Our Experience Using Permethrin Spray To Prevent Tick Bites (And Mosquito Bites) …Instead Of Using DEET

by Lynnette

Bug Bites, Lyme Disease, Mosquitoes, Ticks

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy thru these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.


I’ve written about basic tick prevention and removal methods before. (Ditto for preventing mosquito bites.)

Since then, we’ve learned a little secret from the U.S. Military.

It’s called Permethrin spray!

Permethrin spray for ticks really works. Permethrin treated clothing appears to be the best tick repellent for humans.

Hubby and I now use Permethrin instead of DEET-based products to repel ticks and mosquitoes.

DEET is an excellent mosquito repellent, but it is a fairly poor tick repellent. We are inundated with so many DEET repellents because there are several huge corporations that manufacture hundreds of variations of DEET products. There is only one small company, Coulston Laboratory, that markets a handful of competitive tick repellent products for human use that contain 0.5% permethrin.  Source

 

A Tick Repellent That’s Stronger Than DEET

We recently purchased yet another piece of land — to potentially build a log home on. (More on that here.)

As a result, Jim and I have been spending a significant amount of time deep in the middle of the woods walking the property lines and attempting to clear out a spot to put a house.

Yep, deep in the woods — where the ticks run rampant!

Permethrin spray is a simple way to make your own tick repellent clothing

But this time, we asked a couple of people “in the know” (like land surveyors and land developers) about the best tick repellent for humans — because products with DEET just weren’t cutting it for us.

The answer we kept getting was: Permethrin spray.

It’s very potent. In fact, the guy at the Tractor Supply store called it a “nerve agent” that you should never get on your skin. (More about that below.)

Permethrin has been documented thoroughly by the Department of Defense and is now used regularly by the U.S. Military.

U.S. Navy applying permethrin spray to military uniforms

Following is everything we’ve learned firsthand about Permethrin tick spray, how it has worked for us so as a tick repellent & mosquito repellent, and where we buy it…

 

Facts About Permethrin

These are some of the interesting things I’ve learned about the chemical Permethrin:

 

What If You Get Permethrin On Your Skin?

Permethrin has low mammalian toxicity, is poorly absorbed through the skin, and is rapidly inactivated by the body.

Skin reactions have been uncommon. In fact, Permethrin is virtually non-toxic to humans and no systemic effects have been reported. In EPA and FDA tests, it was uncommon to have any skin reddening, rash, or other irritation.

Although Permethrin is approved for skin application under certain circumstances (such as head lice), it is NOT applied to skin when used as an insect repellent.

The reason: Permethrin does not bond to skin. In fact, it is quickly deactivated by skin and turned into inactive compounds.

Because of this, Permethrin spray offers no repellent benefit on your skin. It is only effective when used as a clothing treatment.

 

Facts About DEET

These are some of the interesting things I’ve learned about the chemical DEET:

 

Where To Buy Permethrin Spray For Clothing & Gear

Our land surveyor friend said to look for Permethrin “at the Co-op”. He said it comes in an aerosol can that you spray directly on your clothing and gear (but never on your skin).

The first place I thought to check was Tractor Supply — but they only had the kind for vegetation. In fact, the guy at Tractor Supply said they have a few different products for your yard with Permethrin in it, but they aren’t to be used on clothing and should remain far far away from your skin.

Not all Permethrin is blended for the purpose of bonding to fabric. Most Permethrin is agricultural which is for pest control on vegetation. Its design purpose is to stick to plants thus protecting the plants. Veterinary products are designed to adhere to animal skins/hair or premises and are not for fabric application. Some Permethrin is formulated for treatment of medical conditions such as head lice and scabies. The formulations are not interchangeable mostly because of solvents utilized. Always refer to manufacturers label and use instructions. Source

permethrin insecticide is a very good way to keep insects from bitingSo, I ran back home and hopped on the Internet where I found 2 places that sell cans of Permethrin spray for clothing and gear: Amazon and eBay. Amazon carries the Repel Permanone product and Sawyer Permethrin clothing spray.

duranon-tick-repellent-with-permethrin.jpgWe decided to purchase a 3-pack of the Sawyer Duranon Tick Repellent online. Each aerosol can contains 6 ounces of .5% Permethrin and covers 2 outfits — shirts, pants, socks, shoes, and hats. (We found this to be accurate.)

Each of the above products are recommended by Kirby C. Stafford III, Ph.D. of The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station:

Several products contain 0.5% Permethrin (e.g. Duranon Tick Repellent, Repel Permanone, Cutter Outdoorsman Gear Guard, Permethrin Tick Repellent) — which is for use only on clothing or other fabrics such as mosquito netting or tents.

As Permethrin has become more popular as a tick repellent, we’ve started to see Permethrin spray available at sporting goods stores — including REI.

 

Our Unscientific Test: Permethrin vs. OFF With 30% DEET

To begin our experiment, Jim sprayed his jeans, short-sleeve shirt, socks, and shoes with Duranon (the Sawyer Permethrin spray) 2 hours prior to our trip — as instructed on the label. He made sure not to get any on his skin.

I sprayed my jeans, long-sleeve shirt, and shoes thoroughly with OFF a few minutes before we entered the woods.

So, after a 1-hour long walk in the woods, did we find any ticks on us???

We never found a single tick on Jim! Not one.

As soon as we got in the car, we found one on me (on my back, around the bra line). And a few hours later we found another one on me — in about the same location. That’s pretty typical.

When we only use a product with 30% DEET, we almost always find 2 to 4 ticks on each of us. And if we spend a lot of time in really thick woods (which we didn’t on this trip), then we usually find 5 to 10 on each of us. Yep, even with the DEET.

At this point, we are over the DEET products (when it comes to ticks anyway) and Permethrin spray now ranks #1 in our book — it’s definitely the best tick repellent for humans!

The Department of Defense system consists of both Permethrin treated clothing and DEET applied to skin. The use of one without the other will undermine the system and increase the risk of insect or tick bite. Source

Okay, so maybe we’ll still use 30% DEET on our skin and use the Permethrin on our clothing. With this combination, we may never see another tick in our lifetime!

 

using permethrin spray will help keep ticks from biting youFor More Information About Permethrin

Contact the National Pesticide Telecommunications Network. Their phone number is 800-858-7378. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST or 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PST.