Tick repellant: DEET or pemethrin (sp?) or what?

DEET.

You can fool around with all sorts of other stuff and in low stress situations they might be adequate but when you need to have something that works DEET is what you want.

Reading a beach novel you can try Skin-so-soft or bay leaves or peppermint or garlic or permethrin or what have you but for the BOB DEET is the way to go. I use 100% DEET but if your sensitive, or are using it on young children, you can use lesser percentage but your going to need to apply it more often to get the same protection.

You might also look into light-weight, compact head nets. Some go for just a few dollars. Worn over a hat they provide near 100% protection for the whole head. Keeping the critters far enough away that they aren't annoying. Something even pure DEET can't do.

We used to spray our uniforms with a permethrin based spray, it would kill ticks for up to six months (washing uniforms normally). Same stuff your vet uses on his/her lab coat.

Permethrin kills (especially fish and cats), DEET repels. We used both.

Permethrin is an insecticide and a repellent. It is usually used to treat clothing. It is not applied to the skin.

DEET is a very effective repellent. It can be applied to the skin.

In bad tick areas, spray clothing with Permethrin at home before you go. Permethrin will last a couple of weeks (or longer).
Apply DEET on site, especially to those areas around the waist and lower legs for ticks. DEET will need to be reapplied after a few hours.

Picaridin is a newer repellent. It is the next best thing to DEET. It doesn't smell as bad, causes less skin irritation and does not melt some plastics like DEET does. Picaridin is probably the best alternative to DEET for those with sensitive skin or for small children. There are differences of opinion on Picaridin. It may be as effective as DEET for mosquitoes, probably not as good for ticks?

It depends on what you are applying it to. Permethrin is meant to be applied to clothing or gear, not to your skin. DEET is meant to be applied to your skin, and can eat holes in your clothing or gear depending on the material.

So the correct answer is DEET and permethrin. Kill ’em all.

Ron nailed it.

Both repel, but Permethrin is for clothes but DEET is for skin (I also hit collars and cuffs if using a spray).

Pretreat outdoor clothing with Permethrin during summer months when the bugs are out (or more depending on where you live). Use DEET for your skin when you arrive on location. 30% DEET is ideal for most areas and 100% DEET for adults only in particularly nasty areas. I always start with 30%. If it is border line head net & gloves bad, the 100% juice comes out.

I'll join the BOTH chorus - Pemethrin treatment for clothes and gear and DEET for skin BUT I'll add:

I always used 100% DEET (30+ years) but I switched to controlled release DEET two years ago and it rocks - works better than 100%. I've only used 3M Ultrathon (not in front of me), but Sawyer makes one also that should be equally effective. It's expensive, but it really goes a long way and lasts.

Again, for starving ticks and other uglies, don't skip the pemethrin treatment - the stuff is awesome and the two together really get the job done.

BTW, this is all current CDC recs as well, recently sent to all state departments of public health and re-sent to local health inspectors. Use DEET and pemethrin together.

Picardin as DEET substitute, as suggested, is supposed to be next-best to DEET for mosquitos for youngsters and those who don't like melting plastic...

Tom

For bonus points, anyone else know what flower permethrin is/was derived from?

Permethrin is derived from the daisy flower.

ding! Chrysanthemum. Sidenote: pyrethrum is the natural deriviative of the flower, pyrethroids are synthetic based on pyrethrum (permethrin).

Bah, I got to your question too late. I had just heard that permethrin/pyrethrin/deltamethrin (insecticide chemicals used by exterminators) is derived from Chrysanthemum flowers Monday night (on the show Verminators on The Discovery Channel, in fact).

A few drops of Frontline Advantage to the back of my neck once a month. Burns like hell for the first day or so but hey, no bugs for a month. Euclyptus oil repellent mostly. Of course you could always go the natural route and wear panty hose under your pants to keep the ticks from stickin to your legs and crotch. An army ranger told me that BTW.

I think that I would take the pantyhose over the pet stuff. Plus, you could peel the pantyhose off and use them to shine
your shoes. Or rob the local 711 (just kidding about that)...

ps: re use of panty hose. I walked the street of The Loop in Chicago long long ago with a young lady (NOT a street walker) in the dead of winter. For those of you who have not been to the Windy City in winter, it is COLD there. I wore a wool winter weight uniform, with long johns, she wore a pretty short skirt and panty hose. She appeared to stay warmer than I did. Maybe Broadway Joe had something there...

DEET in lotion like 3M Ultrathon is best. Here in Canada we have Watkins 28.5% DEET lotion (more than 30% is illegal here).

If you have to use both sunscreen and DEET, start by applying sunscreen and apply DEET lotion 30 min after. Then reapply sunscreen as need be. 3M Ultrathon works for about 8 hours.

Frankie

They call DEET a repellent but mostly it screws with the beasties sensors. Many times I have been out on a hot summer night near a swamp and watched the mosquitoes bump along an arm or leg. But they don't land or bite. I was told it screws up their ability to detect CO2 and your scent. They can still tell your warm but can't tell if your food.

A head net is a good idea. The place where DEET is the most uncomfortable is the face; around the mouth, makes everything taste like repellent; and around the eyes, where sweat carries it into the peepers. It isn't so bad on hands, neck and around the boot tops.

One thing about DEET. The higher the concentration the longer it lasts. 100% is good for at least eight hours and has some effect for twelve:
http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/item_detail.asp?ID=0165-7030&series=10900

The 30% stuff is only good for two to four hours.

Also, if weight and bulk aren't too much of a problem, like when operating out of a vehicle or camp, consider any of the canned foggers. Working near a swamp if I stand in the middle of the work site and make a slow turn fogging it is quite remarkable how it cuts down on the numbers of critters in a 15' radius. The effect wears off after 12 hours but there is still a noticeable reduction in mosquitoes and gnat populations for 36 to 48 hours. I can get two or three such applications from the average can.

One of the regular problems around here are storms and hurricanes. In both cases the bugs come out full force. If you have been forced outdoors fogging the area makes it a whole lot more pleasant.

I keep a stash of original Deep Woods off @ 95% I save for special occasions.

About 15 years ago my dad picked up several cases of 100% (or close to it) Muskol. It was the best back then and it's the best now...he must have seen the writing on the wall. Even the military Ultrathon is only about 28% DEET.

Just as an addendum, there is more to consider about the duration of DEET repellent than just its concentration percentage. 3M Ultrathon and Sawyer Premium use a “controlled-release” mixture that releases DEET over a long period of time, so even though these use a “lower” concentration of 20–33%, they last much longer than regular DEET repellents.

Of course, you will also have to consider the environment you put yourself in when considering the duration of the repellent, for example, sweating, swimming, and rain.