Ticks

Here is some good info on preventing tick bites from the WAPO:

“Here’s a smart way to fight
ticks, according to a tick
expert
Teddy Amenabar

There are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself
from ticks when you are in nature, but there is one you
should take: Spray your footwear with the synthetic
insecticide permethrin.

Reports of tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease and

alpha-gal syndrome, an immune reaction that can cause a
red meat allergy, peak in June and July in the United States.

Ticks latch onto skin, clothing and footwear below our knees.
Shoes are often the “first point of contact for larval and
nymphal-stage ticks,” said Thomas Mather, a public health
entomologist who has been studying ticks for 42 years and
goes by the nickname “the Tick Guy.”

Nymphs are the size of a poppy seed; larvae are even
smaller. “If you’re not going to be able to see something,”
Mather said, focus your efforts on “where it’s getting on
you.”

What types of shoes should I spray?

Once a month, typically April through September, Mather
places his shoes outside and sprays them with a product
containing 0.5 percent permethrin until all sides are wet. The
insecticide — a synthetic version of a compound found in
chrysanthemum flowers — has been shown to reduce the
risk of a tick bite.

Any shoes you’re going to wear in nature can be sprayed,
Mather said. He has used permethrin on canvas, leather and
rubber shoes and said he has never seen it harm the
material.

“I would treat my bang-around shoes, I would treat my hiking
boots, I would treat my golf shoes — if I had golf shoes,”
Mather said. “I treat all the types of shoes that are going to
be worn in tick habitat.”

Spraying your shoes with permethrin is often an easy first
step for people who have never applied the insecticide
before, he said.

Permethrin can also be sprayed on clothing and other gear.
But don’t use it on your skin.

Permethrin should be sprayed only outdoors, and the treated
items should be kept outside until completely dry.
Permethrin can be toxic to cats when wet but is considered
safe for pets and people once dry.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a video
showing how to do it.

Are there natural alternatives?

Natural alternatives — for instance, botanical oils such as
cedar, lavender and clove — do not appear to repel ticks as
effectively, or for as long, Mather said, and he is not aware of

well-controlled trials of these repellents. He is testing some
existing natural products and some proprietary mixtures of
botanical oils that are not yet on the market to see if they are
effective.

“The majority of my concern is that they won’t have a very
long-lasting effect,” Mather said. “Actual testing needs to be
accomplished before we rely on them.”

Other ways to prevent tick bites

There are other precautions you can take to protect yourself
and your pets from tick bites.

Ticks can crawl up from your shoes. Wear tall socks and
boots. Tuck your pants into your socks. Use elastic
bands and belts to close openings in your clothes.
Leggings or compression shorts will help as well.
You also can use EPA-registered products containing
DEET, picaridin, IR3535, para-menthane-diol (PMD) or
2-undecanone.
Walk in the middle of trails, away from the brush, since
ticks often gather in leaf litter, on blades of grass and in
the branches of low-lying shrubs.
When you get home, do tick checks on yourself, your
children and your pets — even if you have just been
gardening in your backyard. Check for ticks in skin
folds, such as inside the belly button or between the

legs. Comb your dog.
Take a shower soon after coming indoors to wash away
repellent and any unattached ticks, experts said. The
CDC also recommends putting your clothes in the dryer
on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks. Wash
permethrin-treated clothes separately from other
laundry.

Lindsey Bever and Marlene Cimons contributed to this
report.”