Permethrin- What am I doing wrong?

[MTelkHuntress]

I, much like everyone here, hate ticks. They are creepy, carry disease and really put a damper on spring season joys. So I've tried permethrin and I dont know if I have false expectations, but I still get ticks on me. I followed the instructions very closely last year and I still had ticks crawling on my pants. So this year, I thought maybe I just need to apply more to my pants. So I tried that and still had ticks on my pants. I watched 5 ticks for a solid 10 minutes crawl on my pants. They never fell off and they really grabbed on to my pants when I tried to remove them. I've seen videos where the ticks just tumble and fall off clothing in under a minute so I guess expected them to fall of eventually. I use the Sawyers spray and make sure to lightly moisten the clothing and let it dry, just as the instructions say. Do people apply it differently?

 

[Panda Bear]

To eliminate them completely , move to The Territories in Canada And the ones that do show up are not carrying the Lyme. Just a thought

 

[C17loadclear]

I feel your pain...as a recent Lyme disease recipient, I am constantly checking myself even when it’s the wind blowing the hair on my leg.

I now hose myself down if I am going in the woods. What’s interesting is I picked up the tick at the house and not hunting.

I am curious to see what other people say...

 

[ImBillT]

I buy Tengaurd SFR, dilute at the rate you would use to dip a dog, dunk my clothes, and hang to dry. Then I wash in the washing machine before I wear them to try to reduce how much might get on me that wasn’t absorbed by or bonded to the clothing. I don’t get in tick territory during tick season, so I can’t really say, but I do get a drastic reduction in mosquito bites on areas covered by clothing.

I wear gloves when I’m dunking the clothes, and dip my dogs with what’s left in the bucket.

 

[Rainer]

I spray everything heavily and let it air dry. Since doing that I haven't had any major issues, maybe 1 or 2 on me. Last deer season I would get an average of 27 on me which is disgusting. I can handle the odd one here or there now

 

[JFish]

I have had great luck using the sawyer spray. When I apply it, I soak the cloths pretty well and let it dry for several hours. It lasts for several weeks. Last year after turkey hunting I had zero ticks, I then wore a pair of untreated pants and started scouting for the next day. I had to turn back because so many were climbing up my untreated pants that it creeped me out.

 

[JLS]

I think I saw in a presidential press conference you were supposed to drink it or inject it.

 

[beginnerhunter]

Well I dont think they'll fully eliminate any and all tick exposure. But they do seem to help a lot. Sometimes I use the picaridin lotion or spray in conjunction with the permethrin. But I accept that going into the woods is likely to lead to a few tick bites. Make sure ur spraying socks, shoes, underwear, etc. as well.

 

[NoWiser]

I’ve used the Sawyer stuff and now use the concentrate you can buy at a farm store. I don’t ever recall having a tick while wearing treated clothes and I’ve been using it for 15 years. If I go out with untreated clothes, it’s pretty much a guarantee I’ll have ticks on me. I soak my clothes really good, let it dry, and then usually wash them before wearing. If I need to treat a bunch I’ll fill a tub and dunk the clothes. I suspect you aren’t spraying your clothes down good enough. If I put a tick on my clothes they make it about 6” before falling off.

 

[bigsky2]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but has anyone ever had a tick bite lasted longer than a few days? I got bit by a tick over two weeks ago and I still have a small red bump where it was latched on.

 

[Cammy]

By a tick and flea collar for a dog or cat and wear it around you ankle.

 

[MTelkHuntress]

I'll definitely be doing another application as it seems most people are using way more than I am. I dont expect to never find another tick but I do expect some type of reduction in the amount of ticks I find.

 

[JLS]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but has anyone ever had a tick bite last longer than a few days? I got bit by a tick over two weeks ago and I still have a small red bump where it was latched on.

You might have some residual tick embedded in the bite.

 

[TwistedSage]

I grew up in south Jersey which has one of the highest tick populations in America. ticks are pretty much part of life there. I have never found a good tick preventative. Permethrin can definitely help with mosquitoes or flies but I have found ticks or chiggers to be pretty impervious to it. Going into high tick areas is basically a risk assessment type deal. One of the best fishing spots I knew in NJ(and probably one of the reasons it was the best) was nicknamed the tick pocket. It was one of the best bass spots I knew, big aggressive fish, and was always the fall back if I couldnt get a bite elsewhere. The only thing was if you went there, you were surely getting ticks. Anytime I came back from that spot first thing I would do upon getting home is take off my clothes straight into the washer then check for ticks flowed by a shower to wash any ticks or chiggers. Even at that I've found some afterwards. Any tight toskin spots are prone for them. Waistbands socks, collars ect.

If you go somewhere you detect ticks, strip down and get a shower as soon as you get home. All clothes right into the wash. I dont think there is any way to prevent them. Permethrin is definitely better than nothing tho I suppose.

 

[TwistedSage]

You might have some residual tick embedded in the bite.

It is very common to pull the body from the head and leave the ticks head in the skin. Grab as close as you can to the skin. If the head still stays in the skin, treat with alcohol every couple days and try not to irritate it anymore by itching.

 

[p_ham]

I keep spraying until the garment looks wet, then let air dry. I spray everything from undies to tent and pack.

 

[Jwill]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but has anyone ever had a tick bite lasted longer than a few days? I got bit by a tick over two weeks ago and I still have a small red bump where it was latched on.

I had that happen last year, just wasn't healing right and eventually developed into the bullseye. Didn't get tested, but did my 3 weeks on doxy assuming it was Lymes.

 

[bigsky2]

I had that happen last year, just wasn't healing right and eventually developed into the bullseye. Didn't get tested, but did my 3 weeks on doxy assuming it was Lymes.

I live in Montana and supposedly the ticks we have here don't carry Lymes disease.

 

[Mudranger1]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but has anyone ever had a tick bite lasted longer than a few days? I got bit by a tick over two weeks ago and I still have a small red bump where it was latched on.

I don't ever remember one going away for completely for a couple weeks if it was imbedded. but what do I know. as far as the original post I don't what you're doing "wrong" per say but I haven't had a tick on me since I started using it maybe 5 years ago after experiencing springtime ticks in Nebraska. I have never seen anything like it until I went to Kansas where you see them floating in the wind.

 

[Matt Dworak]

I swear by Sawyer. I'd used to have anywhere from 20-40 crawling on the exterior of my pants turkey hunting river bottoms in Nebraska. Since I've started pretreating not a single tick. I wonder if you somehow got a bad batch?