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Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by blisterpeanuts on Tuesday March 20, 2018 @11:50PM (#16635283)
The article doesn't mention permethrine, a chemical derived from an oil found in chrysanthemums that is deadly to ticks and other creepy crawlies.

Spray your clothes with permethrine--pants, shirts, socks, hats--and let them dry. It kills the ticks as soon as they land on you.

Repellent is also a good idea, and tuck your pants into your socks. Don't screw around; Lyme disease isn't something you want to get. It's rampant in the Northeast, and is spreading.

Ticks in their nymph stage latch onto mice, so if you are at risk of ticks in your yard, fill some cardboard tubes with permethrine-laced cotton or dryer lint and toss them under bushes, woodpiles, etc. -- anywhere that mice might hang out. Mice will take the lint back to their holes and line their nests with it, and the permethrine will wipe out the baby ticks. Permethrine is said to be harmless to humans and other mammals, but still, be careful with it.

Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by bluntfang on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @12:50AM (#16635560)
>Permethrine is said to be harmless to humans and other mammals, but still, be careful with it.

Except for cats. If you have cats, be careful using this substance.

Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by dashundchen on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @10:38AM (#16638337)
Some dogs as well. Permethrin based flea prevention caused my healthy dog to become lethargic, labored breathing and over salivation. I washed it off, and he recovered in a few hours, but I've avoided giving him flea control since then. Luckily he has avoided ticks and fleas but I would bring him to the vet if he did pick any up.

https://m.petmd.com/dog/conditions/neurological/c_multi_pyre...

Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by vibrio on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @10:37AM (#16638331)
Please be sparing with its use: Permethrin is extremely toxic to bees. Severe losses may be expected if bees are present at treatment time, or within a day thereafter (7, 12). Permethrin is also toxic to wildlife (9). It should not be applied, or allowed to drift, to crops or weeds in which active foraging takes place (4).

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/metiram-propox...

Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by iooi on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @10:13AM (#16638120)
Careful, if you read the label on a permethrin bottle, it will specifically say not to apply it to anything that has direct contact on your body. Specifically -- hats, socks and underwear. You really don't want this stuff on your hat.

It also says not to spray it indoors, to not breath in the spray, and to let your garments rest for at least 4 hours indoors or 2 hours outdoor before putting them on.

Permethrin is powerful enough to still work after 50+ washes, be careful how you're using it.

Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by puma1 on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:48PM (#16640600)
So something like this is not advisable? Check out the reviews on this. https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-Permethrin-Clothing-R...