Permethrin

[Northcountryman]

Hey Guys;

 

Just started using Permethrin this season for ticks and am a little nervous about long term effects. Anybody use it long term at this point  and, if so, what are your thoughts? I ordered a bottle off Amazon fully mixed, 0.5% dilution concentration. That sounds like the ideal concentration based on what Ive read and heard so far.  Of course, have been applying only to my outer garments and letting it dry day before to avoid wet contact skin absorption.  Should I wear inner garments, though as sort of protective layer against the outer treated layer? If so, that would kind of suck cuz its been so hot out, cant imagine traipsing around the woods right now with 2 layers of clothes, let alone 1!! Also, what if your clothes get wet? Does it increase exposure ?

[SportsmanNH]

I think you are panicking for nothing NC . I have been using the same Sawyers .05 unscented mix for at least 15 years. Been spraying it on any clothes I use to go in the woods for summer checking cameras and cutting up fire pit wood, hunting in the fall, and  and a very light spray for winter. I have no concerns. 

I spray it both in and out . For summer I wear a very thin coverall with a pair of jeans shorts and a tee shirt underneath. So the coverall is rubbing on my skin. Never a tick bite , No rashes of any kind , or any other issue . I actually put a heavy spray on that coverall and let it  totally dry for a day.  I know tons of people doing the same for hiking , checking cams , and camping . Never heard of any issues from anybody . The campers I know not only spray their clothes , they spray the inside of their sleeping bags .  No concerns or ill effects from anyone. And its been years they have been doing this. A couple guys I know actually wipe a very light diluted mix on their dogs . No issues there either. But dont spray anywhere near a cat where they can get it on them while its wet. They could get sick from it. Its fine after its dry. I actually have sprayed our  cats bed and dried it . Found dead ticks in there from them dragging them in when they go outside. Never affected any of the cats at all . Once the spray is dry , everything is good to go .

One last thing . I spoke to the company a while back. One of their biggest clients is the military. Permethrin works on all kinds of critters. Sand fleas in the middle east , and all kinds of swamp bugs in the jungles. Do you think for one second they would let our soldiers use that stuff if they knew it was harmful to them ? 

Edited August 7 by SportsmanNH

[airedale]

I agree with SportsmanNH, I take my clothes out and hang them on the wife's clothesline and spray them down good, once they dry they are good to go. After having a good dose of Lymes I will take my chances.

Al

[steve863]

Check out this video.  You can save a LOT of money if you mix your own.  I use this guys method and it works.  Same % concentration as Sawyers.   One bottle of the unmixed stuff goes a LONG way.  The Sawyer ready to use stuff is not cheap.

 

 

[bugsNbows]

As a general rule, I never buy premixed stuff. You never know how long it’s been sitting on a shelf in some warehouse. Get the concentrate and mix your own.

[SportsmanNH]

15 hours ago, steve863 said:

Check out this video.  You can save a LOT of money if you mix your own.  I use this guys method and it works.  Same % concentration as Sawyers.   One bottle of the unmixed stuff goes a LONG way.  The Sawyer ready to use stuff is not cheap.

 

 

I have used the Martins 10 percent that he mentions in the video. It did work great. But here  is a little important info that this vid doesn't mention . I have always heard that any concentrate above 10 percent is either all or partially formulated as " petroleum based "  You DO NOT want any of that !  You will smell like a diesel engine. It is NOT unscented . I know that most of the 10 percent concentrates are water based. Never buy the petroleum based. I have no knowledge about the 13 percent brand he is mixing . It would take you at least 15 times washing your outfit in degreaser to get that smell off. And you might never get it all out.  

The 10 percent Martins is now triple what I paid for it. Still economical but not as much . And you are risking what else they are using as inert ingredients in the concentrate. Some of those are NOT Scent Free . Dont forget those 10 and 13 percent mixes are made to use in barns and on farm animals. They dont care if its not scent free ! It is not designed to spray on clothes ! I  know the Sawyers is mixed with all Scent Free ingredients. Although I have used one bottle of the Martins in the past , I will stick with the Sawyers .

One last thing . DONT buy the aerosol cans. The permethrin is scent free. But the aerosol isn't. It has a little chemical smell that lingers for a while. Plus sometimes the can runs out of aerosol , and the can is still 1/3rd full of permethrin .

Edited August 8 by SportsmanNH

[SportsmanNH]

12 hours ago, bugsNbows said:

As a general rule, I never buy premixed stuff. You never know how long it’s been sitting on a shelf in some warehouse. Get the concentrate and mix your own.

Bugs , when I talked to the company I asked that question on how long is the shelf life . they told me it stays full strength for 5 years. Then it will start to degrade . with them selling tons of it to the military , I dont think sitting on the shelf is an issue . Even Amazon runs out of Sawyers spray bottles  now and then around springtime and hunting season . They always get more in , but sometimes you have to wait a week or two. 

[don_sr]

They said agent orange and roundup was safe.

Sent from my motorola edge plus 5G UW (2022) using Tapatalk

[Northcountryman]

22 hours ago, SportsmanNH said:

I think you are panicking for nothing NC . I have been using the same Sawyers .05 unscented mix for at least 15 years. Been spraying it on any clothes I use to go in the woods for summer checking cameras and cutting up fire pit wood, hunting in the fall, and  and a very light spray for winter. I have no concerns. 

I spray it both in and out . For summer I wear a very thin coverall with a pair of jeans shorts and a tee shirt underneath. So the coverall is rubbing on my skin. Never a tick bite , No rashes of any kind , or any other issue . I actually put a heavy spray on that coverall and let it  totally dry for a day.  I know tons of people doing the same for hiking , checking cams , and camping . Never heard of any issues from anybody . The campers I know not only spray their clothes , they spray the inside of their sleeping bags .  No concerns or ill effects from anyone. And its been years they have been doing this. A couple guys I know actually wipe a very light diluted mix on their dogs . No issues there either. But dont spray anywhere near a cat where they can get it on them while its wet. They could get sick from it. Its fine after its dry. I actually have sprayed our  cats bed and dried it . Found dead ticks in there from them dragging them in when they go outside. Never affected any of the cats at all . Once the spray is dry , everything is good to go .

One last thing . I spoke to the company a while back. One of their biggest clients is the military. Permethrin works on all kinds of critters. Sand fleas in the middle east , and all kinds of swamp bugs in the jungles. Do you think for one second they would let our soldiers use that stuff if they knew it was harmful to them ? 

Great post and thank you for the info- I feel alot better now!! So, youve been using for 15 years, then? How did you first hear of use of Permethrin for ticks? I never heard of it till my Uncle mentioned last year that he uses it .

[Northcountryman]

22 hours ago, steve863 said:

Check out this video.  You can save a LOT of money if you mix your own.  I use this guys method and it works.  Same % concentration as Sawyers.   One bottle of the unmixed stuff goes a LONG way.  The Sawyer ready to use stuff is not cheap.

 

 

This is cheaper?

[Northcountryman]

7 hours ago, SportsmanNH said:

Bugs , when I talked to the company I asked that question on how long is the shelf life . they told me it stays full strength for 5 years. Then it will start to degrade . with them selling tons of it to the military , I dont think sitting on the shelf is an issue . Even Amazon runs out of Sawyers spray bottles  now and then around springtime and hunting season . They always get more in , but sometimes you have to wait a week or two. 

Yeah, I got mine from Amazon; didnt notice before, but its the Sawyer's brand:

 

 

 

[steve863]

8 hours ago, SportsmanNH said:

I have used the Martins 10 percent that he mentions in the video. It did work great. But here  is a little important info that this vid doesn't mention . I have always heard that any concentrate above 10 percent is either all or partially formulated as " petroleum based "  You DO NOT want any of that !  You will smell like a diesel engine. It is NOT unscented . I know that most of the 10 percent concentrates are water based. Never buy the petroleum based. I have no knowledge about the 13 percent brand he is mixing . It would take you at least 15 times washing your outfit in degreaser to get that smell off. And you might never get it all out.  

The 10 percent Martins is now triple what I paid for it. Still economical but not as much . And you are risking what else they are using as inert ingredients in the concentrate. Some of those are NOT Scent Free . Dont forget those 10 and 13 percent mixes are made to use in barns and on farm animals. They dont care if its not scent free ! It is not designed to spray on clothes ! I  know the Sawyers is mixed with all Scent Free ingredients. Although I have used one bottle of the Martins in the past , I will stick with the Sawyers .

One last thing . DONT buy the aerosol cans. The permethrin is scent free. But the aerosol isn't. It has a little chemical smell that lingers for a while. Plus sometimes the can runs out of aerosol , and the can is still 1/3rd full of permethrin .

 

I use the Martins 10% and don't think the smell is any different than the Sawyers.  For me it's way more economical even if it's costing more than it used to (what isn't more expensive?).  I've had a 32oz bottle (I think I paid around $20 for it) for probably 3 years now and it's not even half empty yet.  One 24oz bottle of the Sawyers at probably around $18 will pretty much handle one set of clothes and gear for one season and not much more.

 

 

 

 

 

[steve863]

1 hour ago, Northcountryman said:

Great post and thank you for the info- I feel alot better now!! So, youve been using for 15 years, then? How did you first hear of use of Permethrin for ticks? I never heard of it till my Uncle mentioned last year that he uses it .

 

Permethrin has been talked about pretty much everywhere (magazines, this forum, hunting/outdoor shows and videos, etc.) for a good while now as the best defense against ticks.

[Northcountryman]

Im sure youre right about that ;just never really paid attention ,I guess.

[bugsNbows]

Permethrin is a synthetic form of Pyrethrum… which is made from chrysanthemum flowers. Its LD50 in rats is over 4000. Permethrin has some on body uses for controlling critters such as head / body lice. The EPA lists it as safe when used according to label directions. Treat clothing per label and one should not have any issues.

[SportsmanNH]

17 hours ago, Northcountryman said:

Great post and thank you for the info- I feel alot better now!! So, youve been using for 15 years, then? How did you first hear of use of Permethrin for ticks? I never heard of it till my Uncle mentioned last year that he uses it .

Actually NC , its been at least 25 years I have been using it. I think around the mid 90's . At first it was all aerosol cans that were available. I didn't like them , but it was better than having the little bastids crawling on you. The spray bottles came shortly after and I never looked back.

The company told me that once a tick gets on your treated outfit for 15-30 seconds it can no longer bite you. It neutralizes their system and basically turns them into a zombie. I have watched this show after I walked through a patch of high bush blueberry bushes. I looked down and had 5 freakin ticks on my outfit. I watched them and like clockwork after 15 to 30 seconds they started lifting their legs up like they were walking on hot coals. So they started to aimlessly scramble around. They all jumped off within 2 minutes. They probably died within 30 min . Gotta love being out hunting knowing you are a tick killing machine !  So if somebody asks you " Get Anything ? " You can always say ' No Deer , but I did kill 100 ticks " 

[GreeneHunter]

I buy my Permethrin at Tractor Supply and have used it for years , I spray down my hunting clothing and hang in my shed once prior to season . I've had no reactions at all ! And no Tics either !

Edited August 10 by GreeneHunter

[DirtTime]

I use the yellow Sawyers permethrin on my clothing and the blue Sawyers on my skin in warmer weather. The blue bottle/cans are picaridin and is safe for putting on the skin. 

[SportsmanNH]

On 8/8/2024 at 8:46 AM, Northcountryman said:

Great post and thank you for the info- I feel alot better now!! So, youve been using for 15 years, then? How did you first hear of use of Permethrin for ticks? I never heard of it till my Uncle mentioned last year that he uses it .

NC here is one last post i will make to you and anyone else on this subject . Watch this video . It explains everything about permethrin . Where it came from and how it works. It addresses the non existent health risks also. Happy hunting this fall everyone !

 

[GreeneHunter]

9 hours ago, SportsmanNH said:

NC here is one last post i will make to you and anyone else on this subject . Watch this video . It explains everything about permethrin . Where it came from and how it works. It addresses the non existent health risks also. Happy hunting this fall everyone !

 

Excellent Video !

[Gobbler Chaser]

On 8/8/2024 at 1:52 AM, don_sr said:

They said agent orange and roundup was safe.

Sent from my motorola edge plus 5G UW (2022) using Tapatalk
 

It's all safe until it's not. There was a period of time in the early 1980s when it was claimed cocaine is non addictive 

[fasteddie]

Interesting video ..............

[Northcountryman]

On 8/11/2024 at 10:13 PM, SportsmanNH said:

NC here is one last post i will make to you and anyone else on this subject . Watch this video . It explains everything about permethrin . Where it came from and how it works. It addresses the non existent health risks also. Happy hunting this fall everyone !

 

Ok; so, it so this stuff has very low toxicity due to low absorption- awesome !  I see that he recommends spraying the inside of your pant legs a little bit, too, just in case they crawl in from the inside. Ive already treated my outdoor pants throughly so ill wait awhile , but will hit the insides a bit next time i reapply.  Thanks for the video!!