Tick Repellents
Ticks and tick-borne diseases are a year-round danger but the month of May might be considered a peak for tick activity. The use of repellents is probably the best strategy for those that enjoy the outdoors or whose obligations necessitate they be in environments favorable to ticks.
The three most common and effective repellents are DEET, picaridin, and permethrin. Ticks find mammals by detecting the carbon dioxide they naturally give-off. DEET and picaridin block the receptors on the pest’s antennae that detect carbon dioxide. Essentially the pests don’t “see” us because DEET and picaridin prevent them detecting the carbon dioxide coming from our bodies. DEET is very effective against biting insects and ticks, but it has a strong scent and can damage some plastics and other synthetic materials. Picaridin is a newer repellent that has a less unpleasant odor but is still effective against biting insects and ticks and picaridin does not damage synthetic materials. Both DEET and picaridin offer good protection against pests and can be applied to the skin, but check the label for information on how long the material will last and be prepared to re-apply if you are in tickfriendly environments for some hours. Best practice using DEET or picaridin alone is to tuck pant legs into your socks and apply the repellent to shoes, socks, and pants.
Not all insect repellents are intended for direct application to the skin. Permethrin is an insecticide designed to treat clothing and gear and should be applied only according to label instructions. It works by disrupting the pest’s nervous system to cause paralysis so that ticks and biting flies are unable to feed and may even fall off the host when they contact permethrin, often just moments after contact. Permethrin should be applied to clothing or items like hammocks, bed nets, or tents. Permethrintreated clothing can be purchased from outdoor suppliers. Insecticides applied to clothing may not fully protect exposed skin. Consider wearing an insect repellent applied to your skin in addition to insect-impregnated clothing for complete protection.
The CDC lists several other approved, effective insect repellents on their webpage at: https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/ prevention/index.html Some of these will also work against ticks, although they may need to be reapplied more frequently. Check the label for more information.
Experience with tick borne illnesses to this point suggests ticks need to be latched to the skin for at least 24 hours in order to transmit disease. An online application called Tick Spotters is capable of identifying ticks with a photo and the Rockbridge Extension office has resources to help you identify a tick. However, the variety of tick borne illnesses (Lyme, Alpha-gal, Anaplasmosis, and others) that can possibly be transmitted from all different types of ticks diminishes the necessity of knowing what type of tick has bitten you. More important is that you record when you suffer a tick bite, know the signs and symptoms of clinical infection, and if you suspect the tick has been latched more than 24 hours seek professional medical advice about preemptive antibiotic treatment. Once you have removed a tick that has latched to your skin, you may choose to store is in alcohol or freeze it in a plastic bag. However, a local health care provider explained to your columnist they currently do not know of a laboratory that will analyze a tick for pathogens. It’s best not to preserve a tick on sticky-tape as the adhesive may destroy parts of the tick important for its identification later.
Disease transmission appears to depend on how long the tick has been attached and feeding, so it’s always best to conduct a thorough tick check promptly after being outdoors or every few hours if outside continuously for an extended period. Know the signs and symptoms of different tick borne diseases and seek the guidance of your medical care provider if you have any of these symptoms or if you have removed a latched tick from your skin.
A factsheet on common ticks in Virginia, including tips on avoiding ticks are available at the Rockbridge Extension office or by going online to https:// ext.vt.edu/ and in the search box type ‘common ticks of virginia’. Thanks to VA Tech Entomologist Dr. Theresa Dellinger who provided much of the content of this column.
