New tick disease in PA & Permethrin

[CLSports]

CDC report:

Powassan

One other thing that I read while researching this disease is the toxicity of Permethrin to fish. I was not aware of this either. I have been spraying my hiking pants with Permethrin and I will wet wade in the summer months while wearing these pants. It appears it is highly toxic to fish and other aquatic species. I doubt the amount that may enter the waterway from my pants would affect much, but it is good to know the facts.

To quote a few website sources:

"Permethrin is extremely toxic to fish and aquatic life in general, so extreme care must be taken when using products containing permethrin near water sources."

"Effects on Aquatic Organisms. Permethrin is toxic to fish and should be kept out of all bodies of water (1). It was highly toxic to fish in laboratory tests, but showed low toxicity in field tests (23). Aquatic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the impact of permethrin." - Cornell Univ.

Since I have been using Permethrin, I must say my tick instances have decreased. I have been overly careful since my bout with Lyme disease several years ago.

So, I will either die from cancer caused by excessive permethrin use or from a tick borne illness.

 

[henrydavid]

I would think with chest waders on you are already impermeable from the waist down. Have a permethrin treated long sleeve shirt and hat on that should never touch the water. That's the route I'm going anyway, so long as I don't take a dump my permethrin treated stuff won't touch the water.

 

[REDNECK_FLYFISHER]

Having Lyme disease 5 years ago I thought I may actually be done with my fishing , hiking and hunting. I was constantly sick for over A year. The one thing that really helped me with the ticks was sawyers with permethrin . I have it on my jeans, hat and long sleeve shirts. I usually wear waders or hippers so I am not to worried about contaminating the fish. My work is dealing with medical research products and if there is one thing I have learned is most of these research doctors are narcissistic egomaniacs. Usually they have in their heads what they want the outcome to be and love the drama of finding out they are right. Everything out there is bad for you !!!! one way or another everything is somehow going to kill you. To many of these doctors anymore are posting things on the net as to how their findings are right , and their science is correct and others are wrong. I also have Gout and if you want to have fun check all the experts and their opinion on that subject. ITs all over the place. Now that I got off on A rant my point is this. If permethrin is going to keep the tics off me I am going to use it. I am very careful and like anyone with half A brain knows that yes , permethrin is A chemical and should not be in the water. ITS common sense. In closing , Spray up, keep those little tick bastards off me , and enjoy the fishing.

 

[rrt]

I totally agree with Red. I don't spray my fishing clothes as often as I should, and I pretty much confine it to my hat and vest. I figure my waders or hippers pretty well protect me otherwise. Now, my hunting clothes: I spray the heck out of everything, including boots and socks.

I, thankfully, have not had Lyme, but I know several others who have/do, and they have been absolutely miserable. One local cannot even walk from his chair to his TV, even after years of treatment. His is the most severe case I know of.

Anyhow, I think you should do whatever you have to do to keep those little buggers off you! Sawyers with Permethrin: I just bought another bottle today.

 

[troutbert]

Many of us wet wade, especially when fishing small streams, such as brook trout fishing.

So this is very good information.

It may be a good idea to wear hippers or waist highs, to help keep the ticks off, and to keep the Permethrin out of the water.

 

[salmonoid]

Circle of life...ticks seem to be an annual topic here (and somehow, Powassan was new in 2015 too). I've been posting about the toxicity of Permertherin to fish (and bees and cats) since at least 2012. While researchers may have egos, there's no denying the stuff is toxic to fishes, so don't be too quick to dismiss the research RN_Flyfisher.

 

[ryanh]

For something to be toxic there has to be a certain concentration relative to thei subjects mass. I doubt there is enough on you to cause any issues in a flowing stream.

 

[jifigz]

Permethrin works miracles against ticks and I use it all of the time. It is toxic to fish but not once it dries on your clothing, hence how it can stay bound to your clothing through multiple washings.

 

[k-bob]

I agree with last 2 posts. quote from florida dept of ag below. they suggest that sprayed permethrin for mosquito control is unlikely to produce toxic levels for fish in a fishpond. given that, imho the dried permethrin spray used on clothing (which leaches so little permethrin that the clothing is effective after multiple washings with the agitator in a washing machine) seems unlikely to leach problem levels for fish in a flowing stream.

"Will permethrin affect my fishpond?
Permethrin can be toxic to fish, but the amount likely to enter an outdoor fishpond or any other water body after spraying for mosquito control is much lower than that shown to be toxic to
fish."

https://www.freshfromflorida.com/content/download/3188/20049/Permethrin%20QA%203-20-13.pdf

 

[sandfly]

check this out much safer

 

[barbless]

I bought some Chota Hippies last year- a stockingfoot hip wader that can be secured at different points, like knee-high length. So you can wear them like hip waders until you get to the water, and then use them more like wading socks to wet wade. http://chotaoutdoorgear.com/shop/hippies/original-hippies/

I think their biggest flaw is the bungee and spring clip straps, which require some fiddling to stay secure when they're used full-length to attach to a belt, and don't seem all that durable. I'd rather have a detachable clip strap for hooking them to a belt, or detachable suspenders. And it's probably best to use extra exterior support to secure them when they're rolled. Those velcro type bandage wraps would probably work well. But they fit well for me, and they're lightweight and breathable.

 

[mattofcarlisle]

Permethrin is fantastic - been using it for close to 20 years, surveying and while behind drill rigs.
It is toxic - - when wet. Spray it on your clothes, allow it to dry overnight and chemically bond to your clothing. Any leaching to the stream/river will be minimal. The stuff I used to be able to buy (15 years ago) was purportedly good for 20 washes. Today's formulations (think Repel) are good for 4-5, or 6 weeks.

I unfortunately know how toxic it is on cats - elderly neighbor lady had a cat w/ fleas - sprayed it directly on the cat - one day later - no cat.

 

[krayfish2]

I have some wild barn cats in the neighborhood and this thread got me thinking.

 

[mr7183]

So it's not totally clear when reading this thread -- is Permethrin OK to wear wet wading provided that it has ample time to dry before hand? I have a pair of silk weight capilenes that I typically wear wet wading and would like to treat it with Sawyer's.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Bob,

God bless you. My wife (a massage therapist) has been touting the amazing benefits of essential oils now for years. We also use them for bugs and ticks and they work great.
This is one you can buy, we make our own but this one we used last year and found it as effective as deet but you must apply it more.

Active ingredients of the Buzz Away Extreme DEET Free Insect repellent are: Castor Oil (8%), Geranium Oil (6%), Soybean Oil (3%), Cedarwood Oil (1.5%), Citronella Oil (1%), Peppermint Oil (0.5%) and Lemongrass Oil (.25%). Inert ingredients (79.75% total) are Purified Water, Palm Oil, Glycerin, Lecithin, Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda), Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (a preservative that is naturally occurring in some foods and chemically produced and added to foods & cosmetics) and wintergreen oil.

 

[troutwilleatflies]

Redneck-flyfisher,

I used to have frequent gout attacks until I started taking Allopurinol, I have n't had one since using it.It is a perscription medicine so tell your doctor to order it for you.