Permethrin treated net skirt of a tarp

Since you can buy treated nets why this idea is perfectly normal. It will kill the buggers if they spend time on it.

It will work for the critters that TOUCH it. If you are set up on grass or duff, it's possible for bugs to crawl in without touching it.

It can't hurt and will help, so go for it!

Do you have a link to where we can buy Permethrin pre-treated netting? Thanks!

V

Just treat your own netting/tent. All you do is spray the fabric (outdoors) and let it air dry before using. Depending on how often/long you use the item, you'll need to retreat every few months (UV will eventually degrade the effectiveness):

http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-Permethrin-Clothing-Repellent/dp/B001ANQVYU

If you want to treat everything you own/wear/use, you can buy concentrate and mix your own. This bulk container diluted 1 oz of stuff with 19 ounces of water, will make the same thing as the Sawyer spray, except you get about 7 bottles for the price of one.

http://www.amazon.com/Martins-Permethrin-10%25-Indoor-Outdoor/dp/B001EVKCKM

I treat every tent the first time I use it each year. On two-wall tents, I spray the entire outside of the inner tent: fabric and mesh. On a tarp tent, I might spray both the inside and the outside. Treating the waterproof side isn't that effective because the liquid spray can't soak into the fabric. Treating the outside is going to require more frequent retreatment because of UV.

in countries with malaria, the CDC only reccomends treated mosquito nets (these go over a bed). You can find plenty online. I bought one for my daughter to use in honduras a few weeks ago. In a room in a house, they kill mosquitos that land on it.

Outside in the woods, I dont see much utility. You arent going to make a dent in the mosquito population and the netting protects you when you are inside already. If mozzies are trapped inside they will usually congregate at the top, not near the net skirt.

I was asking to determine to what extent BPL thought this would create a bug proof shelter. I'm not so much worried about Mosquitoes or other flying monstrosities. More so was it for the crawling ants, spiders, scorpions and the likes. Todd brought up a great point about set ups on grass. Any other insight?

I have a Sea to Summit net that came pretreated that I use with a zpacks hexamid tarp. Works pretty well but not sure how much the treatment matters.

There are plenty of actual scientific studies that show Permethrin is affective on clothing and netting. Its definitely worth it.

From Wikipedia:
According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, permethrin "has low mammalian toxicity, is poorly absorbed through the skin, and is rapidly inactivated by the body. Skin reactions have been uncommon."[16]

Excessive exposure to permethrin can cause nausea, headache, muscle weakness, excessive salivation, shortness of breath, and seizures. Worker exposure to the chemical can be monitored by measurement of the urinary metabolites, while severe overdosage may be confirmed by measurement of permethrin in serum or blood plasma.[17]

Permethrin does not present any notable genotoxicity or immunotoxicity in humans and farm animals, but is classified by the EPA as a likely human carcinogen, based on reproducible studies in which mice fed permethrin developed liver and lung tumors.[18] Carcinogenic action in nasal mucosal cells due to inhalation exposure is suspected, due to observed genotoxicity in human tissue samples, and in rat livers the evidence of increased preneoplastic lesions raises concern over oral exposure.[19][20]

You are supposed to spray permethrin on fabric, not eat it or drink it! Once dry, it is effectlvely bonded to the fabric, although it will slowly be released from the fabric as the cloth is mechanically folded, stretched, etc. It also degrades over time with UV exposure.

For animal use, it's sold as a fly killer for horse stables and is a primary ingredient in flea collars. The major warning for pets is that it is poisonous to cats in the liquid form, but not once dry on fabrics.

What scares me is 'they' have said many things are safe only to take them off the market later… after causing many thousands of people health issues.

Best to stay away from chemicals if you can…

though I do concede that if you are in tick/lime disease areas it might be better to take your chances with the chemicals…

20+ years of using it every year. NO issues. Permethrin rocks!

Main ingredient in Advantix. No issues with my dogs either.

K9 Advantix ® II is a once-a-month topical application for dogs and puppies that REPELS and kills ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes. K9 Advantix II contains imidacloprid, permethrin and pyriproxyfen that work in concert to REPEL and kill parasites that can potentially transmit disease-causing organisms. K9 Advantix II is for use on dogs only.

The use of permethrin as a clothing treatment has been extensively studied and tested as part of the development of permethrin treated uniforms for the US military, first with a field treatment application kit (dunking clothing in a bucket of permethrin solution) and now with factory-treated uniforms. Many of the studies for the US military and other militaries are online.

My favorite thing about permethrin is keeping ticks off me. My second favorite thing is that it allows me to sit around at dusk when the mosquitos are swarming AFTER I've washed the DEET off and not get eaten alive.