Ticks hate permethrin-treated pants

Larry Dapsis, Barnstable County entomologist, shows us how much ticks hate permethrin-treated pants and how they can keep you safer outdoors.

Spring has sprung, the ticks are out and so are the repellants.

But what's the best way to protect yourself from ticks and the diseases they carry while enjoying the outdoors, whether it be hiking, gardening or just a day at the park?

Insect spray tends to be the go-to but experts are suggesting the best solution may be actually updating your spring wardrobe with clothes treated to repel ticks.

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Spraying your clothes with repellent is nothing new, but buying pre-treated clothes such as shirts, pants and socks has proven to be the most effective, said Sam Telford, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Global Health at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

The not-so-secret ingredient? Permethrin - a broad spectrum, non-systemic, synthetic pyrethroid insecticide that can be used to pretreat clothing and is effective against ticks and mosquitoes.

"It kills ticks within three hours of them touching it," said Telford.

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It’s been around since 1979 and used by the military but starting in 2003 began to see commercial use in factory treated clothing. Now it can even be bought on Amazon.

Permethrin treated clothing can last through more than 16 wash cycles - but should be washed separately from non-treated clothing.

Ticks can't bite through clothing, according to Insect Shield, a company that makes treated clothing.

"Their method of attaching to hosts requires direct skin contact because they need to find a suitable spot to latch on firmly," the website says.

But, if there is a gap between your clothing and skin, a tick is likely to find it and crawl under your clothing to bite. Repellent clothing helps to deter that as touching the fabric is fatal.

Permethrin is absorbed poorly through the skin and been found to pose little to no immediate or long-term hazard to the wearer of treated clothing, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which has conducted a number of exposure safety studies.

It's already been proven to be safe in other uses - permethrin is an active ingredient in children's shampoo for head lice, but the amount used in clothing is even lower than shampoo, said Telford.

As mentioned earlier, like just about everything else, factory treated clothing can be purchased on Amazon, but is also available from a number of outdoor activity retailers, including but not limited to: REI, Cabela's, SITKA, Bowtreader and of course, L.L. Bean.

News Source : https://www.telegram.com/story/news/environment/2024/04/23/tick-season-is-here-what-to-wear-to-protect-yourself-from-ticks/73409716007/