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Insect & Pest Repellent Body Sprays:
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Thermacells work like a magical force field. I've used them hunting in the early fall and you can actually see the mosquitos not entering a small bubble around you.
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This one linked is bigger and works better for hanging out, the small ones work well for one person.
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Good luck! A few years ago, I started treating my designated hiking clothing with Permethrin. Combine that with Picaridin on my skin and I haven't had a tick since. https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-Permethrin-Clothing-Repellent/dp/B07CD9NFB4?th=1
Get yourself some permethrin spray to treat you clothing (This is marketed for horses but it has the same amount of active ingredient as the Sawyer) . When the tick climbs onto you, it will die within minutes. The treatment should last 6 washes/6 weeks.
It's best if you combine that with DEET or Icaridin on your skin.
https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-Permethrin-Clothing-Repellent/dp/B001ANQVYU?th=1
They sell it at most outdoor stores. Lasts 6 washings or 6 weeks. Treat shoes, socks, pants, shirts, backpacks, hats.
Note:Keeps cats away while applying and from damp clothes until they dry-it's very toxic to them. After it dries it's ok.
Regular full-body tick checks for you and the fam.
Frontline for the pets.
Vacuum for the house/furniture.
Hot wash/dry for the laundry.
Permethrin for spraying on everything (except your skin and the pets. It's safe for skin contact after it dries). This is the magic ingredient!!! You can buy it at local WalMart, or Amazon. Also, if you and the fam like to adventure outside in wild foliage, pre-treat clothes by soaking them in Permethrin.
Cut back wild foliage around the home. Ticks like to climb on tops/edges of foliage and "quest", which means they wait for humans/pets to walk by and brush against the foliage, then the ticks cling on to them.
I've been on a tick study binge ever since camping like a noob and bringing some home. This is the best intel I've gathered, so far.
Permethrin is your friend, not just for ticks but for insects, as well. You can also buy it cheaper as a concentrate and dilute yourself.
You do have to be cautious if you have cats, though (wouldn't personally recommend in that case). I treat my family's "hiking clothes" this time of year and it usually gives good protection for the season. You can also treat hammocks and such.
No lo contrates, vienen muchas cosas en las letras chiquitas que no te dicen y luego es un problema cancelarlo.
Jokes aside, yo acabo de ir hace un mes y se supone que si hay zika, o eso nos dijeron tanto en el hotel como en Tulum, usa repelente, ya que si hay mucho mosquito, recuerda que es zona de manglares. A nosotros no nos pasó nada ya que si usabamos el repelente muy seguido, la verdad el que ellos venden no funciona tanto, me lleve uno que compré en amazon, pero vivo en frontera así que es facil para mi comprar por ahí. Este es el que usé.
I got a tick bite on every ride for a few weeks last year when I did the following:
Treated my riding shoes/socks with permethrin (poison/repellent, BAD FOR CATS):
https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP649-Permethrin-Repellent/dp/B001ANQVZE/
Sprayed my legs from the thigh down with 40% deet insect repellent. Didn't have a single tick the rest of the summer.
Everyone in my group bags Repel 100.
https://www.amazon.com/Repel-Insect-Repellent-Single-Bottle/dp/B004H89KFC
Anything with Deet is going to be good. Spray it on your pants legs, arms, etc...
You can also get 40% pure Pyrethin from Amazon. Mix that down to 0.5% and you can soak your socks, etc... In it. Once it dries, you are good to wear.
Treat your clothes with permethrin. It literally kills ticks as they climb your clothes. Used to have ticks on me plenty of times while hunting or backpacking, since using this to treat my pants, boots, socks, haven't had a single tick on me in years. It does an okay job at repelling mosquitoes, they'll still buzz around you but rarely land.
It's supposed to be safe to use and be around, but take standard common sense precautions like not inhaling it, or wearing the clothes while they are still wet from being sprayed.
That is a great place but 100% correct on the mosquito issue. Last time there I used 30% deet (Repel 100) and had great luck with it, not a single bite. (this was the product https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H89KFC/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ultrarevie-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004H89KFC&linkId=3d6fa83f23234cb8e8a40d7d87dc1e74 )
Great point. I remember my first few nights out solo (not a thru hike, just backpacking) and I was all concerned with what I'd do if I ran into a large animal.
Then I realized you almost never hear of anyone having any serious encounters with large animals. However, it's fairly common to hear of people dealing with ticks. Lyme is nothing to take lightly. If not treated early and properly it will send your life down a completely different tangent.
Yes, definitely Permethrin. We douse all of our gear in it usually 2-3 times per season (Maine doesn't have very long summers). You can buy it at WalMart or on Amazon.
SectionHiker recently did an article about using stronger industrial type permethrin (rather than Sawyer branded) to soak your clothing. Good article and goes into the safety of working with the substance.
Permethrin is great. Highly recommend it and thanks for bring it up.
I second the thermacell if you are sitting in one location. Got tired of buying those little butane cartridges and and bought one of these that runs on camp stove fuel. On my second year with current large canister. A bigger investment but less fooling around in the long run.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077ZMVMGD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's a treatment for clothes and doesn't go on skin. It's similar to pet flea tick prevention.
You can buy clothing that is factory treated from companies like Insect Shield. Or buy the spray bottle and DIY.
I’m pretty familiar with the ERL. I went late last year in December and early this year around March. In December (temps around 25°-40°) we took my Golden Retriever and he got over over 10 ticks. About 7 stuck on him (no ticks on my wife and I) since his fur is long as we couldn’t see them. Luckily we got his blood results back a couple of months later and everything was ok. In March (temps 45°-75°) we didn’t see any even though we missed a turn and had to bushwack.
Some parts of the trail were already overgrown with shrubs so I would guess it’s even more so now. I would definitely treat my gear with Permethrin. I ordered mine through Amazon, but I do have an REI near me.
See if you can find Picaridin also sold by Sawyer. I use it on exposed skin in combination with Permethrin. It doesn’t damage gear like Deet does and helps keep ticks at bay.
This is the link Sawyer permethrin! $29 on Amazon.
permethrin on the shoes every month is a good precaution. On pant legs too if you're around tall grass
lemme see if i can find the exact thing here: full disclosure, i haven't tested it but some DNR guys recommended it to me... those are out forestry guys. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ANQVZE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Forget the bug spray, get them this. Silent, scentless, extremely effective in most situations. Toxic to kitty cats, so warn them about that.
They all work well. Mine are the old non-battery ones that run off of the gas cylinder to heat the replenent. I have three that I usually set up in a triangle pattern around camp or a picnic table. But I've heard others working just as well. Just remember, they're not bug zappers, they emit a scent repellent so they take a little bit to get the area saturated.
You can soak the lines with Sawyer Permethrin. That should be safe for most strap materials, and provides protection that can last for months.
I just carry one of these portable Thermacells with me when I'm gonna be outside when the mosquitos are bad. It works great, as long as you let it heat up for 5 minutes or so before going out into the mosquito zone.
I use https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CD9NFB4?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_ypp_rep_k1_1_6&amp&crid=3M8WETPX5VRV9&amp&sprefix=sawyer on my clothes. Maybe just lucky but no ticks yet (Houston region)
I bought one of these and it works pretty well in my back yard. (I don't live near a swamp or anything)
It's basically a small heating element that throws off a chemical repellant. The trick is that you need to let it sit and do its thing for 15 minutes or so before it really helps much. The refills aren't super-cheap (they last like 4-6 hours total I think), but if you need something small, cheap, portable, and not greasy, it's a decent option.
That's not how I was told, but I could be very wrong. I was under the impression that Neem affects the bugs, and not the leaves.
> Azadirachtin has been identified as neem’s principal active compound. It acts on insects by repelling them, by inhibiting feeding, and by disrupting their growth, metamorphosis and reproduction
Just a quick google find, not sure of its veracity.
Whereas Pyrethrum can be sprayed on clothes and its effects will last through ~6 washes and thwart ticks and lice and whatnot.
I got this product and have had good results. Ticks dead on my shoes and socks and whatnot. Pyrethrum is what I used as a bug bomb for Spidermites in the past too. Works like a charm.
Neem works great for Spidermites when you have an infestation. I know that works.
I treat my tent, rain fly, and ground tarp with this before the event:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ANQVYU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It helps to keep mosquitos away, but it also helps to keep ticks away. Seems to be pretty effective.
It's the active ingredient in most bug spray. They sell it in the 100% bottles in most "army stores" if you're near a major installation. If not here's the Amazon link
Repel 100 Insect Repellent Pump Spray, Bug Spray, 4 fl oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H89KFC/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_00X8WY3THGM5BBV8ZZ11?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have one of these and use it almost daily.
Thermacell E-Series Rechargeable Mosquito Repeller with 20' Mosquito Protection Zone; 5.5-Hr+ Battery Life; Includes 12-Hr Refill; No Flame or Scent; DEET-Free Bug Spray Alternative https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PDNCMMN/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_8FFV9H3YDY2F7Y9WDZ1R
This one came recommended by Wirecutter (NYT's review service) and I have found it be helpful:
You can buy spray-on permethrin and make your own clothes insect repellent: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ANQVYU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I've used that stuff with decent success. I found that it changed the texture of the clothes that I used it on somewhat (made cotton a bit stiffer). Definitely try it out on something that isn't your favorite article of clothing first.
Mostly, I just get used to dousing myself with repellent (I like the picaridin-based kinds, they don't stink like deet), and then showering as soon as I get home.