Approximately 20 mail carriers have been stung by bees, wasps or insects in the Western New York area during the summer, and the Postal Service is alerting residents that they can help reverse the trend by taking a few easy steps.

"This is a problem we take seriously," said Peter Bedard, manager of Safety and Health for the Postal Service's Western New York District. "For some employees, stings are irritating; for others, they can be life-threatening."

Of those injured, some were injured not because of a bite, but due to falling while trying to avoid the insects when being attacked. Some of the employees stung had allergic reactions severe enough that they missed work.

The Postal Service offers these tips for residents to help reduce wasp and bee stings:
•Inspect your mailbox and be sure stinging insects are not nesting in or around it. If nests are present, they need to be destroyed and removed.
•Boxes that are enclosed in structures are particularly prone to bees' and wasps' nests. Often the insects nest in or on the structure itself rather than in the mailbox; these should be inspected regularly.
•Wasps and bees love the flowers that residents often plant around their mailboxes.

If a carrier is stung, the Postal Service will alert the homeowner to the hazard. If the nest is not destroyed, the Postal Service may suspend delivery.