There's been much mention of chiggers and ticks in several treads of late, and I have sat in wonder that with all the comments about "socks-over-pants" and "spray with a repellant" no one has yet mentioned the tried and true repellant that Mrs Webb, my Cub Scout den mother in 1948 had us use when we'd take walks in the Connecticut woods. FLOWERS OF SULFUR ! It is pure, precipitated, bright yellow elemental sulfur that one used to be able to get at any pharmacy - maybe still can? About a year ago I finally used the last sulfur from the big jar my Dad got in the 50's and I inherited. He cut the foot off a sheer nylon stocking of my Mom's, put several scoops-full of the sulfur powder in the toe, and tied it off. Over the years my several ex's have donated the odd foot of stocking or panty hose as replacements as needed, but, during a single/bachelor hiatus, I started using a couple layers of gauze 4-by-4 bandage to hold the powder. Just use it as a powder puff to put sulfur on the socks and pants cuff before stuffing the latter inside the former. Also apply the stuff wherever clothing binds - at the beltline, sleeve cuff, and collar.
I used it routinely when I was working and herping in the PBs.
I figured it was just folk medicine that happened to work well, and wasn't surprised to find it listed as the number 1 tick repellent when I took parasitology in vet school.
A state trapper I knew in the 60's who winter-trapped foxes for rabies control in the southern tier counties of Upstate NY used sulfur to protect against sarcoptic mange mites that he was exposed to from fox pelts. Makes sense. Ticks, chiggers, and mange mites are all arachnids. Make me wonder how sulfur might work as a spider repellent ?
The trapper also said that he'd mix the finely powdered sulfur with petroleum jelly (petrolatum / Vasaline®) and use it as a repellent salve on his ankles, wrists, waist, neck, and on his hatband. I never tried that. After my first up-close-and-personal experience with Sarcoptic mange I did powder my waist, arms, and neck well with sulfur whenever I had to do a necropsies on mangy foxes he'd deliver to the lab for rabies post-mortems.
When I moved to Texas I figured I'd be using a lot of sulfur, but the invasion of the Caribbean fire ant has had one up-side - where ant popultions are dense they wipe out ticks and chiggers.
If you haven't tried sulfur, give it a go. Let me know how you think it stacks up against any other repellant you've used.
Dave
I used it routinely when I was working and herping in the PBs.
I figured it was just folk medicine that happened to work well, and wasn't surprised to find it listed as the number 1 tick repellent when I took parasitology in vet school.
A state trapper I knew in the 60's who winter-trapped foxes for rabies control in the southern tier counties of Upstate NY used sulfur to protect against sarcoptic mange mites that he was exposed to from fox pelts. Makes sense. Ticks, chiggers, and mange mites are all arachnids. Make me wonder how sulfur might work as a spider repellent ?
The trapper also said that he'd mix the finely powdered sulfur with petroleum jelly (petrolatum / Vasaline®) and use it as a repellent salve on his ankles, wrists, waist, neck, and on his hatband. I never tried that. After my first up-close-and-personal experience with Sarcoptic mange I did powder my waist, arms, and neck well with sulfur whenever I had to do a necropsies on mangy foxes he'd deliver to the lab for rabies post-mortems.
When I moved to Texas I figured I'd be using a lot of sulfur, but the invasion of the Caribbean fire ant has had one up-side - where ant popultions are dense they wipe out ticks and chiggers.
If you haven't tried sulfur, give it a go. Let me know how you think it stacks up against any other repellant you've used.
Dave
