Ticks and mosquitoes: Which insect repellents work the best?

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — With warmer temperatures comes bugs — and ticks and mosquitoes can be both annoying and dangerous.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from mosquito and tick bites and the germs they spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

One of those ways is to use insect repellent.

You should use insect repellents registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which uses an active ingredient that is safe and effective, even for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Here are the active ingredients you should look for when buying an insect repellent:

• DEET
• Picaridin (known as KBR 3023 and picaridin outside the US)
• IR3535
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE)
• Para-menthane-diol (PMD)
• 2-undécanone

And if you’re using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and then insect repellent.

You can also use 0.5% permethrin to treat clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents) or buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear. It’s an insecticide that kills and repels mosquitoes and ticks, according to the CDC.

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Continue reading the full article written by Annalise Knudson here.