Tick prevention!
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- Start date
Frank G
Well-Known Member
Permethrin (Sawyer) yellow and black spray bottle. You can purchase at Wally World, hands down the best we have ever used. It is NOT for skin, hang cloths and spray down well and let air dry. Eveything you are planing to ware EVERYTHING! Good for a couple of washings. I watched a tick crawl up my boot, it wasn't half way up, fell off dead.
whiskey
Well-Known Member
Not everyone agrees but...
OK, this post if for your information and is only to help you make a choice between the available options. I don't promise that my recipe will not cause skin cancer or turn you into a zombie after prolonged use. Do the research for yourself, or use a commercial mix. Always follow the manufacture's instructions and precautions.
Permethrin is a popular and well known treatment for ticks, chiggers, mites and other biting insects. It is often marketed as a mosquito repellent, but it doesn't actually repel any insect. What it does do is kill insects that come into contact with the treated fabric. IT IS NOT APPROVED TO PUT ON YOUR SKIN! This is intended to be applied to your clothes or gear prior to use and allowed to fully dry before contacting your skin.
There are several commercially available options that are directly marketed towards outdoor sportsmen. Here are the most popular options:
REPEL brand sold "Permanone Tick Repellent" aerosol for year in an orange and blue can. Now they sell it as "Mosquito Stop", but it is basically the same stuff.
Coulston's Duranon Tick Repellent is a similar aerosol spray with the same percentage of permethrin. This can often be found at your local Co-Op or hunting supply store.
Sawyer's Tick Repellent is a newer popular option. It is available at some Wal-Marts and some Richard's and other big box stores. It is supposed to be FDA approved for use on clothing for human.
The first "Homemade Permethrin" recipe I tried was using DurationTM 10% Permethrin mixed with water to make a .5% concentration which I poured into spray bottles. This was a much cheaper option than the 3 listed above. However, Duration got more expensive and harder to find so I moved to my current brand. It used to claim to be the "ONLY" FDA approved 10% concentrate approved for use on clothing for humans.
Currently, and for the past 2 years I have used Martin's 10% Permethrin to mix with water and make a spray treatment for my hunting and hiking clothes.
I buy mine here: HERE
Martin's is not FDA approved for a clothing treatment for humans. DID YOU READ THAT STATEMENT?
With that said, I have done quite a bit of research into the various permethrin mixtures available. Most are marketed toward treatment of ticks and mites on Cattle, Dogs and other Livestock. Many of these are not suitable for clothing treatments because they contain a percentage of petroleum to aid in the sticking on cattle and other livestock. This is the same for the permethrin lawn treatment products that are available at Home Depot and Lowes. Lot's of people have used these, but from what I have read it's safer to avoid the products that list petroleum in the ingredients.
I buy the 16oz bottle of Martin's 10% Permethrin and mix it with 2.5 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket. The mix to get to .5% is 6.4 ounces per gallon of water or 1oz to 20 oz of water. Lots of folks use 1oz to 15oz of water, that gives you .625% and is stronger than needed, but fits nicely in a 16oz spray bottle. My mix makes it just less than .5%, but I can tell you from experience that it is completely effective at killing ticks. I have found many dead ticks on my treated clothing. After I mix up a bucket, I dip my clothes in, wearing gloves, I wring out the clothes back into the bucket. I dipped 5 pairs of pants, 5 shirts and a couple sets of base layers this years. I still had enough left in the bucket to fill 3 16oz spray bottles for reapplications. In the past 3 years I have had ZERO tick bites. I have found a few on me, both dead and alive. No seed tick attacks, no chigger attacks, and it does kill mosquitoes if they stay in contact with the fabric.
I also use Martin's to mix up a tick dip for my dogs. I follow the instructions provided with the bottle to make the dog dip. I used it on both my dogs and have not seen any sign of skin irritation. I left a tick on my dog and sprayed it with the dog dip and the next day the tick had fallen off. I assume it died. There are no fleas or ticks on my dogs so I am a believer that the dip works. BTW, the dog dip mix is many times weaker than the .5% that I use for clothing. Don't use the .5% mix on your dogs and don't use it in any mixture on cats.
Please remember this is a poison. Do not use the mix bucket for any other purpose. Do not use the spray bottles for any other purpose. Make sure you take care to prevent contamination to unintended areas. Do a little research and you will find that Permethrin is a very versatile insecticide and has lots of useful applications around the house and farm.
OK, this post if for your information and is only to help you make a choice between the available options. I don't promise that my recipe will not cause skin cancer or turn you into a zombie after prolonged use. Do the research for yourself, or use a commercial mix. Always follow the manufacture's instructions and precautions.
Permethrin is a popular and well known treatment for ticks, chiggers, mites and other biting insects. It is often marketed as a mosquito repellent, but it doesn't actually repel any insect. What it does do is kill insects that come into contact with the treated fabric. IT IS NOT APPROVED TO PUT ON YOUR SKIN! This is intended to be applied to your clothes or gear prior to use and allowed to fully dry before contacting your skin.
There are several commercially available options that are directly marketed towards outdoor sportsmen. Here are the most popular options:
REPEL brand sold "Permanone Tick Repellent" aerosol for year in an orange and blue can. Now they sell it as "Mosquito Stop", but it is basically the same stuff.
Coulston's Duranon Tick Repellent is a similar aerosol spray with the same percentage of permethrin. This can often be found at your local Co-Op or hunting supply store.
Sawyer's Tick Repellent is a newer popular option. It is available at some Wal-Marts and some Richard's and other big box stores. It is supposed to be FDA approved for use on clothing for human.
The first "Homemade Permethrin" recipe I tried was using DurationTM 10% Permethrin mixed with water to make a .5% concentration which I poured into spray bottles. This was a much cheaper option than the 3 listed above. However, Duration got more expensive and harder to find so I moved to my current brand. It used to claim to be the "ONLY" FDA approved 10% concentrate approved for use on clothing for humans.
Currently, and for the past 2 years I have used Martin's 10% Permethrin to mix with water and make a spray treatment for my hunting and hiking clothes.
I buy mine here: HERE
Martin's is not FDA approved for a clothing treatment for humans. DID YOU READ THAT STATEMENT?
With that said, I have done quite a bit of research into the various permethrin mixtures available. Most are marketed toward treatment of ticks and mites on Cattle, Dogs and other Livestock. Many of these are not suitable for clothing treatments because they contain a percentage of petroleum to aid in the sticking on cattle and other livestock. This is the same for the permethrin lawn treatment products that are available at Home Depot and Lowes. Lot's of people have used these, but from what I have read it's safer to avoid the products that list petroleum in the ingredients.
I buy the 16oz bottle of Martin's 10% Permethrin and mix it with 2.5 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket. The mix to get to .5% is 6.4 ounces per gallon of water or 1oz to 20 oz of water. Lots of folks use 1oz to 15oz of water, that gives you .625% and is stronger than needed, but fits nicely in a 16oz spray bottle. My mix makes it just less than .5%, but I can tell you from experience that it is completely effective at killing ticks. I have found many dead ticks on my treated clothing. After I mix up a bucket, I dip my clothes in, wearing gloves, I wring out the clothes back into the bucket. I dipped 5 pairs of pants, 5 shirts and a couple sets of base layers this years. I still had enough left in the bucket to fill 3 16oz spray bottles for reapplications. In the past 3 years I have had ZERO tick bites. I have found a few on me, both dead and alive. No seed tick attacks, no chigger attacks, and it does kill mosquitoes if they stay in contact with the fabric.
I also use Martin's to mix up a tick dip for my dogs. I follow the instructions provided with the bottle to make the dog dip. I used it on both my dogs and have not seen any sign of skin irritation. I left a tick on my dog and sprayed it with the dog dip and the next day the tick had fallen off. I assume it died. There are no fleas or ticks on my dogs so I am a believer that the dip works. BTW, the dog dip mix is many times weaker than the .5% that I use for clothing. Don't use the .5% mix on your dogs and don't use it in any mixture on cats.
Please remember this is a poison. Do not use the mix bucket for any other purpose. Do not use the spray bottles for any other purpose. Make sure you take care to prevent contamination to unintended areas. Do a little research and you will find that Permethrin is a very versatile insecticide and has lots of useful applications around the house and farm.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
I use the Sawyers and it works amazingly well, just follow the instructions and you'll be fine.
One lesson I learned the hard way about ticks is there are things they pass along that are no fun. I now suffer from an allergy to meat because of a tick bite. I cannot consume any beef or pork without going into anaphylactic shock and almost dying without medical attention.
Preventing tick bites should be taken very seriously by everyone because the risks are very high that the impact may last for the rest of your life if you get nailed by the right tick
One lesson I learned the hard way about ticks is there are things they pass along that are no fun. I now suffer from an allergy to meat because of a tick bite. I cannot consume any beef or pork without going into anaphylactic shock and almost dying without medical attention.
Preventing tick bites should be taken very seriously by everyone because the risks are very high that the impact may last for the rest of your life if you get nailed by the right tick
yup, have had 3 friends in the past 3 years get lyme disease from tick bites
i got lymes disease from a tick two years ago and I am still not right. very scary fellas. really breaks your immune system down.
I mix permethrim and water in a spray bottle and spray my clothes in them. I did not pull one tick off of me last year.
I mix permethrim and water in a spray bottle and spray my clothes in them. I did not pull one tick off of me last year.
im so paranoid about it i spray my clothes down like every 3 days lol. I HATE ticks.
Grizzly Johnson
Well-Known Member
I have sprayed down my boots & leafy suit before season and mid season If I sweat alot.... not had any ticks on me since I started treating 2 seasons ago....
I have tried many different chemical products and I have not had one that works successfully. I hunt a farm south of Clarksville that is absolutely POLLUTED with ticks. So bad that you can see them moving in the leaves while waiting on that long beard. There have been evenings that I have came in and pulled off over 100 ticks. I'm lucky to have not gotten any tick born illness to date. What I have found that works the best for me is underarmour heat gear. It has to be the compression type. If you strategically tuck in your socks and gloves in under heat gear, the only place a tick has to gain access is your neck. This is not the most comfortable way to hunt on a warm day but I don't have to worry about any ticks except on my head. It works amazingly well. Plus I don't have to worry about strong chemicals around my family.
I also failed to mention, the days when I picked so many of those ticks off, I sprayed down me and my clothes with everything from permethrin to bens 95% deet. Nothing worked against the Clarksville tick population.
catman529
Well-Known Member
I made a video showing what I use. it's cheaper than Sawyer and works just as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaktQlnxdqc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaktQlnxdqc
Nsghunter
Well-Known Member
has anyone used tea tree oil? A UT prof. did a study and found it repeled lice.
stik
Well-Known Member
2in1shot said:
I would abandon that place or burn it to the ground!!!
LanceS4803
Well-Known Member
2in1shot said:
Yep!
Got so many seed ticks on me while bow hunting that I had to go to the doctor for shots due to the toxic effect.
Nasty little buggers up there.
LanceS4803
Well-Known Member
Pyrethrin. Works amazingly well.
Since I started spraying down my clothes, haven't had a single tick on me. You can watch them walk on your sleeve, die and fall off.
As an alternative to Sawyer's, Tractor Supply sells pyrethrin. Works just as well, at a fraction of the cost, but has a petroleum smell until is has not only dried, but air out a couple of days.
Turkeys don't care, but I don't use during deer season.
Since I started spraying down my clothes, haven't had a single tick on me. You can watch them walk on your sleeve, die and fall off.
As an alternative to Sawyer's, Tractor Supply sells pyrethrin. Works just as well, at a fraction of the cost, but has a petroleum smell until is has not only dried, but air out a couple of days.
Turkeys don't care, but I don't use during deer season.
Great minds think alike because I do the same.REN said:
Gravey said:
I do a refresher every morning before I leave the truck.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
sawyer works great i spray everything down the night before opening day and then continue to refresh it throughout the season. i never get chiggers and more and very very rarely get a tick off of me any more.
@fulldraw
Well-Known Member
Your best defense against ticks is thoroughly checking yourself after returning home.
