Repellents

Repellents are substances applied to skin or clothing to deter insects and other pests from biting or landing. This section explores the evidence on repellent products, their active ingredients, and how to use them effectively.

In this section

  • DEET for Tick Repellent: Efficacy, Concentration, and Safety — An evidence-based look at DEET as a tick repellent — what concentration does for duration of protection, how the tick literature differs from the better-known mosquito literature, and what public-health authorities say about safety for adults, children, and infants.

  • Understanding Your Personal Risk — geographic and activity-based risk assessment that informs the decision to use repellents; this article covers repellent product selection, active ingredients (DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus), and application guidance

  • Clothing and Permethrin — permethrin treatment for clothing and gear as a complementary protection layer; this article covers skin-applied repellents, not fabric treatments

  • Yard Tick Integrated Layered Approach — (Section 4.5.1) covers how the multiple layers of yard-level tick control fit together (habitat modification, chemical, biological, host-targeted treatment); this article covers the on-body repellent layer that complements yard-level treatment in any integrated household protection plan

  • Tick Prevention Dogs — (Section 5.2 hub) covers tick prevention for dogs (collars, spot-on, oral isoxazolines) as a separate product category for a separate audience; this article covers human-applied repellents only, naming pet prevention as a parallel layer in household-wide protection but never recommending product crossover

    Not medical advice. See a healthcare provider for medical decisions. Medical Disclaimer