Snow is gone, ticks are out

If you can afford it, I've found the "baked-in" treated clothing to be more effective at repelling ticks than the do-it-yourself version. And less hassle.

I haven't seen too many clothing items come pre-treated, and generally the clothes I'm interested in buying are different from the ones that have been treated.

The do-it-yourself options are also unlikely to last as long; the claims on the bottle say around 6 washes, and a bottle might be good for about 4-6 treatments.

You can also consider sending your clothes to be treated; the cost looks like around $8-$10 an item (plus shipping) and is claimed to last around 70 launderings.

More and more is available pre-treated, I think; either the selection has improved in the last couple of years or I've spent more time looking. Hiking pants, shirts, socks, hats…quick searches on "bugsaway" and "insectshield" will turn up plenty.

So easy and cheap to do it yourself. Bought a bottle for less than $20. Makes enough for me to last years.

I’m sure the store bough premixed stuff doesn’t last as long. But if make the solution yourself you have control over how strong the concentration is. I do my stuff annually and have had no ticks since doing it this way.

Bought this
permethrin

ken +1

Sawyer spray is $16. Hang clothes up, spray, let dry. It only lasts for 6 weeks, but easy enough to re-apply. But, I don't need to worry about it in the winter because they're inactive, or the summer because I go above their normal habitat. Probably 6 weeks is all I need.

Are ticks more attracted to certain people than others? I've been hiking locally, exploring off trail, through oak savaanahs and grasslands, in shorts, for years and I've only ever gotten a few ticks.

They're attracted to me!

Sand flies, black flies, and Mosquitos leave me alone; I've always assumed its because I've had malaria and dengue in the past and they can smell it… But NH ticks don't seem to understand tropical diseases.

I'm amazed I've never got Lyme disease. Knock on wood…

"There's a question, should I buy permethrin or permethrin treated clothing?"

Yes! Ticks are the worst. They can carry lyme disease. They can cause you to become allergic to red meat. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/tick-will-make-lose-appetite-red-meat/

They could carry a rare virus worse than Lyme disease. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/powassan-virus-spread-by-ticks-could-be-worse-than-lyme-disease/

Insect Shield will treat your own gear if you send it to them. It's not cheap, but it should last longer than DIY permethrin and reduce your exposure to chemicals.
http://www.insectshield.com/PDF/IS_Your_Own_Clothes_-_US_form_revised_3-23-2015.pdf

I would suggest a layered approach with permethrin being one layer of defense. Using DEET on clothing or skin that might brush up against brush is another layer, and thorough daily tick checks are another layer. Pants tucked into your socks helps, too.

I appreciate all the good input :)

Another reason to hike on granite above timberline in the Sierra.

Hate ticks!

Why do people hate/get grossed out by ticks so much?

Yeah, you could get limes disease, but other than that I don't find getting bit by a tick to be a terrible thing. Just pull it off. Nothing gross about it.

If ticks didn't carry diseases I wouldn't give a crap about them biting me.

Actually in addition to the well known Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, both of which are really nasty infections ticks transfer dozens of diseases. Ticks are not just an annoyance or nuisance, they are a dangerous disease vector. The fact that they burrow under the skin and gorge on your blood is what grosses most people out, but we should all be more worried about the dangers of tick bites.

okay, "hate" is a strong word.

how about "strongly dislike"?

as in "i strongly dislike bloodsucking animals that burrow into my skin and can transmit many different, often serious illnesses."

Ok, that might be the PC thing to say, but agree with OP. I HATE ticks… May they forgive me, or not, don't care as long as they die…. ;)

CharlieDog and I went on a 3 day section hike of the Ozark Trail last weekend. We have been religiously using Advantix II for flea/tick/mosquito (?) prevention for the past several years…and before a trip into known tick havens I give him a second dose before we go.

We came home and he was covered in ticks. Not dead ticks, but live, blood-sucking monstrosities. I picked about 100 off of him on day one. Then maybe 50 more…then 50 more…it's been a week and a half and I just picked TWO more off of him this morning.

Again, these are not dead ticks…they are still alive and still transmitting disease.

Someone is ready for a vet trip for some blood work I think……..

So does the Advantix II not work anymore? Or did I get a bad batch??? Either way, this sucks. Literally.

Hate applies Dave. I hate those bloodsucking little f*&$#@^, mosquitos too. Let us know what gives Jennifer. Been using Advantix on Tigger and other dogs for years. Have found dead ones attached or slowly moving live ones on occasion. There are some new treatments available. Have not yet tried those as T stays home these days instead of joining me on trips. The call of the sofa is strong.

I have been getting tick specific collars from Dr Foster Smith online. They have worked pretty well so far. (Fleas, we use trifexis for – does the trick.)

I saw lots of ticks while hiking in California, but I think the nervousness associated with ticks and lyme is dependent on where you hike most.

http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps/map2013.html

The rapid spread of lyme into central new york has forced me to take a different approach to the weekend and weeknight hiking I usually do on the Finger Lakes Trail.

On the east coast, whether its blackflies, dearflies, mosquitos or whatever, you always have bugs crawling on you (something you get used to). There's always a bug in your hair. You're almost never entirely certain there isn't a tick or tick nymph on you somewhere.

I've already pulled two off my five year old daughter this year and we still encounter patches of snow here and there, so it's not like they've been out for that long. I hate having to tell her to stay on the trail… It's certainly not what I did when I was her age. We have to do a nightly tick check even if we were just in the backyard or park.

Again, I'm not changing the amount of hiking I do locally, but I do notice that I'm planning my longer hikes in areas where lyme isn't as prevalent.

My vet told me that there are quite a few bad batches that float around online – including some tested that were nothing but vegetable oil.

I've always ordered from 1-800-Pet-Meds without difficulty, but perhaps now I'll forgo the discount and just get the stuff – gulp – from my vet. Not sure what happened, and not sure anyone can tell me. All I know is that Charlie was literally covered in them…and yes, I HATE the f*$ckers. Mosquitos too.

Jennifer,
Try a Preventix collar. They seem to work on my dogs.

duplicated msg

I think I have too many preservatives in my blood from eating non-organic food. Ticks don't seem to like me.

5 years day & section hiking the AT and no ticks have latched on. A couple crawled on me but got thumped off.

As a kid I was alot more prone because we played alot more off trail in tall grass and stomping through thick vegetation in the woods. Also chiggers are the worst.

"Also chiggers are the worst."

You can say that again. I almost prefer the tick diseases!