Personal Protection

Ticks live in grassy, woody, or brushy areas, depending on the species of tick. Knowing where ticks can be and what time of year to expect them can help reduce your risk of encountering ticks.

• Avoid known or suspected tick-infested areas, especially during the warmer months in Wisconsin.
• Walk in the center of mowed or cleared trails.
• Avoid walking through wooded and brushy areas with leaf litter and avoid brushing up against vegetation and tall grass.

Permethrin is an insecticide with some repellency properties and kills ticks on contact. Treat clothing and gear, including boots, pants, socks and tents. Permethrin cannot be applied directly to the skin. It should be applied to clothing and allowed to dry before the clothes are worn.

• In a controlled indoor study by Miller et al. (2011) to asses the number of tick bites (using pathogen-free nymphal deer ticks–Ixodes scapularis) received by individuals wearing either permethrin-treated or untreated summer clothing (t-shirt, shorts, socks, and sneakers), human volunteers wearing outfits treated with permethrin received 3.36 times fewer tick bites than subjects wearing untreated outfits. Success of the permethrin-treated clothing in reducing tick bites was dependent on the article of clothing. Subjects wearing permethrin-treated sneakers and socks were 73.6 times less likely to have a tick bite than subjects wearing untreated foot gear and those wearing permethrin-treated shorts and t-shirts were 4.74 and 2.17 times less likely to receive a tick bite in areas related to those garments than subjects wearing untreated shorts and t-shirts. Ticks found attached to human volunteers were also classified as dead or alive before removal. On subjects wearing untreated clothing, 97.6% of attached nymphs were alive, whereas significantly fewer (22.6%) attached nymphs were alive on subjects wearing repellent-treated outfits.
• Clothing pre-treated with permethrin is available and has been demonstrated to be highly effective against ticks in several studies and can retain insecticidal activity for over 70 washings. (Vaughn and Meshnick 2011 and Miller et al. 2011). In a nonrandomized open label pilot study to determine the effectiveness of Insect Shield-treated clothing (long-lasting permethrin impregnated clothing) for the prevention of tick bites among outdoor workers from the North Carolina Division of Water Quality in actual field conditions, subjects wearing Insect Shield-treated clothing had a 93% reduction (p < 0.0001) in the total incidence of tick bites compared to subjects using standard tick bite prevention measures (Vaughn and Meshnick 2011).
• For pet owners: beware when applying permethrin to your clothing or if you use spot-on treatments for dogs which contain permethrin. Cats are especially sensitive to permethrin toxicity. (Richardson 2000).

• Light-colored clothing makes ticks easier to see. In a study evaluating how good people are at conducting tick checks, we found that people are 3 times better at detecting ticks on white clothing than on black clothing.
• Wearing long sleeves, long socks, and long pants can also protect you from potential tick bites by providing a barrier between you and the tick. Tucking your pants into your socks, wearing rubber boots, and tucking your shirt into pants can also limit areas where ticks can reach your skin

Once you come indoors after being outside, check your clothing for ticks. If possible, shower soon after coming inside. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and it is a good opportunity to do a tick check.

Pro tip: Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors.

If your clothes need to be washed, the CDC recommends hot water be used instead of cold water.

Click here to learn more about our research on tick checks:

Tick Check 101

Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body for ticks. Check these parts of your body and your child’s body for ticks:

• • Under the arms
  • In and around the ears
  • Inside belly button
  • Back of the knees
  • In and around the hair
  • Between the legs
  • Around the waist

Click on this link to learn more about tick repellents registered by the EPA, or click on the tabs below to find more information on active ingredients:

EPA-Registered Insect Repellents

When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Remember to always supervise and help children apply insect repellents or insecticides according to the labeled directions. For more information about types of insect repellents available for use on children and tips for using insect repellents safely on children see recommendation from HealthyChildren.org by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

How to Choose an Insect Repellent for Your Child