lemon eucalyptus shouldn't be used on children under age 3. (And yes, genetics do matter to mosquitoes—85% of your susceptibility to bites is genetic.)

a. 5,269
b. 10,691
c. 256
d. 3,404

d. In 2007, 3,404 cases were reported, including 98 deaths. About 80 percent of people infected with West Nile Virus do not have any symptoms or become ill. Some people infected with the virus will develop symptoms that go away on their own, such as fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, and rashes. However, about one in 150 people will develop severe symptoms, including high fever, coma, convulsions, vision loss, and paralysis, and some of these symptoms may be permanent. If you become ill after a mosquito bite, call your doctor right away.

a. A match
b. Petroleum jelly
c. Tweezers
d. Kerosene

c. Tweezers. (Please, no matches or flammable substances!) Grip the tick very close to your skin, then pull gently. Try not to squeeze the body of the tick. Then clean the bite area, your hands, and the tweezers with disinfectant. Be sure not to crush the tick, as it may contain bacteria. Flush the tick down the toilet.

a. Any time you are bitten by a tick
b. If you develop a circular rash after a tick bite
c. If you develop flu-like symptoms after a tick bite
d. Both b and c

d. If you are bitten by a tick, remove the tick (as described above), then watch for any symptoms of Lyme disease, such as a circular rash or flu-like symptoms. If the tick was attached to your skin for less than 36 hours, your chances of getting Lyme disease is very low. However, if you experience any symptoms and then they disappear, you should still call your doctor. Lyme disease can have no symptoms for periods of time, but that doesn't mean the disease is gone.