Has DEET become a DUD?

[GerryS]

My wife makes soaps, semi professionally. Do we know, or suspect, any essential oils that repel the critters? I'd be happy to see about making a small custom batch to test it's effectiveness...

It takes a few weeks of curing time, but it might be an interesting experiment....

[aggie79]

My wife makes soaps, semi professionally. Do we know, or suspect, any essential oils that repel the critters? I'd be happy to see about making a small custom batch to test it's effectiveness...

It takes a few weeks of curing time, but it might be an interesting experiment....

Mosquitos are the real worry around here. Lemon eucalyptus works good to repel them. Neem oil is good for mites. Around the house rosemary oil is what we use to kill unwanted pests. It's deadly on cockroaches.

[jstrubberg]

I've never had any luck with DEET for ticks. The only thing I've found effective for ticks is permethrin, and it's nasty stuff. Make sure you read the directions thoroughly, and even then, the stuff scares me.

My solution for ticks has been to be very vigilant and clean up immediately. I shower and check for ticks every time we hike, every time I cut grass. It's not convenient, but it's effective. The tick has to stay attached for quite a while for transfer of Lyme's to occur. Experts disagree as to how long, but 4-24 hours is fairly universally accepted.

[nevadatear]

Permethrin is what we use for lice. However it is not recommended for children under 2 because it is neurotoxic. It should work, but be careful.

[rowerwet]

DEET works by confusing flying insects that locate you based on the CO2 you exhale (you major carbon hoax polouter you!) it interferes with their CO2 locating ability.
ticks find you by clinging on and finding warm skin, they don't fly, instead you find them when you brush against the bush or blade they're hanging on.
One study found nudists don't get tick bites compared to regular campers and hikers, turns out the little buggers like to be hidden.... SO THERE'S YOUR ANSWER! STREAK!

[Eric Krag]

I hear Listerine works. Also for ants, wipe down the surfaces they visited.
Anything is better than swallowing the stuff! Ha.

[JohnnyG]

Never considered Deet for ticks. Treat clothes with Permethrin, tuck your pants into your socks. One nice thing; ticks crawl around you for awhile before digging in, so there's time to check yourself occasionally.

[mikeschn]

You guys keep your ticks down south... We don't want them up here...



Mike...

P.S. Oh yea, I think that's a photo of Bankhead National Forest... but I'm not sure...

[PKCSPT]

I thought of this thread when I was out last night. They say ticks are real bad up here this year and camping in tall grass I made sure to bring Deep Woods with me. Sprayed the dog and myself every two hours, I was wearing shorts and my sandals. I don't spray my feet, never have don't have a reason. I do spray my clothes and under my clothes and bare skin. I know they don't recommend it but I HATE ticks

Anyway I was sitting at the picnic table and felt that crawling feeling on my foot,, tick. He got up to my ankle where I had sprayed (I wanted to see what would happen with this thread in mind so I let him be a minute ) When she got to the area I had sprayed she just fell off.

It was the only tick I saw so either it worked for us or there really weren't that many ticks out and she wasn't really that hungry.

[jeff0520]

You guys keep your ticks down south... We don't want them up here...



Mike...

P.S. Oh yea, I think that's a photo of Bankhead National Forest... but I'm not sure...

Well, the rocks look right. So do the trees in the background. There is a trail at the Houston Recreational Area in Bankhead National Forest called "waterfall trail," but I've never hiked it to know for sure, but that may well be a picture of what lies at the end of that trail. I'll have to go look next time we go...hopefully with no ticks!