Deet

[Gorgiewave]

I have seen some anti-insect products in camping stores that proudly announce that they are DEET free. Is this good or bad? Is DEET going to keep me Lyme disease free, but covered in cancer?

Do I need DEET in my insect repellant?

[johnnybgood]

DEET, through application can cause rashes on certain people and more severe issues in others such as dizziness, headaches and shortness of breath. A better alternative is Permethrin, (phenoxyphenyl methyl) which is applied directly to clothes that are to be worn on a future outing. Permethrin is effective in fending off ticks, mosquitos and other insects for 6 weeks. pP ww

[moldy]

The problem is that Deet works with mosquitos and blackfly's far better than anything else. It won't work with ticks at all. Some people do have a bad reaction to deet especially in it's 100% form. Also, if you dump the bottle onto your pack, bag or tent it will melt certain high tech fabrics.

[Rocket Jones]

You don't need more than 40% concentrate of DEET. Use as little as possible on your neck, ears, arms and hands. Like mentioned above, treating your clothes with permethrin will repel ticks and other insects. I wear a treated hat and have sat in the middle of a cloud of skeeters and wasps and nary a one landed on me.

[jeffmeh]

I prefer and have had success with 20% Picaridin, and the few studies out there verify its effectiveness. I also recommend treating clothing with Permethrin, as previously stated.

[Odd Man Out]

I prefer and have had success with 20% Picaridin, and the few studies out there verify its effectiveness. I also recommend treating clothing with Permethrin, as previously stated.

Picaridin is just as effective as DEET but less irritating, it has no odor, and it won't dissolve synthetic fabrics. There are two other repellents that have been found to be effective as well, IR3535 and PMD. If you see DEET-free repellents, they probably contain one of these. They may also be on of several botanical formulations, but none of these have measured up in tests. Here is a link to a previous thread with some links you might find useful.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?97513-Bug-Spray&p=1516611&viewfull=1#post1516611

[peakbagger]

DEET has been tested numerous times by various federal agencies and every time they do they come to the conclusion that it is safe when used as directed. It is quite effective but many people don't use it correctly. Even the military does no uses 100% DEET, generally they use 30 to 40% DEET blended with something to keep the DEET on your skin rather than absorbed. Its extremely difficult to test specifically for children so generally the easiest response is not recommended for children.

[Gorgiewave]

Thanks for the replies. I think permethrin and picaridin will be what I use.

Have you all been protected against ticks using these substances?

[peakbagger]

The best defense for ticks is pemetherin sprayed or soaked in your clothes

[miassis dragon]

The alternative to deet is no deet or bug spray at all. Check out mosquito sleeves for your arms and legs at mosquitosleeve.com. It works

[bangorme]

I thought DEET was effective against ticks? (http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html). I like the thought of spraying clothing, but how about shorts? Also, I've found ticks on my hands that were attached.