deer tick repellent? natural...?

[michaelb]

My memory is that DEET has not been found to be very effective against ticks. Permethrin treated clothing on the other hand were very effective. Can't remember now where I read that, but it was in the last few years.

It is hard to know what to worry about most, but I would think DEET on the skin is more likely harmful then wearing Permethrin treated clothing. Lyme disease can usually be easily treated if it is diagnosed properly, and the tick has to be attached for 24 hours or more to pass the disease, so periodic checking should prevent most cases.

[Uncle Wig]

mrbigstuff wrote:
. . ., since probability of a tick bite is low whereas spraying with a neurotoxin is a known harm.

Actually, I think it's the other way around. The probability of a tick bite is very high, especially in the Northeast (where are you camping, by the way?), and the risk from Permethrin is very low, based on what I've gleaned this morning from sites like NIH and Toxipedia.

http://toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Permethrin

[the_poochies]

Gang, deer ticks - the critters that transmit Lyme disease - are much smaller than dog ticks, so be aware that tick checks can often miss deer ticks.

http://www.oes.org/html/how_2_identify_d...ticks.html

[testcase]

I don't know how well it works re: deer ticks but, "Scent Away" soap by Hunter's Specialties does a great job on other pests. Many Walmarts carry HS products (in the Sporting Goods section).

http://hunterspec.com/updateable/update_...pageID=402&categoryID=32