Tick protection

[Tap]

It's that time of the year. In fact for some of us the ticks have been active for quite a while. I've picked them off of me in temps as low as the mid 30s.
Most of us on this site know about treating clothes with permethrin. But for those out there that don't know about it, you need to learn about it.
Permethrin is a terrific, odorless (when dry) insecticide that is mostly used to treat clothing but it can be used on just about anything...gear, animals, buildings, and yards. It repels/kills ticks and mosquitos. I've had so-so results with biting flies. I spray my home for ants and carpenter bees. It works very well.
Permethrin is well known in the mosquito infested Boundary Waters Canoe Area. There are forums and threads that paddlers and campers discuss it. They talk about treating virtually every piece of gear. The stuff really works.
It can be bought in a pre-mixed aerosol (Sawyer is one brand), spray bottles, or a concentrate that you mix yourself so you can adjust strength. Tractor Supply sells it in several forms.

But here's something I just learned about so it prompted me to share it in this thread.
I've known about Insect Shield clothing for a long time. It's pre-treated line of clothing protects for 70 washings but the thing I just learned was that you can send them your own clothing and they will treat it.
That may be a more desirable option for some people than treating your own clothes.
Insect & Mosquito Repellent Clothing - Insect & Bug Protection | Insect Shield
Lyme Disease is a serious threat. It can mimic over 300 other diseases. Keep those ticks off of you.

 

[bowhunternw]

Good topic. One other thing that seems to cut about 90% of the ticks off me is wearing tall rubber boots. Tucking my pants into them and then treating my pants with permethrin seems to be quite effective. The last step I do at times, if I have a couple top layers that might be hiding one, is throw my clothes in the drier for 20 min when I get home. Supposedly they cant survive long in the heat.

 

[Tap]

Good topic. One other thing that seems to cut about 90% of the ticks off me is wearing tall rubber boots. Tucking my pants into them and then treating my pants with permethrin seems to be quite effective. The last step I do at times, if I have a couple top layers that might be hiding one, is throw my clothes in the drier for 20 min when I get home. Supposedly they cant survive long in the heat.

I've heard that they can survive the washing machine...any of you guys know if that's true?

SW. Pa.

 

[bigbendmarine]

I've heard that they can survive the washing machine...any of you guys know if that's true?

SW. Pa.

Not 100% sure about washing machine, but I know they sure stay attached through long hot showers. Blessed not to have gotten really sick off them yet, as between our warm temps down south and spending lots of time working in my woods and fields I find them attached way more than I wish I did.

Interesting thing I've noted as has my wife on the medical side of things (she's a skin doc) is that increasingly over the years it seems folks (myself included) are having pretty adverse welts / itching spots after detachment even if the entire tick is removed.

 

[bowhunternw]

I think you are right about the washing machine, but I skip that step and just throw them in the drier.

http://blog.aarp.org/2013/04/03/to-kill-ticks-dry-clothes-then-wash-them/

 

[yoderjac]

I didn't see anything regarding effectiveness. What has worked well for me is permethrin. You don't apply it to your skin, but to your clothes. I use coveralls. For years, I hunted spring gobbler every day of our season which is about a month and a half long. When I was doing that, I would spray my coveralls in the beginning of the season. If I did not get caught in the rain, I only had to reapply it once during the season. There were times I would be sitting still for turkey, and spy one crawling up my leg. I'd just sit and watch it. After a few minutes it would die. As the season wears on, I would see them crawl on my leg for a while then jump off but not die quickly. That was my cue to reapply.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[bbcoach]

Definitely Permethrin!!! Go to a farm supply or garden center and ask for 10% permethrin and mix 1 ounce to 20 ounces of water in a spray bottle (.5%) and spray down every thing you hunt in. Let it dry and your good to go. If you wash your clothes often then reapply in a couple of weeks. Good Stuff.

 

[nitro27]

Definitely Permethrin!!! Go to a farm supply or garden center and ask for 10% permethrin and mix 1 ounce to 20 ounces of water in a spray bottle (.5%) and spray down every thing you hunt in. Let it dry and your good to go. If you wash your clothes often then reapply in a couple of weeks. Good Stuff.

Good advice, bbcoach beat me to it. Just an old - slow football player, as usual a day late and a dollar short...

 

[Bill]

If you're having a hard time finding permathrin look in the horse section at the farm supply store. It's used as a concentrate for fly spray on horses. Usually 10%.
Good reminder Tap.

 

[Someday isle]

Another permethrin fan here. Last year I cleared over a mile of trails that we eventually turned into our 1300 yards of food plots, access trails and a half acre overgrown campground area. This was nothing but three to four foot tall weeds and brush. I sprayed my clothes with permethrin once a month and wore rubber boots with my pants tucked in. I never had one tick or chiggar bite (except for a chiggar bite on my hand) My brother in law helped me and in one day he had 10 ticks on him and his clothes. I'm sold on the stuff.

Great reminder thread Tap! Thanks.

 

[Tap]

Glad to help. Tick prevention is something I tend to overlook instead of being proactive about it. Definitely something to be ahead of for prevention and not wait until you're picking the evil creatures out of your skin.
I bought a gallon of 38% permethrin from domyownpestcontrol.com
I mix it to different strengths depending on the application.
It defiantly is the best for ticks but it's also great for household pests. We have a bad problem with carpenter bees boring into cedar trim and other wood stuctures. We have carpenter ants, too. I load up my sprayer that I use for herbicides and hose down the trouble spots. No more bees or ants.
The stuff is labeled for use on animals, too. Also treats termites as well.
It's wonderful stuff.
Wonder how long it will be until the EPA outlaws it?

 

[bbcoach]

When tap says animals, he means dogs, cattle and horses. DO NOT get it around cats, DEADLY!!!

 

[Tap]

When tap says animals, he means dogs, cattle and horses. DO NOT get it around cats DEADLY!!!

Sorry about that. READ ALL LABELS ON ALL CHEMICALS that we use.
Never take for granted stuff like this that you read on forums. Spell check, brevity, poor punctuation or grammar can make for some misconceptions.
Sometimes our devices screw up our intended wording and sometimes it's just us...read the label before using any chemicals.

SW. Pa.

 

[buckdeer1]

That is true use the spray,i have had lyme twice and Rocky mountain once and my wife and daughter each getting lyme once also.There are many other diseases that are as bad or worse and more being found every year.A new one from kansas last year called Barbour and then another that makes you allergic to eating red meat.

 

[Tap]

That is true use the spray,i have had lyme twice and Rocky mountain once and my wife and daughter each getting lyme once also.There are many other diseases that are as bad or worse and more being found every year.A new one from kansas last year called Barbour and then another that makes you allergic to eating red meat.

The tick diseases just keep coming.
A buddy was telling me about a new one that mimics malaria.
Ticks have to be one of God's most vile creatures. Use permethrin or deet, but don't assume that, someday, you won't get bit by one of these little bastards.
Treat your clothes! Lyme or any number of tick diseases can ruin your life. NO EXAGGERATION!

SW. Pa.

 

[ats002]

The tick diseases just keep coming.
A buddy was telling me about a new one that mimics malaria.
Ticks have to be one of God's most vile creatures. Use permethrin or deet, but don't assume that, someday, you won't get bit by one of these little bastards.
Treat your clothes! Lyme or any number of tick diseases can ruin your life. NO EXAGGERATION!

SW. Pa.

Unfortunately... you are right about Lyme disease. I was put in the hospital for two weeks in 2015. To this this day my hands cramp (very painful) and my knees and ankles will do the same.

Very stressful time in my life. The either thought I had Leukemia or a tick borne illness. So in perspective I was glad to have the other L.

Take this stuff serious! I wouldn't wish those couple weeks on anyone.

Andrew


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[Smallplot]

Always keep one set of clothes permed up for spring. Hat to shoes and ready to go at moments notice as sometimes I have to go to the woods on a moments notice.

My son when he was young got Lyme disease from a tick bite while at his uncles playing in the yard. Lucky we caught it early but always be mindful of the bullseye appearing following a bite and if it gets bigger than a 50 cent piece better take a trip to dr just to be sure. That can be a horrible disease to cure.

Good info guys!


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[Bowsnbucks]

I have a good friend that got Lyme disease and didn't know he'd been bitten by a tick. After several trips to a Dr. for various symptoms, the Doc did a Lyme test and he had it. He lost the use of his right arm for a while and it took months for re-hab to get him back to 100% use. He's OK now - but a LONG ordeal to suffer through.

Thanks Tap for the spring-time heads-up !! Spray away.

 

[Tap]

I have a good friend that got Lyme disease and didn't know he'd been bitten by a tick. After several trips to a Dr. for various symptoms, the Doc did a Lyme test and he had it. He lost the use of his right arm for a while and it took months for re-hab to get him back to 100% use. He's OK now - but a LONG ordeal to suffer through.

Thanks Tap for the spring-time heads-up !! Spray away.

You're welcome.
Be aware...Lyme disease is very tricky to test for. A lot of tests come back negative but the patient DOES have Lyme.
I know some people that happened to. And the longer it takes to start treatment, the worse the disease is. Don't assume the test results are always correct.
There are labs that will test ticks. If you get bitten, it might be a good idea to keep the tick for testing. I'm not sure, but I think it costs less than $50 to have a tick tested to see if it carried Lyme disease.

SW. Pa.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Tap - You're 100% correct on the test accuracy. I have medical folks in the family - they said the same thing you did. Good idea to test twice at spaced intervals.