hello all.
i was following your discussion and i would like to add to mikes post on sulphur. "flowers of sulphur" is the powder you are looking for. you will need to find an old style pharmacy and ask the man at athe counter. use the sock filled with powder, and a tennis ball.. (like a mace) and bounce it off your legs and shoes. i like to put a camp shirt, pants and hat in a bag and bounce it around a little. this works like a charm! flowers of sulphur is ingestible.. yes. it will produce a slight odor.. i have mixed it into jugs of juice for myself, and it goes into my pack water. it works!! don't just belv me or mike do some research on sulphur, flowers of sulphur, and ticks, chiggers, lice and other pests. sulphur has many medical benefits also.. cell reproduction etc.
clothing is your best option for fighting ticks. light colored clothing. long pants with leg ties or tucked into socks. be aware that you need to keep hydrated when dressing like this. clothing, and clothing only should be treated with permethrin. ticks die on contact with permethrin. it can ruin good colored clothes. permanon and the likes should not be used on skin. be very careful with children.
post camp, hike etc...
put all clothes in a laundry bag and place in high heat dryer. run at least 15 minutes. this is a good way to kill off remaining pests.
if you find a tick.. don't mash it. down the sink or toilet. sink it with hot water. they are very resilient, and alot like mike meyers or jason. when you turn your back they will return. some people burn them in a candle flame. whatever.
i am in no way an expert, but i hike the northeast of USA. i spent 6 year in US Army 1st SOCOM travelling the world and dealing with parasitic pests. i hike fire island national seashore, and we have an epidemic of lyme disease here. i hike, and camp with rookie to veterans and they all have various methods to follow. i walk away with either no ticks, or dead ticks.
do some searches on the net. look at CDC website about lyme disease. read about pemethrin. deet - notice i didn't mention it in my post.
keep scouting!
keep hiking and camping!
rob
patchogue, ny