NEW YORK — For kids heading off to summer camp, scribbling initials on a pair of underwear just doesn't cut it anymore.

Parents concerned about dangers from global warming to West Nile virus are stuffing their children's suitcases with everything they need and more to fight bugs and soaring temperatures.

Karen Kastenbaum is sending her 11-year-old twins to Camp Echo in Burlingham, N.Y., this summer for around seven weeks. Her children are taking insect repellent bracelets, Crocs shoes and three big tubes of spray sunscreen with them to apply twice a day.

"You probably send them with more than you would use than if they were at home, but you want your child to take every precaution," Kastenbaum said.

More parents have been voicing concern over issues like sun exposure, said Peg Smith, chief executive for the American Camp Association. More companies are recognizing the trend and have been marketing their products directly to camps.

"Over the past five years, there has been a real marked increase in the kinds of questions and concerns raised by parents," Smith said. "People have always had the need for bug spray or sunscreen, but now companies market products that are interesting and fun, so that kids are more inclined to use them."

Some parents spend up to $800 just to outfit children for summer camp, according to ACA. Products vary, from Bug Off! bracelets sold for about $4 to the non-slip shoes made by Crocs Inc., which start at around $25 a pair.

Marla Coleman, a director at Camp Echo in New York's Catskill Mountains, has seen parents stocking up on sunscreen and items like SPF clothing, to protect their children amid heightened concern over sun exposure.

Sunscreen, which used to be slathered on the old-fashioned way, now comes in many forms — sticks, sprays, wipes and squirt bottles.

"It's easy to apply and is kid-friendly," Coleman said.

Meanwhile, growing concern over the West Nile virus and other insect borne illnesses has many parents purchasing insect-repellent clothing and bracelets so their children don't have to douse themselves in bug spray. Some companies are even creating organic insect repellent, as more consumers go green.

The added protection may seem excessive, but some scientists say warmer temperatures last winter may affect the pest population this summer.

"This winter, places in the U.S. didn't get as cold as it should have gotten. A lot of pests are killed off or reduced when you have a hard winter freeze," said Marcy Brown-Marsden, a biology professor at the University of Dallas.

She said some bugs, like ticks, may emerge earlier than usual because they haven't been killed off by a winter freeze.

"You find the same thing for some plants, like poison ivy. It emerges earlier and becomes bigger and more prolific," Brown-Marsden said.

Ecologist Os Schmitz said warmer temperatures earlier in the year are causing some insects to develop, and eventually die off, sooner than usual. So they may be less problematic for campers in late July and August.

"This is why August is a comparatively bug-free month. They can't tolerate the warm temperatures," said Schmitz, a professor at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

Some parents, though, say bugs are just part of the experience.

"In general, I think you can always count on bugs, rain and hot weather," said Gail Gold, whose three daughters are attending camp this year. "But I think because kids love camp so much, they trade in their air conditioners and are willing to deal with the outdoors to have the time of their life. It wouldn't be camp if you didn't get at least one mosquito bite."

Gold, a division leader at Camp Echo, said she's also seen kids bringing all sorts of fun gadgets to beat the heat, including battery-operated water spray fans.

"Camp is a great place to be silly," she says.