Permethrin and Mosquitos?

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BESON
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Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by BESON »

Mosquitos tend to like me, which is not good as I severely dislike them. I've been curious about Permethrin treated clothing and wondered how well this works for avoiding mosquito bites. As I've read about it, it sounds like the stuff kills them, but not necessarily on contact, which left me wondering whether it's as effective for mosquitos that could bite pretty quickly after landing vs ticks that might take some time before they latch on. What's your experience been with permethrin treated clothes and mosquitos?
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bobby49
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Re: Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by bobby49 »

I grew up with Jungle Juice, so I know how effective and toxic DEET can be. Permethrin seems to me to be less potent, but still it will do the job. However, I refer to Permethrin spray. There is also Permethrin that is applied to clothing and will allegedly go through many laundry cycles and still be effective. I never found it to be effective after the first wash.

I remember the first time that I saw DEET ruin the paint job on a car.
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Re: Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

You can also buy various brand names similar to "bugs-off" clothing. They are expensive, but mine seem to work and can withstand many washes (not the 70-washes they claim but still at least a few seasons of use). I have very thin pants, Crag-Hoppers, and even when stretched across my legs, mosquitoes will land but not bite. Ex-Offico also has similar clothing.

The other strategy is to have clothing that is either loose enough that you skin does not contact, or thick and densely woven enough that mosquitoes cannot bite through.

I swear by knee-high gaiters (I have the Rocky Mountain High from MSR). They keep the bugs from flying up my pant legs and they cannot bite through. I also wear thick canvas garden gloves when hiking so my hands do not get bitten. I really do not like DEET on my hands- inevitably I get the stuff in my eyes.

Some head nets are permethrin treated, some not. The ones not treated work fine as long as you wear them over a wide brim hat. I really do not like breathing permethrin so I prefer the non-treated heat nets.
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Re: Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by rlown »

I actually spray my dog with 7% deet. Not near the eyes though. I will rub the top of the nose though. Duck ponds on the waterfowl opener are notorious for skeeter attack. Dogs don't like head nets. A good head shake pretty much clears them.

As for me, I still wear long pants (marine surplus) which are windproof and bite proof. They also have ties on the bottom of the pants to keep out sand, skeeters, etc. Also wear long sleeves, and I do slather deet on my hands and neck and cheeks.
The bonus is less sunscreen needed on the body.
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AlmostThere
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Re: Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by AlmostThere »

I treat my clothing - hat, pants, long sleeved loose shirt - with Permethrin, using stuff I buy on Amazon and a bit stronger than the Sawyer spray on stuff. It lasts through several washings.

They land, they fly away. They tend not to land on my face. I like this. Haven't had to use the head net, which is a bonus when working with tools on trails, as head nets are hot.

When using Permethrin the soak lasts longer than the spray. When soaking, do it away from pets, especially cats. The leftover solution needs to be dumped on concrete rather than down a drain or into the water table in any way. The dry clothing is fine for pets, the wet stuff should be kept from them.

I started using Permethrin every spring after a nasty tick borne infection that led to hospital bills. I treat the hammock, straps, all my pants, all my shirts, the hats, and all my boyfriend's clothing. No tick bites since I have been doing this, 10+ years, despite our habit of sitting on the ground and walking around in brush while working.
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bobby49
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Re: Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by bobby49 »

AlmostThere wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:27 pm The dry clothing is fine for pets, the wet stuff should be kept from them.
What kind of dry clothing do your pets wear?
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Re: Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by rlown »

Dogs hate to be dressed up. Cats, I don't care about as I don't see them on trails. Wet stuff works.
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AlmostThere
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Re: Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by AlmostThere »

bobby49 wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 2:40 pm
AlmostThere wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:27 pm The dry clothing is fine for pets, the wet stuff should be kept from them.
What kind of dry clothing do your pets wear?
The pets that sit in my lap wear no clothing. My dog loves her fleece sweater while camping and it's cold.

Clothing that's wet with permethrin solution will make any pet ill, and will kill cats, amphibians or fish.
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Re: Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by rlown »

Source for your belief, given you probably have your pet on heartguard or Advantix?
My dogs always had a worse reaction to a rabies shot (seizures.) Never from Deet.
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AlmostThere
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Re: Permethrin and Mosquitos?

Post by AlmostThere »

rlown wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:59 pm Source for your belief, given you probably have your pet on heartguard or Advantix?
My dogs always had a worse reaction to a rabies shot (seizures.) Never from Deet.
The label on the Permethrin. It's not a "belief." And Permethrin ain't DEET. It's insecticide.
https://icatcare.org/permethrin/owner-info
Since I soak, I keep ALL pets away while doing it, because I'm not going to let the dog drink it.
No, I don't use topicals on the dog, and even if I did, it's not nearly at the concentration of the clothing treatment. It's used in lotions for chiggers at a very dilute amount as well for that matter.
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