Permethrin and common sense measures are effective in the field.
However, they do very little when ticks hitch a ride inside on dogs or cats! A good number of the times I've been bitten have come after wrasslin' with the dogs or working around horses.
When I was a kid there were zero ticks here- it was unheard of; to describe them as an infestation now would not be an exaggeration and I seem to be their favorite meal!
To top it off, I have an allergy to the tick's saliva-so that's nice.
Used to keep a log of ticks I removed from my hide, after 2 dozen or so my MD asked me "Why bother?". Our county had the highest incidence of Lyme disease in the state a couple years ago, the medical community is well aware; fortunately, I've tested negative thus far including the test which looks for the spirochete's dna in blood plasma which is much more definitive than the blots or titers.
I read an interesting article recently which cited research showing that while white tail deer are generally thought to be responsible for the spread of ticks, the culprit is actually the common field mouse.
Frankly, I see no good reason for any blood sucking creatures.
