Safe and effective for teens 10% concentration is effective against most tick bites for 2 to 3 hours Light application to exposed skin Similar to a natural compound found in black pepper plants

Safe and effective for teens 20% concentration is effective against most tick bites for 2 to 3 hours Light application to exposed skin

Treatment is applied to clothing and gear – do not apply to skin Safe and effective for toddler, children, and teens 0.5% concentration Effective for multiple washes

Safe and effective for teens 10% concentration is effective against most tick bites for 2 to 3 hours Light application to exposed skin Similar to a natural compound found in black pepper plants

Safe and effective for teens 20% concentration is effective against most tick bites for 2 to 3 hours Light application to exposed skin

Treatment is applied to clothing and gear - do not apply to skin Safe and effective for toddler, children, and teens 0.5% concentration Effective for multiple washes

Prevention Tools for Teens

How can I avoid tick bites?

Ticks do not jump or fly but instead wait for hosts on the tips of long grasses and shrubs. Ticks attach to your clothes, shoes and skin when you walk by them. To avoid these waiting ticks, make sure you practice tick bite prevention before, during and after being outdoors. Remember: this means during a hike, sports and even in your backyard.

Before Going Outdoors

Apply Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents on your skin.
Wear permethrin treated clothing and gear to repel ticks. You can buy permethrin-treated clothes or use products containing 0.5% permethrin.
Practice tick prevention for pets.

Choosing an Insect Repellent

When choosing an insect repellent, stick with primary active ingredients registered by the EPA. Concentration means the amount of active ingredient in a repellent product—higher concentrations work longer, not better.

Primary active ingredients for insect repellents registered by the EPA are:

DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide)

Safe and effective for teens
10-30% concentration is effective against most tick bites for 3 to 5 hours
Light application to exposed skin

Picaridin

Safe and effective for teens
10% concentration is effective against most tick bites for 2 to 3 hours
Light application to exposed skin
Similar to a natural compound found in black pepper plants

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus

Safe and effective for teens
30% concentration is effective against most tick bites for 4 hours
Light application to exposed skin
Sourced from the gum eucalyptus tree

IR 3535

Safe and effective for teens
20% concentration is effective against most tick bites for 2 to 3 hours
Light application to exposed skin

Permethrin

Treatment is applied to clothing and gear – do not apply to skin
Safe and effective for toddler, children, and teens
0.5% concentration
Effective for multiple washes

Applying Insect Repellent

Applying insect repellent can be easy, but it’s important to keep a few tips in mind:

Apply a light layer only to exposed skin or clothing when applying insect repellent.
Don’t apply insect repellent on skin covered by clothing.
Don’t spray insect repellent directly in your face. Instead, spray it on your hands and use them to apply.
After returning inside, wash any skin treated with insect repellent with soap and water.

While Outdoors

Walk in the middle of trails.
Avoid walking through thick grass and brush.
Reduce tick habitat through yard management.

After Going Outdoors

Check yourself for ticks at the end of each day. Ticks can hide under the armpits, behind the knees, in the hair and the groin.
Examine gear such as clothing, boots, bags and tents after being outdoors.
Bathe or shower. Showering within two hours of coming indoors can reduce your risk of getting a tickborne illness.
Tumble dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks after you come indoors. Tumble damp or wet clothes in a dryer on high heat for 60 minutes to kill ticks.
Change your clothes.

Do you know where to check?

Adult blacklegged ticks are about the size of a sesame seed, while nymphal ticks are about the size of a poppy seed. Check all parts of the body, with careful inspection of the hair, ears, arms, belly button, waist, legs and knees for ticks when you come in from the outdoors.