This time of year can be relaxing. It can be fun. It can be rejuvenating.

It can also itch, though. It can sting. It can bite. In a number of ways, summer might just be a terrible season.

But the creatures that make this time itchy, painful and, in a few cases, potentially lethal, don’t have to ruin your fun in the sun. From mosquitoes to sharks, here’s advice for dealing with summertime pests.

Mosquitoes

It’s true: Mosquitoes find some people more attractive than others. So if you’re someone who feels as if you’re eaten alive whenever you step outside, the best deterrent is a repellent spray.

The best repellents contain DEET, a substance that masks many of the odors that attract mosquitoes and other bugs. When you choose a repellent, remember that ones with higher DEET concentrations do not provide stronger protection. Instead, higher DEET concentrations mean the repellent will be effective longer.

But even with careful preventive efforts, you will often still find those itchy red bumps mosquitoes leave behind. When you do, try as hard as you can to not scratch them. Opt for ice and a low-strength topical hydrocortisone cream for relief.

Bees and wasps

Many consider bees a nuisance to outdoor summer activity, but wasps are actually the more common stingers. Wasps don’t need a lot of provocation to sting and are especially sensitive to vibrations, so even mowing your lawn near a nest can lead to an attack. If you see a nest, or know where one is, avoid it if possible, or call a professional to have it removed.

Wasps and bumblebees do not leave their stingers in their sting victims, so unless you are allergic, managing the pain should be your only concern. Honeybees, though, do leave their venomous stingers behind after they sting you. Many claim that scraping the stinger out with a sharp edge, like a knife’s edge or a credit card, is the best way to remove a stinger before it injects all of its venom. Yet, recent research has found that getting the stinger out as fast as possible is more important than the method in minimizing the venom released.

Ticks

Ticks pose serious threats to humans, including Lyme disease. Whether you pick them up by venturing outside or by playing with your pet, you should always make sure to check your body — especially your legs — for ticks when you come inside, and learn how to properly remove one if you find it. While only about 3 percent of tick bites result in a Lyme disease infection, the longer a tick bite goes unnoticed or untreated, the easier it is to contract. Besides, Lyme disease isn’t the only thing you should worry about when it comes to ticks.

If you’re headed into an area that you suspect contains ticks, use a DEET-based repellent and wear clothing with as much coverage as possible, especially around your legs and ankles. After being outside, make sure to check for ticks all over your body (pay special attention to your legs, underarms, groin, waistline and hair). Be sure to check children and pets, too.

Take a bath or shower as well. Often ticks haven’t attached yet if you’ve just come inside, so you can just wash them off your body and down the drain. If you do find a tick lodged in your skin, use a pair of fine-point tweezers to carefully pull the tick out without detaching its body from its head.

Jellyfish

Jellyfish stings can be extremely painful, and in some cases, scarring. From the infamous Portuguese man-of-war to the still-awful-but-not-often-fatal sea nettle, your best bet is to avoid them and waters where they’re known to turn up. If you do happen to get stung, it is important to respond quickly. Seek immediate medical attention, especially if you are not sure what kind of jellyfish stung you.

Of course, there are a lot of home remedies, from rubbing alcohol to urine, to treat a jellyfish sting. Ask a dozen people and you’ll have a dozen remedies. A relatively simple solution of household vinegar serves as both a pain reliever and a venom neutralizer, according to studies. Soak the affected area in a half-and-half solution of vinegar and water for a half-hour. It’ll clean the area and help remove any remaining tentacles. Rinse, then soak in the vinegar solution again. You can also apply a topical antihistamine or analgesic cream, but check with a medical professional first.

Sharks

Let’s get something out of the way: You’re more likely to drown at the beach than you are to be attacked by a shark. The International Shark Attack File logged a mere 72 shark bites worldwide in 2014.

Of course, for those 72 people, shark bites were no small matter, so a few simple tips can minimize your risk even more. The ISAF has several suggestions, including swimming in groups (sharks are more likely to attack solitary individuals), staying close to the shore and in clear water, and avoiding swimming in the twilight hours or in complete darkness, when sharks have a competitive sensory advantage. You should also avoid swimming if you’re bleeding from an open wound, and avoid areas between sandbars and steep drop-offs, where sharks like to swim. In the rare event that a shark does happen to attack you, absolutely try to fight back, targeting the shark’s eyes, gills and nose.

Snakes

Here’s some simple advice for snake encounters: Leave them alone.

Of course, if a snake appears in your home or in your car, you can’t just leave them alone. If you’re unsure how to handle a snake you find in your house, call animal control to help — especially if you can’t identify the snake as venomous or nonvenomous. But if a snake does bite you, do not engage in the oft-dramatized process of sucking out the poison. Similarly, advice to tie a tourniquet near the bite to keep the venom from getting to the heart is also outdated, ineffective and likely to do more harm than good. Again, dealing with snakes is simple. Get professional emergency medical care as quickly as possible. Keep the wound clean in the interim.

Poison ivy

We’re considering poison ivy kind of a “plant bite,” as it were, for the purposes of this guide. While obviously different from the other summer stingers here, poison ivy can ruin an otherwise pleasant summer hike, and definitely ruin a child’s evening after a day of playing outdoors. Touching any part of the different types of poison ivy plants can lead to a reaction, even if you’re covered up.

Treat the area with lukewarm water and soap. Don’t scratch the blistered area; it can lead to infection. Poison ivy rashes aren’t contagious either, so it shouldn’t spread by scratching. Once you’ve cleaned the area, treat with cool compresses and calamine lotion to soothe the itching and irritation.