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Permethrin spray repels and kills ticks, mosquitoes and 39 other biting insects

Mosquitoes and ticks are horrible now after our torrential rain, my hiking partners say. I'm going to hike easy Ingalls Creek trail with Karen and Dan on Wednesday.

So, today I sprayed my hiking clothes, socks, gaiters, hat and pack with Sawyer Permethrin Insect Repellent. Odorless and non-toxic, it last through six washings or 42 days. My clothes and pack are air drying. Clothes must be dry before wearing them.

Permethrin insect spray repels and kills ticks, no-see-ums, and mosquitoes that may carry Lyme disease, Zika, West Nile Virus, Dengue, Chikungunya, Yellow Fever and more.

This turns me into a Walking Mosquito Hate Zone.

My hiking partners have personal clouds of mosquitoes. They use ineffective natural oils. Mosquitoes approach me and zoom away.

Of course, I also use Deet insect spray on exposed skin like my face and neck.

After getting 300 spider bites in 1996, I am extremely sensitive to insect bites. With permethrin spray, I have not had a mosquito or tick bite in four years.

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LiterateHiker 9 July 7
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14 comments

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1

We were not used to hear about Lyme disease in Quebec until, thanks to global warming, this bugging illegal immigrant went from New England and crossed the border right into our neck of woods. I'll definitely check this stuff out.

1

one of the great benefits of living on coastal van isle is we never see a mosquito from 1 yr to the next. there might be ticks & other pests in the woods but since i hit my drives so straight on the GC i never go in the woods.

2

Does that include those irritating lovers that won’t leave one alone!

1

I frequently use permethrin on my gear, shoes/boots, tent, and hat. I use the highest percentage of Deet I can get on my skin and clothes.

JimG Level 8 July 7, 2019

Me, too. I use the highest percent of Deet insect spray on exposed skin.

2

I wonder if it would work on red bugs, aka chiggers.

@WilliamFlemings

Good question. Look it up.

@LiterateHiker It’s on the way. Thanks for the tip.

1

How about yellow flies, really bad in north Florida right now?

@Storm1752

This article says Permethrin repels and kills yellow flies and no-seeums.

[hunker.com]

I suggest you get a bug net that goes over your hat and shoulders.

1

I use deet and dust my clothing , sleeping bag/blanket and hat with a flea and tick treatment I use for my dogs - not certain what is in it, but it works

3

my cat minky was poisoned with pymethrin, a synthetic version is permethrin, by a stupid pca (she almost poisoned my fiance too). she sprayed it on FOOD. minky died. the characteristics of both substances are the same. i would NEVER use this stuff! i loved minky!

g

@genessa

Permethrin is toxic to cats when wet. I'm so sorry about your cat.

@LiterateHiker thank you. richard had some boxes of crackers i made him keep downstairs under the bar (which we do not use as an alcohol bar, by the way) because they came from his condo (no longer his) where he'd had a bug problem. i told him i didn't want him bringing anything from his kitchen into my kitchen. (he didn't live with me yet but spent a lot of time here.) the pca saw bugs, went and got some bug spray and SPRAYED THE CRACKERS! tell me if this fits anyone's definition of NOT stupid! richard ate the crackers and didn't even get sick, but he had them in his hand and pet minky, who then licked his fur. we knew nothing of this until the vet said he would have an autopsy done for free because he couldn't figure out what had killed poor minky. then we figured it out. ironically, i had the bug spray downstairs because i knew it was poisonous and didn't want the cats, who don't go downstairs, to get into it.

g

1

it's a type of flower.....I've used it for decades in cupboards, etc.

2

Thanks everyone for all the good info

1

There are several species of plants found in nature that can be used to repel insects, just do not know if this type of plant is available in your country.
here in Brazil some people use the plants below as mosquito repellent.

[google.com]

2

That stuff is deadly to cats and fish. Please don’t wade in streams or ponds wearing clothing that’s been treated with it.

(Edit cuz I hit the wrong button)
Also it’s an indiscriminate insect killer and will kill more than the 39 biting or stinging insects. It will kill the neutral and beneficial insects it comes in contact with.

FWIW I’m not saying don’t use it. Just mentioning for folks that care ( or have cats) some of the down sides so no one goes away thinking it’s a panacea.

300 spider bites is crazy! Did you sleep on an egg that hatched or something?

@JacobMeyers

Since age 21, I have watched the Perseid Meteor Shower each August. To see it, you have to get away from city lights.

To watch the Perseids, my boyfriend Willy took me to the top of a mountain owned by a man he knows. A Ph.D. scientist, the man dropped out of society and lives off grid.

He had been working at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation as a scientist. When a radiation leak occurred, all inside doors automatically closed, locking employees inside with the radiation. That's when he quit.

The mad scientist lived in a crappy, dark trailer with no electricity. The only chair was a stump. Wearing a dress, I sat on the stump. Tiny spiders swarmed up my legs, biting my legs, butt and back. With a high pain tolerance, I didn't feel it.

That night, I felt itchy in the sleeping bag and thought I was too hot. We slept outside on cots.

The next morning, my throat was swelling shut. Willy madly drove me to a clinic. I was given a massive shot of Benadryl and a strong prescription of Benadryl.

"I'm not ready for my Playboy shoot," I joked, turning around in a gown open at the back.

Bright red and itchy as hell, the spider bites swelled to 1" in diameter, 1/4" off the skin. Willy counted them.

It took six weeks of Benadryl for the bites to subside.

@LiterateHiker ish, that’s a creepy story. Sorry you had to live it but thanks for telling. I’ll be kicking any stump before I sit on it from now on!

1

Used it on our clothing for our Amazon River adventure. Great stuff when paired with Deet.

1

Thanks honey will need it later this year

bobwjr Level 10 July 7, 2019
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