Protect yourself against ticks.

I wanted to remind all of you that this great spring time weather does bring with it the reappearance of ticks. As someone who spends a lot of time in the timber showing property this used to be a really big problem for me. No matter how much Deet, or OFF, or 6-12 I used I almost always had one or more ticks on me when I got home.

Now I don't care how much Irish charm I may have, my bride of almost 40 years is not impressed with a man carrying parasites. She is almost as offended by a man who smells like insect repellent. And even if I wasn't using insect repellent that day I would still smell like it because of what the inside of my truck smelled like.

But a few years ago I found the answer to my problem. There are newer products on the market that are based on a chemical called permethrin. Permethrin is a natural ingredient discovered by the US military that repels insects with no odor. But the biggest difference is that you first put it on your clothes, before you ever go out in the field.

The process is that you select some clothes to be your "timber walking" clothes and you spray them with the product. You allow it to dry and now your clothes will repel insects for up to six weeks even though the clothes have gone through the wash. So I have a couple pair of jeans, all of my white sox, and several white shirts that I wear whenever I know I am going in the timber. I wear white shirts in the timber so I can easily spot any ticks that might get on me.

As you might imagine I felt a little dubious when I first tried this product but the results were amazing and have continued to stay the same. It's simple, when I get home I have no ticks on me. None at all. And I don't smell like insect repellent. There are a couple of tricks to remember. First of all don't put it on your skin. This is meant to be used on your clothes. Also I found that sometimes ticks would be in my truck so I took this product and sprayed it on my seats in my truck and that problem has gone away.

You can find permethrin based products at places like Bass Pro, Cabela's and other similar stores. They come under several trade names "Sawyers" is one that I use. Just always be sure to read the instructions carefully. I think you'll be glad you did.

Now you might think that all of this made it easier for me to get closer to my bride. Well not actually but I am slowly, bit by bit, eliminating excuses. It's just a matter of time I'm sure.