The Most Effective Tick Repellents for Humans (and Dogs), According to Science

As more and more people flock to the outdoors, it is extremely important to be wary of tick-borne diseases. And the summer months are when you’re most susceptible because “as the weather gets better, tick numbers rise,” according to Dr. Thomas Daniels, who studies ticks at Fordham University’s Louis Calder Center. Places to watch out for include wooded areas and patches with tall grass and bushes, explains Dr. Goudarz Molaei, research scientist and director of the CAES Passive Tick Surveillance program and associate clinical professor at the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale University’s School of Public Health. It’s also important to know that tick bites don’t just happen on the hiking trail. “Close to 75 percent of Lyme’s disease cases have been reported from bites that occur in people’s own backyards,” Molaei explains.

Jeffrey Hammond, of the New York State Department of Health’s public-affairs office, recommends doing “a final, full-body tick check at the end of the day, and also check children and pets” in order to protect against ticks and tick-borne illness. A proper tick check starts with examining your feet, then on to armpits, wrists, knees, and, yes, groin. “Ticks start low and crawl up,” adds Dr. Thomas N. Mather, director of the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease and its Tick Encounter Resource Center. “So if they get to the top of your head, it’s not that they fell out of a tree. Instead, they’ve crawled all the way up your body.” But the best way to deal with a tick bite is to prevent it from happening at all. Fortunately, there are some solid, science-backed ways to prevent the pests from latching on. To find out which tick repellents actually work and which ones aren’t worth trying, we asked eight tick experts to explain tick science and share some of their favorite products for keeping them off humans and their pets.

Continue reading the article by New York Times' Maxine Builder and Dominique Pariso here.

LAST UPDATED

October 18, 2024

Written by
Photo thumbnail Blog Author

The Strategist

Media Mentions from The Strategist

We are Vox Media, the leading modern media company. We guide our audience from discovery to obsession. We inspire essential conversations about what’s now, what’s next, and what’s possible.

Our editorial networks ignite conversations and influence culture through journalism, storytelling and commentary on current events, lifestyle, entertainment, sports, dining, technology, and shopping. Across digital, podcasts, TV, streaming, live events, and print, we tell stories that affect our audience's daily lives and entertain as much as they inform.

Explore More Content

Media Mentions

The Sawyer Mini can filter up to 100,000 gallons—yep, you read that right—and fits in the palm of your hand.

Mary Hunt
Writer

Media Mentions

A favorite of ultralight hikers, backpackers, bikers, and travelers, the Sawyer Squeeze filter is the gold standard in water filters for anyone concerned about weight and universal compatibility.

Scott Gilbertson
Senior Writer and Reviewer

Media Mentions

This popular repellent from Sawyer has 20% Picaridin, which protects against a wide range of insects, including mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, gnats, chiggers and sand flies.

Amylia Ryan
Associate Editor