Treating your Clothes with Permethrin
Permethrin is a contact pesticide that kills black flies, ticks, and mosquitoes on contact but has no harmful side effects on humans if used properly. It is the active ingredient used in Buzz Off and Insect Shield clothing sold by Ex Officio and kills bugs when they land on your clothing by overloading their nervous system. You can buy Permethrin in liquid form and spray it on your own clothes to the same effect. This self-applied form lasts for 6 washings.
You can buy Permethrin at REI. A big bottle comes with a spray adapter and will cover 4 complete sets of clothing, including shirts, pants, and socks. It's pretty nasty stuff so you want to read the directions carefully. You need to apply it to your clothes (not the ones you are wearing) in a windless but well ventilated place like a garage. Then you let them dry for a few hours and you're all set.
This morning, I sprayed Permethrin on a bunch of clothes that I'll be wearing this summer when I section hike the Long Trail in Vermont, which is notorious for Black Flies. These included long sleeve shirts, convertible hiking pants, short gaiters, and some hiking socks. When you spray the Permethrin on, you want to position the sprayer 6 to 8 inches away from the clothing you plan to treat. Pay particular attention to the cuffs of long pants and shirt sleeves where the bugs will try to attack you. This is why I also sprayed my short gaiters and socks. It's also a good idea to spray it on your hat.
Permethrin bonds to the fibres of your clothes and therefore resists washing out. In addition, you need to apply DEET to the areas of your body not covered by clothing and/or wear a bug net to create a complete black fly perimeter.
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Am I correct that this article is from May,2008? If so, could the author provide a follow-up as to the effectiveness of this Sawyer treatment as regards black flies during his trip.
As Ever,
Orin Keplinger
orink@t6b.com
Orin, I got one bug bite on my entire Long Trail hike. I attribute this in large part to the Permethrin and the fact that I wore long pants and a long sleeved shirt for most of my hike. I just treated my clothes again today, in preparation for another 45 mile hike that I plan to take in Vermont next weekend.
I have used permethrin on rare occassions to kill larval and nymph tick infestations upon my clothes while wearing
Don’t recommend this, permethrin, affects your nervous system with tingling sensation like your foot is asleep. Be Careful with this stuff, but it is a good precaution against ticks. Also very persistent lasts like fifteen washes through the laundry.
Don’t spray permethrin on clothes that you are wearing. You don’t want to inhale it. But the stuff works – I just bought another bottle at REI this evening. We have been overrun this year by mosquitoes due to the high rainfall in New England in June, and I’m going to reapply it to my hiking clothes. It only lasts about 5 washes, by the way, if you spray it on your own stuff.
how much is this bottle of permethrin?
$15.50