So much for the tick spray...

[Eastender]

The ticks on eastern Long Island, NY are thick as usual. I'm more of a needle in the haystack detectorist so I go into undeveloped woods. Above freezing I go out detecting with knee-high rubber boots. I spray a fresh coat of Sawyer permethrin on the boots until they are completely dripping wet top to bottom just prior to entering the woods, every time The black rubber boots have a built up coating of Sawyer spray on them. Not only do i avoid skin contact with this spray, I keep it off of my clothing. If I spray the stuff in wind and smell it, it makes me feel goofy. I'm careful to not brush up against anything and walk down low shrubs if I have to break through to clear forests. The last three days I have had ticks reach the skin. Today while standing to dig a signal I watched two mature lone star ticks walk up the same boot and reach my pants within 30 seconds. I now realize I was living with a false sense of security. This stuff made it look as though it just made them crawl faster. I was getting ready to drop some big coin on the CTX 3030 and up my game, but now realize I should just stay out of the thick woods until fall. Given that I have to switch to beach detecting (a new mode for me), I either get a PI beach machine and keep the Spectra V3i running or get the all terrain machine.

 

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[Charlie P. (NY)]

Obviously they are getting on you above boot level. I get them on my arms from brush when mowing.

PS - Sawyers works because it soaks into fabric. Not so sure about vinyl boots.

 

[Eastender]

No, I watched them crawl on to the sole of the boot, then climb up the entire length of the side.

 

[Eastender]

I have sprayed enough Sawyer on these boots the past 8 months to create a tacky film. I had just completely hosed them down with spray within 20 minutes of this incident.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

The tacky film is probably just the "carrier" left after the Permethrin evaporated, or ran off. Charlie's right.
Jim

 

[pa plateau hiker]

The instructions on my can of Permethrin states to spray each item of clothing for a minimum of 30 seconds on each side. I have never done that. I just spray a light coating on my pants before I go out. Even with this light coating ticks crawl up my pants, stagger a little bit, then die and fall off. You should spray your clothing, Eastender.

 

[Trezurehunter]

I use a 14 - 16 oz. spray bottle filled with water. Add 3 to 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil to it, and spray on your clothing, boots, arms, face, legs etc. It is all natural so you can spray it directly on your skin. I have used this spray for years, and it has worked well.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Sawyers does state "shoes, boots and waders". I have two pair of pants and a hoodie I leave in the basement (walk-out) that I have treated with Sawyers Permethrin and I take the dog out (he wears a Seresto collar year-round) twice a day to shag a ball in a one-acre pasture and also walks & firewood collection in the woods. So far (knock wood) I have not found a tick on me or the pants when wearing the treated clothing in the last two years.

Before I started using the Sawyers I'd toss whatever I was wearing in the dryer for 5 minutes when I came in. I'd often find two or three ticks on my pants or find one crawling on me. My wife tested positive for Lyme Disease three years ago and has had several attached since so we don't take it lightly to keep the little monsters out of the house (as far as I know I have never been bitten by one). I also use Ben's 100% DEET on my exposed skin (black flies will drive you out of your mind in this area) and a good product called "Herbal Armor" (THE ADMIRAL won't use DEET) that works on mosquitoes and black flies.

When kayaking or sailing I use a product called Sunsect that is a SPF15 sunscreen with DEET in it. Works well for flying pests. Not sure about ticks.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Not many waders made of rubber, or other non-porous materials anymore. I can easily see Permethrin working on neoprene, or fabric-covered waders, but not sure about rubber, or other non-porous materials. The vapor coming off the treated material is what probably kills or repels the ticks. For that, you need pores in the material to hold the Permethrin. I've never had a tick on me since I started wearing treated clothing during tick season. I had two on me a couple weeks ago, not realizing they were out around here. I keep Heidi current with her oral tick repellant, too. But, it kills them after tbey've already been attached to her, so I worry about her bringing them back to the camper. So, I treat the bedding and sleeping bag, and also the upholstery in the camper.
Jim

 

[ticndig]

has anyone here tried eating Sulfur ? it's an old school way of dealing with biting insects. I have not tried it yet but may soon.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/repel-ticks-sulfur-remedy-zmaz01aszsel

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Keep in mind that on non-porous boots, it wouldn't take long at all for the brush to wipe off the Permethrin, or anything else on the boots.
Jim

 

[Eastender]

I'm thinking a film of this product should work. This happened on the third consecutive day of complete sopping wet applications to the boots. Minutes after, and not walking through scrubby brush with vegetation rubbing against the boots. I am walking on leaf litter on open forest floor and will occasionally step down a low bayberry bush to cross into another area. I'm totally surprised by seeing this happen. I've lived in a heavy tick area for 25 years and work and play outdoors. It's always a battle. And it could be these Lone Star ticks are a particularly bad menace. They are very mobile and fast, supposedly responding to movement rather than just waiting on vegetation high spots. I have around a half a dozen friends who have contracted the alpha gal disease and cannot eat pork or beef anymore. Plus i find it interesting as I specialized in protozoan diseases, malaria and trypanosomiasis, while living and working in East Africa. I guess a good experiment would be to capture some ticks and try everything from a direct shot to fabric spraying.

 

[Mudflap]

Used to use Permethrin and now been trying Sawyer Products Premium Insect Repellent with 20% Picaridin.

 

[Garbonzo]

Years ago[15 or so] when my son was young he had a tick attach to the top of his head and begin feeding. We had no idea of course. He luckily had short hair and had come out of the shower and I noticed a big lump on top of his head. So we figure out its a tick and I start freaking out. Heres this bug that has burrowed into my sons head and is eating his brains out!!!! This thing is the size of a dime engorged with blood on top of his head. FREAKY!!! Rush to the hospital and they are like" no big deal " we are seing a lot of them this year. All I can think is they are going to have to drill a hole in the kids head to get that monster out. Or like my uncle in Tennessee used to say, burn it out with a cigarette or something. So I am still freaking out. The Dr. puts the kid in a chair , they get hold of the tic with tweezers and squeeze an alchohol packet onto his head where the tick is. They said the alcohol [liquid] would get in the hole the tick dug and since it will irritate them they will back out of the hole they made. Hence the use of tweezers, they explained once it backed out it would be looking for its next host [victim, food source] to jump onto. Anyway that was my introduction to ticks up here in CHICAGO suburbs. THE KID LIVED!! Harder headed more so now than then. LOL . So for those not familiar with tick removal there is one process here and I am sure there are many more. Everyone take care and be safe. HAPPY HUNTING.

 

[TheGreenBoy]

Put a plasic bag filled wit toilet paper soaked with petrol oil in your pocket and see waht will happen.

 

[Eastender]

It's a serious problem not to be taken lightly. Some people develop long-term chronic illness that is devastating. It gets into the deep tissue where it is hard to root out and diagnose. The biggest problems are chronic fatigue and joint damage, especially the knees. Sometimes Lyme's attacks the heart muscle and the hospital will attach an antibiotic IV in the artery under the armpit. As far as the alpha gal meat allergy, people who know they have it sometimes have to be rushed to the ER for closed airway reactions because prepared foods can have pork and beef.

 

[Eastender]

My region is especially bad because we have large deer herds living among suburbia, large parcels of preserved woods and wetlands with plenty of wildlife, mild winters, and predominantly native oak forests supplying food for mice and rodents, important links in transmission.

 

[A2coins]

I hate those things I use Deet havent found one on me yet

 

[CASPER-2]

My mistake was - some yrs back I went on a cellarhole hunt with another guy and it was way off the beaten track
guy warned me to tick proof myself - I got a face net and sprayed myself head to toe - soooo
we head out and hiked like 3 miles to the area - hunted for about 3 hrs - I had worked the night before and was running
out of gas and decided to sit down on a colonial stone wall - bad mistake - hiked back out and could not wait to get
back to the hotel room and take a shower - when i got out i did a tick check - i had 3 biggies across my back in a row
and could not figure how i got them - when i sat down on the wall my shirt went up about an inch and thats how i got them

 

[Zincoln Miner]

Eat lots of garlic. Vampires hate um...