Ticks

[+cdisanto09]

So I just started geocaching with my boys (ages 8 and 3) and are having a blast. A great reason to be together in the woods, exploring, and getting dirty. My wife is really concerned about ticks. I've pulled a few off myself this past weekend and now she assumes we are all getting Lyme's disease. None on the boys yet. I keep telling her its just a part of being outdoors, but also promised her that I would explore some techniques to keep 'em off us. I've read the posts about what to wear and it makes sense, but what about bug repellant sprays? Do any of them work, are they safe for the kids? I'd appreciate your thoughts and you all loaning me some of your experience.

 

-Chris.

[+mrreet]

Use a bug spray with a high DEET percentage (greater than 20%) to repel ticks. Permethrin can also work when applied to outdoor clothing.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/features/stopticks/

[+K13]

Pyrethrin spray to treat your clothing and DEET for exposed skin for you. Maybe try Avon Skin-So-Soft for the kiddos.

[+kunarion]

The repellant sprays must be used with a plan. Follow the directions. Re-apply on a strict schedule.

 

The problem with repellents is the ticks survive being “repelled”. They're hardy bugs. So they end up on a backpack or folds in clothing, they get carried into the car, even carried into the house. That's a problem unless you wear repellents whenever in the car or house . And if you're in an area where you get ticks while Geocaching, you get ticks during other activities as well.

 

There is Permethrin-treated clothing that kills ticks on contact. It's expensive, but very effective. I was a tick magnet until I bought a couple sets of those clothes, and now find no ticks at all. It really is a difference of night and day. The factory impregnated clothing lasts “the life of the clothes". There's a spray for shoes, hats, etc. (although I also bought a professionally treated hat ).

 

It's less expensive to use DEET repellent, and have a quarantine area to check for ticks. Then wash all the clothing.

Edited April 21, 2014 by kunarion

[+fuzziebear3]

Use the repellents as you feel safe to do so .... beyond that, check, check, check.

 

As you get back to the car, check your clothes and skin and items such as backpacks before putting them in the car.

When you get home, put your clothes in the wash, and check your skin, and shower well.

You can also do quick checks while you are still out, maybe at each cache site.

 

Hopefully you find them before the bite/attach. But the sooner you find them and remove them, the safer you will be.

[+cerberus1]

A fews bouts of Lyme disease (and recurring for 10+ years) had me looking for something better than DEET.

It's greasy, stinks, melts most plastics and doesn't repel ticks well enough for it's use (for me).

 

Guinea pig for lymerix (failed), a CDC person introduced me to permethrin.

Applied to all outdoor gear (clothes, socks, hat, pack...), I've been tick-free for years.

[+cerberus1]

When you get home, put your clothes in the wash, and check your skin, and shower well.

If caching with others, I mention to put their clothes in the dryer for 15 minutes.

The buggers are hardy enough to survive a washing, but not the heat of the dryer.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Vigilance after each outing from the vehicle. 'Tis your best defense.

 

Our (adult) son, with me once while geocaching, started picking ticks off in the vehicle and throwing them on the floor.... Yes, we had words about that (not-so-sensible) move. I suppose what made it worse, was that we weren't even moving yet... I hadn't started the vehicle to leave. He now engages his brain a bit more BEFORE leaving offensive critters in my truck!

 

I believe having him hunt up each and every one that he tossed on the floor did the trick.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

When you get home, put your clothes in the wash, and check your skin, and shower well.

If caching with others, I mention to put their clothes in the dryer for 15 minutes.

The buggers are hardy enough to survive a washing, but not the heat of the dryer.

Make 'em dizzy... then cook 'em

 

Add tennis shoes to the dryer and really get 'em good!

[+cerberus1]

When you get home, put your clothes in the wash, and check your skin, and shower well.

If caching with others, I mention to put their clothes in the dryer for 15 minutes.

The buggers are hardy enough to survive a washing, but not the heat of the dryer.

Make 'em dizzy... then cook 'em

 

Add tennis shoes to the dryer and really get 'em good!

And you get the satisfaction (getting even) of seeing their dead carcasses on the lint screen.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

We've been successful using the 40 % Deet....especially for red bugs which = 9 days of hell.

Re Permethrin, is it sold by brand name ?

[+kunarion]

DEET.

It's greasy, stinks, melts most plastics and doesn't repel ticks well enough for it's use (for me).

Me, too! Mosquitoes drink the DEET as an aperitif before dining on me . Ticks don't seem to notice it. I'm just plain too attractive. That is, attractive to bugs .

 

introduced me to permethrin.

Applied to all outdoor gear (clothes, socks, hat, pack...), I've been tick-free for years.

I have commercially treated Permethrin clothing (plus the hand spray for accessories). The first time I saw a tick on my jeans, and it instantly died there, I knew that was the answer -- but I also knew that Permethrin is not a toy. Follow the directions. And it may be no good for everyone, depending on one's medical conditions.

[+cerberus1]

We've been successful using the 40 % Deet....especially for red bugs which = 9 days of hell.

Re Permethrin, is it sold by brand name ?

I get Sawyer permethrin in the 24oz pump spray.

REI and Cabela's carry it.

[+kunarion]

We've been successful using the 40 % Deet....especially for red bugs which = 9 days of hell.

Re Permethrin, is it sold by brand name ?

Couple of brands of insect repellent clothing, search "Insect Repellent Clothing" . If you go to a sports store, look for "Sawyer" spray (and there are other brands). Permethrin takes advanced planning, since (if using the spray) clothing must be treated and dried. It's poison, don't get the liquid on any living thing that is not a tick.

 

For a quick caching trip with non-treated clothes, have that deep-woods DEET on hand, especially for areas of bare skin. Regardless of the repellent or poison, a skin check is a good idea after you get back from the wilds.

Edited April 21, 2014 by kunarion

[GPS-Hermit]

In addition to all the good advice - keep a sharp eye out for tall grass and avoid it if possible - ticks hang out on tall grass and hitch-hike as something passes by. Lime decease can also be mis-diagnosed cause the ticks carry parasites on them that do not respond to lime treament. A friend of ours spent almost 2 years of horrible pain for the parasites until finally properly diagnosed. Take those things seriously and remember geo-caching is susposed to be a truely fun experience - so think first - cache second!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

We've been successful using the 40 % Deet....especially for red bugs which = 9 days of hell.

Re Permethrin, is it sold by brand name ?

I get Sawyer permethrin in the 24oz pump spray.

REI and Cabela's carry it.

 

It's also available as a liquid that is mixed with water for soaking clothes. It even comes with a plastic bag with each bottle. You stuff several clothing items into the bag, pour in the permethrin and the recommended amount of water and soak over night. Then hang the clothing items to dry. We went to Costa Rica several years ago and my wife was concerned about mosquitoes there and the potential for malaria. We treated a weeks worth of clothing for the three of us and didn't get a mosquito bite all week. It allegedly is good for six weeks and 4 washings.

 

 

[+briansnat]

Permethrin on clothing is a key. Also spray your hats, backpacks and other equipment with permethrin so the ticks don't hitchike into your house on them. One time I came home from a hiking trip, stripped down and threw my clothing in the dryer, took a shower and did a full body tick check and was clean. I feel asleep on the couch later that night and woke up the next morning with a tick imbedded in my chest. Strange, but then I realized that when I got home I had tossed my backpack on the couch. I suspect the tick was riding on it and got off and onto the couch, then me.

 

Also wear light colored clothing so you can easily spot them and have the kids wear long pants and tuck the pant legs into their socks. You can do that too as long as you don't mind the high geek factor look.

Edited April 22, 2014 by briansnat

[+BCandMsKitty]

We've been successful using the 40 % Deet....especially for red bugs which = 9 days of hell.

Re Permethrin, is it sold by brand name ?

I get Sawyer permethrin in the 24oz pump spray.

REI and Cabela's carry it.

 

This

 

we don't cache in the heat of summer much, and have yet to see any in the winter around here, so, in the spring I treat clothing that we only wear for caching, boots, any packs we will carry, and again in the fall before we start up. It's good for 6 weeks, or 6 washings, and I keep the clothing in a dark duffel between caching days to help prolong the life of the treatment. There's one VERY bad spot nearby foe ticks and I've gone in there with the treated clothes and watched the ticks wriggle and fall off. Almost like it's hot to their evil little feet!

 

Haven't seen a tick on us since we started using Permethrin

[+MtnMutt-ProDuckShins]

Don't laugh as this works.

 

Bounce Fabric Sheets, tear one in half and place in socks so half in half out.

 

OK, I'll be the first to admit we are talking WEIRD herebut it works. Still double check before heading home as a safety net.

 

These sheets also help with Mosquitos.

 

Young kids and DEET is a no.

[+wimseyguy]

In addition to treating the clothing and bodies, watch where you walk and sit.

Don't sit on rotting logs, and don't put your pack on them or the ground.

When you take it off your back, hang it from a tree.

[Tyreless]

In Australia you get permathrin as Equip Debugger - around $20-$25 for a small bottle of concentrate which when diluted lasts me 6 months of fortnightly application to my caching clothes.

[+popokiiti]

If you are carrying a passenger, or someone else is, I can recommend the Tick Twister. Works great, removes the tick, head and all. My tick magnet of a cat never objected, and he is a real wuss of a puss.

[+hofy67]

30%+ DEET. It is the only thing that has worked for me. Last year I spent the big $$$ and got some Sawyer Permethrin. I followed the directions, double checking several times to make sure I was doing it right. What a waste of money. We went on an all day caching marathon a couple days after I treated all my clothing for that day. I would come out of the brush covered in ticks. Mosquitoes were also biting right through a treated shirt. My wife and brother in law only used 30% DEET. They did not pick up a single tick or get a single mosquito bite. This all was in Wood County Wisconsin. A very marshy and wooded area where the ticks and mosquitoes dine on Permethrin.

[+kunarion]

30%+ DEET. It is the only thing that has worked for me. Last year I spent the big $$$ and got some Sawyer Permethrin. I followed the directions, double checking several times to make sure I was doing it right. What a waste of money.

Maybe it was a bad batch. Permethrin is at first both repellent and deadly to ticks and mosquitoes (biting through clothing?! Mental note: Avoid Wisconsin). So if the bugs are the kind that can be repelled, Permethrin is at least as effective as DEET at just the repelling quality. Plus if you do get "covered in ticks" they are dead, since Permethrin kills them. But since DEET works for you, of course don't bother with the extra expense of Permethrin. Some people around these fori even get away with "just a dab of mint behind each ear" or whatever, which I marvel at. Sweet! Some of us already tried it all, had to get serious and now wear the weaponized clothing. Not everyone needs that.

Edited April 22, 2014 by kunarion

[+briansnat]

Don't laugh as this works.

 

Bounce Fabric Sheets, tear one in half and place in socks so half in half out.

 

OK, I'll be the first to admit we are talking WEIRD herebut it works. Still double check before heading home as a safety net.

 

These sheets also help with Mosquitos.

 

Young kids and DEET is a no.

 

We heard "don't laugh but this works" with regard to Bounce sheets at a small outdoor gathering. We were getting mauled by mosquitoes when the host came out with a box of Bounce sheets and said "don't laugh, but this works". He instructed us to tie a few around our belt and collar and rub some on our skin. He also tied some around the tables and chairs. An hour later we weren't laughing. We were inside because they had absolutely zero affect on the mosquitoes.

 

A fews bouts of Lyme disease (and recurring for 10+ years) had me looking for something better than DEET. It's greasy, stinks, melts most plastics and doesn't repel ticks well enough for it's use (for me).

 

After watching a tick jump on and calmly walk around my greasy, DEET glistening leg I realized that it has minimal affect on ticks. I still use DEET though to keep away the skeeters. For those it does the job quite well

Edited April 22, 2014 by briansnat

[+Isonzo Karst]

Surprised that the CDC article says 20% DEET will repel ticks. I use a lot of DEET, will still find ticks, unless I've done a recent permethrin treatment. Maybe there would be more without the DEET?

 

Permethrin treated boots and pants has worked pretty well for me. I don't treat shirts or hat; most local tick species come up from the ground. I do sometimes pick them up higher on my body - a larger tick variety that seems to be in trees and shrubs. But rare enough and in few enough numbers that I just remove them when I see them.

 

Re Bounce, yep, works as good as the old Skin so soft lotion did - maybe for a few seconds might knock back a few insects.

[+Touchstone]

Related thread:

 

Ticks

[+BlackRose67]

I found 3 ticks on me last year.

 

I've wanted to get some Permethrin, but it's not available for sale here in Canada.

 

Not sure if I could zip down to Ogdensburg to pick some up and bring it back legally.

[+ChileHead]

I usually hike with my dog, and I've never had a tick problem. Well, I haven't. I always come back tick free, but he comes back with 20-30 ticks sometimes that I have to take care of. I believe he's a tick magnet and keeps them away from me.

[+cerberus1]

I found 3 ticks on me last year.

 

I've wanted to get some Permethrin, but it's not available for sale here in Canada.

 

Not sure if I could zip down to Ogdensburg to pick some up and bring it back legally.

LL Bean and a few others have permethrin-bathed garments treated for the "life of the garment" (whatever that is).

Google insect shield or bugbewear for retailers.

US military BDUs are treated the same.

- Does Canada restrict treated clothing also?

[+beauxeault]

I bought some Sawyer's permethrin spray as a result of reading this thread, and am surprised to see how much they say should be used (3 oz. per garment). Since they obviously have an incentive to encourage over-use, I wonder has anyone experimented with using less?

[+kunarion]

I bought some Sawyer's permethrin spray as a result of reading this thread, and am surprised to see how much they say should be used (3 oz. per garment). Since they obviously have an incentive to encourage over-use, I wonder has anyone experimented with using less?

You must soak the clothing pretty well, or it won't work. Even then, the "6 washings" thing may be kind of optimistic (plus, why press your luck).

 

There's a concentrate that allows soaking a set of clothes all at once, but since it's hazardous to work with, that may explain why it's harder to find.

[+Ringrat]

LL Bean and a few others have permethrin-bathed garments treated for the "life of the garment" (whatever that is).

Google insect shield or bugbewear for retailers.

US military BDUs are treated the same.

- Does Canada restrict treated clothing also?

 

I know that the treated clothing on the LL Bean and REI websites can't be shipped to Canada, so I'm going to go with "yes". Very annoying.

On the other hand, our government's travel websites say: "Although permethrin is not available in Canada, travel health clinics can advise you how to purchase permethrin and pre-treated gear before or during your trip."

Maybe I should ask them.

[team tisri]

For hiking in the woods I wear long, light coloured pants and tuck them into my socks. Then if I walk through a section that's overgrown I have a scan over my legs and brush off any ticks.

 

The worst trail I hiked ran about a 30% gradient through knee high brush - I could see the path through the brush but had to just push through it all. I was stopping every 50 yards or so to flick a dozen or more ticks off my legs. Of course hiking up a steep gradient made me hot, on a cold day, so anything that used heat as any part of its process of identifying a potential host would have seen me coming a mile off.

[+jellis]

 

introduced me to permethrin.

Applied to all outdoor gear (clothes, socks, hat, pack...), I've been tick-free for years.

I have commercially treated Permethrin clothing (plus the hand spray for accessories). The first time I saw a tick on my jeans, and it instantly died there, I knew that was the answer -- but I also knew that Permethrin is not a toy. Follow the directions. And it may be no good for everyone, depending on one's medical conditions.

Yup this really works and for one big reason I like to use it... you aren't putting it on your skin. But be careful as it is very toxic to cats and aquatic wildlife.

Edited May 1, 2014 by jellis

[+cerberus1]

 

introduced me to permethrin.

Applied to all outdoor gear (clothes, socks, hat, pack...), I've been tick-free for years.

I have commercially treated Permethrin clothing (plus the hand spray for accessories). The first time I saw a tick on my jeans, and it instantly died there, I knew that was the answer -- but I also knew that Permethrin is not a toy. Follow the directions. And it may be no good for everyone, depending on one's medical conditions.

Yup this really works and for one big reason I like to use it... you aren't putting it on your skin. But be careful as it is very toxic to cats and aquatic wildlife.

- When spraying and while clothes are wet.

After it's dried, there's no issue.

Before we had a room devoted to sports gear, my (now) 15 year old cat would sleep on the treated clothes I'd lay out on a valet chair for the next day .

[+BAMBOOZLE]

I found 3 ticks on me last year.

 

I've wanted to get some Permethrin, but it's not available for sale here in Canada.

 

Not sure if I could zip down to Ogdensburg to pick some up and bring it back legally.

 

Canada doesn't like chemicals crossing the border.....some years ago they confiscated a tiny tube of Mace that I used to clip to my jogging shorts. Guns can be tagged and left at the border but chemicals are not returned.