Nova Scotia Tick Study

A friend sent me this, I thought it was interesting. Maybe a new, friendlier to use tick repellent will come from this.

I sure hope this works! We have snow, below 0 temps and my pup still gets deer ticks on our hikes. Front Line, flea and tick collars only seem to limit the number of ticks or kill them after they attach. I have been treated for Lymes twice, my dogs get Lymes vaccinations and I treat my clothes and gear with Permethrin; a whole lot of bother for something that was a minor problem only a few years ago.

I really wish she would have said more about how it works or what it is based on.

One of my dogs has carried Lyme for many years despite multiple treatments. The other dog is so massive with so much fur it is impossible to find the ticks and I pay big bucks for oral prevention chemicals - blech.

The company is called Atlantick Repellent Products and per their website, the active ingredient is Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (PMD). Not being a chemist, I'm wasn't sure what the "PMD" indicated, but the Google tells me that "Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE) spray contains PMD (para-menthane-3,8-diol) as its active ingredient, but they aren't different things; OLE is the plant extract enriched for PMD, while PMD is the refined, active compound, often synthesized, making both effective CDC-recommended alternatives to DEET, unlike plain lemon eucalyptus essential oil which lacks sufficient PMD for proper protection."

More Googling (?) for PMD tick sprays suggests that lots of companies' products contain PMD enhanced OLE and that the products have been on the market for a while. I also discovered that two different brands of bug spray currently in my possession include PMD in their chemistry. They seem to work for me.

TZ

Good to know!

Science Sunday….

Below is a link to the paper that speaks to the scientific foundation. Has studies comparing deet to lemongrass oil.

Lemongrass oil is a mixture of various terpenes including geranial, geraniol, citral, citronellal, and limonene.

FWIW, PMD, or paramenthanediol, is a different chemical entirely. It’s more like menthol in terms of its chemical structure. It occurs naturally in the eucalyptus tree Corymbia citriodora.

Both types of chemicals repel insects. And as an aside, ticks are arachnids, not insects.

Paper

What’s wrong with the old repellent called permethrin?

Savage Voyageur: "What’s wrong with the old repellent called permethrin? "

Nothing, but it’s not a repellant. It’s an insecticide, it kills bugs including spiders and ticks . You can use both.

plander: "

Savage Voyageur: "What’s wrong with the old repellent called permethrin? "

Nothing, but it’s not a repellant. It’s an insecticide, it kills bugs including spiders and ticks . You can use both. "

It's also highly toxic to fish, aquatic invertebrates, and other aquatic species as well as many other not-so-harmful (or even helpful) insects like bees. I've seen it kill crayfish firsthand just from leeching off of treated clothing.

Also interesting to know it's highly toxic to cats as well.

keth0601: "

plander: "

Savage Voyageur: "What’s wrong with the old repellent called permethrin? "

Nothing, but it’s not a repellant. It’s an insecticide, it kills bugs including spiders and ticks . You can use both. "

It's also highly toxic to fish, aquatic invertebrates, and other aquatic species as well as many other not-so-harmful (or even helpful) insects like bees. I've seen it kill crayfish firsthand just from leeching off of treated clothing.

Also interesting to know it's highly toxic to cats as well."

Yeah, I'm not a fan of insecticides. I don't ever use them at home, in the wilderness, etc. I use repellants (deet and picaridin) in the wilderness and I carry doxycycline with me just in case. See CDC guidance below.

CDC prophylaxis tick treatment

plander: "

keth0601: "

plander: "

Savage Voyageur: "What’s wrong with the old repellent called permethrin? "

Nothing, but it’s not a repellant. It’s an insecticide, it kills bugs including spiders and ticks . You can use both. "

It's also highly toxic to fish, aquatic invertebrates, and other aquatic species as well as many other not-so-harmful (or even helpful) insects like bees. I've seen it kill crayfish firsthand just from leeching off of treated clothing.


Also interesting to know it's highly toxic to cats as well."

Yeah, I'm not a fan of insecticides. I don't ever use them at home, in the wilderness, etc. I use repellants (deet and picaridin) in the wilderness and I carry doxycycline with me just in case. See CDC guidance below.


CDC prophylaxis tick treatment "

That's a good idea!

Permethrin has also been cited as a likely risk factor for Parkinson's disease. I avoid it as well, but after catching lyme this summer, will definitely be using repellants more!