After the fifth person I know got Lyman disease and after getting three ticks on me after cutting brush on Saturday morning, I figured I had to do something before starting a big survey job at the beginning of tick season.
After researching the subject, it looks like DEET is pretty much ineffective against ticks, so I picked up some Permethrein. Permethrin is NOT applied to the skin. You hang your survey clothes on a clothesline (outside), spray, and let dry. The protection will last six weeks; even through a few launderings. The ticks are suppose to drop off your clothes almost immediately and it will actually kill them if they stay on more than a few seconds. It will probably kill me too, but at least, not right off.
Perry, let us know how that works for you....I hate Ticks to pieces....nothing worse then cutting line, sweating, and then feeling something crawling on ya, usually happens to me when I'm driving home from the job....and I usually freak out when I find a tick at 80 mph....
I recently apparently got Lyme disease, also, after thousands of ticks.
This little feller left the classic "bulls eye" and was irritant.
I went to the DR, and he gave me some shots and pills.
Must've got it in time, didn't have any adverse symptoms, or not much. I've read that they only leave the "bulls eye" about half the time when contracting the disease, and it is often difficult to diagnose.
I'm fortunate and thankful, and will look into Permethrin.
Not sure about the permethrin, but the following DOES work.
Dog collars around the ankles will keep them from crawling up your leg.
A sock with sulfur that is "dusted" on you by hitting the sock against your clothes will keep them off.
For whatever reason, eating garlic in larger than normal quantities appears to be bad news for the little critters.
For me, I'm a garlic kind of guy. I've used the dog collars in the past but now, just eat lots of garlic. Most of the time, the guys are picking them off of them and I'm not.
Permethrin is a repellant for mosquitoes but is actually an arachnicide (kills chiggers as well as ticks!). I think it works with leeches as well, though I don’t know if it kills them or not.
I grew up in the South and was pretty well freaked out by deer ticks when I first made their acquaintance a couple of years ago when I moved to the Northeast. I haven’t seen a tick attached or even working its way around my clothing since I started using permethrin last fall nor any Lyme symptoms (knock on wood). I actually replied to a post on the topic at a hiking site the other day if you don’t mind me just linking to it rather than retyping. BLUF: I don’t go into the woods or do yard work without and recommend it with only Bill93’s caveat to keep it away from cats and fish.
I'll back up Kris on this one.
When I was in the field, I used to keep a sock with sulfur in it and dust the lower legs when I got out of the truck in the morning.
You can also put a pinch in something you eat or drink every few days or so. It taste's nasty, but if you are intolerant to sulfur (remember sulfa drugs?), don't do it. The problem is, the tick's won't get on you, but no one else will want to be near you either after you start sweating it out.
use permethrin on old bootlaces. take them out of old boot, treat laces w/ chemical. peg your pants and wrap with chem treated laces. has worked for me well for past couple years. the ticks will not stay on you for long. and with the chem on the laces only, you limit your own body's exposure to a very toxic chemical.
maryland ticks are getting hungry these days.
stay safe and healthy
I used it last year and it seemed to work great, well at least I didn't find anymore ticks after a day in the brush.
A flea and tick collar (a few still use Permethrin as an active ingredient) for dogs around your boot ankles works good in grass. In the woods those little bastards drop out the trees...and I can't find a tick collar big enough to get around my fat neck.
Perry:
Is Permethrin available wherever fine insecticides are sold? or where do I get some?
Perry-
FYI
http://www.ehow.com/about_5510580_pyrethrin-vs-permethrin.html
Cheers
Derek
PS-
We must not be paying our taxes as you do to get such benefits as ticks !
Perry:
I get it at Cabelas, but I imagine most any outdoor store would have the good stuff.
purchasing permethrin
In Western Massachusetts I have only seen it available at outdoors outfitters (EMS type stores). I’ve only ever seen the aerosol treatment for sale here; the other home treatment option is via a soak, but I have never seen this on the shelves anywhere in Berkshire County.
Another option is permethrin-impregnated clothing. I own one shirt and a pair of gaiters and both have worked well for me. They weren’t cheap but the advantage they offer is that the permethrin remains effective through about 70 washes rather than four to six as home treatments do. Insect shield seems to be the most common branding for permethrin-impregnated clothing but there are a couple of others.
Perry,
I have been using this for the last 4-5 years on my surveying and hunting clothes and have found it very effective
it contains 0.5% permethrn and is in a pump bottle. Be wary of the aerosol applicators as you will end up inhaling no matter how hard you try not to. They claim it is good for 6 washes but I reapply after 3.
I bought this years supply at Dick's
Jim Vianna
Derek, that's what I used to say.
> Perry-
> We must not be paying our taxes as you do to get such benefits as ticks !
That's what I used to say. Never had a tick on me in NH until 10 years ago. They apparently moved north.
Derek, that's what I used to say.
Glad we could spread the love around (lyme disease is named after old lyme, CT). Thanks for the tips.
Derek, that's what I used to say.
i don't know which is cheaper, but your pharmacy will have the get rid of lice kits. active ingredient; permethryn