Insects

This article summarizes the topic of protection from certain insects in the Outdoors (where Scouts spend a lot of time). There are lot of insects and spiders in the woods, and they can carry a variety of diseases. We focus on two of these creatures because they are commonly encountered in our region and can carry serious diseases. - mosquitos and deer ticks.

Key Pests in New England

• Mosquito - The main reason for looking to avoid the mosquito is that it bites, usually leaving an instantly itchy spot that many kids are bound to scratch to the point of infection. Sure, you can get EEE (Eastern equine encephalitis, pronounced "Triple E"), West Nile Virus or other another disease from a mosquito, but that is pretty rare.
• Deer Tick - First, this tiny creature, formally called a "blacklegged tick", is an arachnid, not an insect (count those 8 legs). Generally, a tick bite is not something you can feel even after the tick has been attached for over a day. Deer ticks are small - about the size of a poppy seed for the nymph (juvenile) stage or the size of a sesame seed for an adult. The reason to be concerned with these particular ticks (not the others) is that in our region and gradually spreading to other parts of the country, this tick is the main "vector" for transmitting Lyme Disease. Lyme is a serious illness, but if you detect the bite or the initial symptoms of the disease in the first few days, a simple course of an antibiotic (doxycycline is commonly used) will completely cure the patient. Other diseases can also be spread by ticks, but these are less common.

Prevention

The best approach is to treat all clothing with Permethrin and also to treat exposed skin with DEET or Picardin spray. Avoid getting these on your lips or in your eyes and avoid inhaling.

• Permethrin - This insecticide is used by treating clothing (clothes, underclothes and socks) with 0.5% solution and drying completely in advance. It lasts through up to six wash dry cycles. Ticks die before they can bite you.
• DEET - This insect repellent is available in a range of strengths and forms (spray or cream). It is most effective on ticks and mosquitos when used as a 15-20% spray and must be re-applied every few hours. DEET is the most effective repellent and has few and infrequent effects on people. It can damage synthetic clothing.
• Picardin - This insect repellent is available in a range of strengths and forms (spray or cream). It is most effective on ticks and mosquitos when used as a 20% spray and must be re-applied every few hours. It has no effect on synthetic clothing.
• Netting - Use a tent with netting to keep mosquitos off you while you sleep. At summer camp, use a mosquito net over your bed.

After Exposure

There are a few key points to cover after your time in the woods.

• Mosquito Bites - Just don't scratch the bites. This minimizes the itching. If you experience EEE symptoms 4-10 days after a bite, seek medical attention at your local ER.
• Ticks - Since you usually can't feel the bite, it is critical to carefully inspect your whole body as soon as possible after your outdoor adventure to find and remove any attached ticks. Medical providers usually say that unless the tick is attached for 2 days, it will not have enough time to transmit Lyme. If you didn't find and remove any ticks, watch out for an unexplained rash for a few days, especially one shaped like a target; if you see that, see a doctor.

Questions and Answers

• Q: Mr. Froimson uses 100% DEET; is that better than 30%?
  A: As seen in the articles with actual test results, not really. It is harder to find a tiny container of 20% DEET to carry on a backpacking trip than it is to find the 100% in that size.
• Q: What if your permethrin-treated clothes don't cover you completely, such as when you wear shorts?
  A: It is still effective because "ticks like to find a constriction point to attach (in the groin, waistbands, armpits, etc…), thus when ticks started to crawl underneath clothing to “find their spot” they were killed. In our testing ticks exposed to treated clothing die with as little contact as 10 seconds." (from correspondence with Nate Miller, President of Tick Guys, LLC).
• Q: Why do we only need netting while we sleep?
  A: Two reasons - 1. Mosquitos are heaviest at dusk and just after dawn in the summer (they don't like really hot weather). 2. They find you by following the CO₂ in your breath. Lying down to sleep gives them plenty of time to find you.

More Information

• Tick Repellents, ticksafety.com - good overview of Permethrin, DEET and Picardin
• Picardin vs DEET: Which is the best insect repellent?, AMC Outdoors - DEET is more effective at repelling ticks.
• Insect Repellent Buying Guide, Consumer Reports, 4/23/19 - DEET at 15-20% or 20% Picardin spray (not cream) are most effective.
• New CDC Tick Study Adds to Promise of Permethrin-Treated Clothing, Entomology Today, 5/24/18
• Tick Bite Protection With Permethrin-Treated Summer-Weight Clothing, Journal of Medical Entomology, 3/1/11 - Effectiveness of permetrhin treated clothing such as shorts.
• Lyme Disease: Prevention, Identification, and Treatment Options, BestCamping - Thorough article, especially in the stages of the disease.

Page updated 7/3/22 J. Froimson