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   This is the time of year we are usually blessed with all kinds of annoying insects. Chiggers, wood ticks, and mosquitoes top my list of biting bugs that drive me crazy. This year, because of the dry weather, the mosquitoes have not been bad. The ticks and chiggers have more than made up for the shortage of mosquitoes.

   Ticks and chiggers hang out in tall grass and end of brush or branches waiting for a free meal to pass by. I am not sure if I spend more time in the woods than most people or the biting insects find me unusually tasty, but I seem to get more than my fair share of bites.

   I do not make a habit of disparaging nor promoting products but need to make an exception in this case. So many products on the market either do not work or are dangerous. I have found that few bug repellants on the market actually provide what is promised.

   One product made from eucalyptus and lemon grass promises to be organic and naturally repel insects. The smell is overwhelming. I am not sure if the product works by repelling the ticks and chiggers or if the thorough scrubbing of one’s body and change of clothes after use to get rid of the nauseating smell gets rid of the pests. To me, it is a toss-up on whether I would rather be bitten or smell that way.

   DEET is a well-known insect repellant. The problem with it is, nobody seems to know for sure how much DEET and what percentage is safe as well as being effective. I have some that is 100% DEET that says on the bottle “DO NOT GET ON SKIN!” I find this rather disconcerting. Their product may kill you but you will not have any biting insects on you when you die.

   I have other products with lesser percentages of DEET that have some effectiveness and though not stated on the warning label, I assume it will kill a person more slowly while partially protecting from ticks and chiggers. These lower percentages do seem to work on repelling mosquitoes.

   One product that was recommended to me by my son when he got tired of hearing about my chigger bites contains permethrin. Permethrin does not appear to be as toxic to humans as DEET but does work. Rather than apply directly to the skin, it is recommended to apply liberally to a set of clothing that will be worn for activities that will expose a person to ticks and chiggers. When the repellant is thoroughly dry, they can be worn and even washed a few times before the effectiveness decreases.

   Friday evening, I went for a short Ranger ride. Knowing I would have minimal exposure to tall grass or brush, I did not use any insect repellant. Getting out of the Ranger to open and close a couple of gates was enough for me to get twenty or thirty chigger bites. Very annoying. Sunday, I decided to go walk in the timber to look for fresh mushrooms. Knowing I would have a great deal of exposure to ticks and chiggers, I put on my permethrin treated clothes that are hanging in the garage. After driving all over the farm and walking through waist high brush, I was pleasantly surprised to have no new chigger bits, nor did I have any ticks on me.

   This stuff really does seem to work. Now when I go anywhere outside of the yard, I will be wearing my permethrin treated set of clothes. I am tired of insect bites and I feel this works without such a high risk of it killing me as well as the bugs.

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