permethrin clothing treatment.

[andybysea]

Due to the large number of ticks people are coming across and the recent thread by Shewie i thought id look for a prevention to the little swines

and i came across this site and ordered some permethrin clothing spray and some deet body spray,

http://www.nomadtravel.co.uk/catalog/browse/avoiding-bites

It says about permethrin that any insect or tick that comes into contact with treated clothing dies immediately,which suits me,although the stuff itself has some down sides (i googled the stuff and its pretty toxic) i will only be using it on my trousers from the knee down as this i feel is where im most likely to get a tick attaching, just wondering if anyone else has used it and what do they think.(i think its the active ingrediant in the stuff used for dogs to stop them getting ticks, it is apparently very toxic to aquatic life and cats)

 

[sapper1]

Be careful with deet it melts plastic.

 

[stooboy]

Be careful with deet it melts plastic.

i used the 50% deet repellent oot o boots and im no like the boy oot o robocop1 yet.

 

[andybysea]

Id heard that about deet but in the past ive used the 100 % stuff when i used to do airsofting(many years ago) id cover meself (head/hands/neck/etc)in it but it never marked the guns in anyway(made of plastic)must depend on the type of plastic as it comes in a plastic bottle.

 

[Pict]

In Central Brazil we have tick and chigger infestations of biblical proportions during dry season. I was once bitten 150+ times by chiggers on a three day survival training exercise. I now treat my clothes (100&#37 with Sawyer military clothing treatment (permethrine) and use DEET on my lower legs, belly/waist, wrists, and neck. On a return trip at the same time of year to the same area I got no bites, as in (0) zero. I had no adverse reaction to the permethrine.

I once took a large tick and put him on the sleeve of my jacket. He was walking around happy as ever trying to bite through the cloth. I was thinking, "This stuff isn't working!" All of a sudden he started acting confused, curled up and died... DIED I TELL YOU! He was a late tick, a former bloodsucker, he was an ex-monster. I was a walking WMD. Mac

 

[sapper1]

It used to melt the fore-end and pistol grip of the SA80.Maybe it only affects cheap plastic.

 

[andybysea]

Pict youve just made me a happy man,if this stuff ive ordered works like that i can relax when in high infest ares. heres what wiki has to say hmmmm neuro toxin!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin

 

[Pict]

From the Wiki...

"...permethrin is believed to have very low if any toxicity in humans. Military personnel training in malaria-endemic areas may be instructed to treat their uniforms with permethrin as well. An application should last several washes."

That has been my experience. The permethrine actually binds to the cotton fibers so there is very little transference to your skin. I would go ahead and treat your entire outfit. I normally do my BDU pants, long sleeve T-shirt, sock tops, and BDU jacket. I've used both the DURANON spray and the Sawyer clothing treatment and both worked well although the Sawyer gave better coverage.

Getting 150+ bites is no fun. The first night I was itching/burning so bad I didn't sleep. The second night I was so exhausted I did sleep after about 3 AM but it was miserable. I get most chigger bites around my lower legs and belt line so I DEET up those areas well.

Mac

 

[Lithril]

Didn't realise that Permethrin dissolves plastic as well, I know that DEET does it quite effectively (just look at the steering wheel of the Mrs car...)

 

[Pict]

It used to melt the fore-end and pistol grip of the SA80.Maybe it only affects cheap plastic.

Is there a hint of attitude there?

Mac

 

[andybysea]

Cheers Pict most helpfull, wil give my gear a spray for when im up around Glen Coe next weekend to see if it keeps things that crawl and fly away from me.Im tarping it so this should be a test.

 

[Shewie]

I've been using that Nomad stuff for about two years Andy and I've managed to stay clear so far. It says it'll last up to two weeks on one application but I top it up most days in the field aswell.
I was waist deep in bracken in Sika territory up on the west coast a couple of weeks ago and didn't find any on me.
I believe it's the same stuff they use on the treated hammocks & mossie nets etc.

 

[akabu]

Permethrin dissolves plastic? then my Tarps Hammocks and other gear all must be figments of my imagination as I have been using the Sawyer brand for years

 

[Pict]

+1 to that. I think someone earlier referred to DEET dissolving plastic, which it does. The permethrine does not. Mac