Between the warm winter and the number of small rodents around due to last year’s bumper acorn crop, this summer promises to be a banner year for the tick population. So, which tick spray is best for you and your family?
The best way to keep your family safe is to avoid ticks altogether, with long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and staying out of tall grass, or wooded areas, but, it’s summer. Shorts and bathing suits are the uniforms of the season, so when trying to avoid ticks, tick spray and repellants often the best option for your family.
The Health Risk of Ticks:
Ticks are more than annoying; they present a real health risk. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention mentions Lyme disease, the powassan virus, rocky mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and more as possible results from a tick bite. The longer the amount of time a tick has to bite, the higher your risk of contracting disease, so proper repellants, and a watchful eye are key to keeping you safe. With that in mind, here are some of the best-rated flea and tick repellents to help keep you disease free over the summer.
Before buying your insect repellent, make sure you check the labels. As found by consumer reports, certain compounds have been reliably found to keep you safe when applied to exposed skin. You want to look for sprays which contain at least one of the following active ingredients: DEET, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or picaridin in amounts of 20-30%.
A tick spray containing these ingredients have proven to be effective at repelling fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and other biting insects. Of these, products containing DEET are more effective across the board.
Another technique to avoid ticks is to use clothing products treated with permethrin. You can also purchase permethrin spray to treat your clothing, remember that you should never spray permethrin directly on your skin.
Some people prefer to go with essential oils to try to kill ticks or use as tick repellents, however, according to Consumer Reports, outside of oil of lemon eucalyptus, which is not a true essential oil, no essential oils have been found effective to repel fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes.
Regular Scheduled Tick Spray:
Finally, if you’d prefer not to keep re-applying sprays while your kids play at home, you may want to consider a regular schedule of tick-spraying for your yard. Keeping your home base tick free can be a great way to get some peace of mind about ticks, at least while your family is at home.