I trust permethrin a heckuva lot more than DEET. About 25 years ago, I was hiking with my kids in Massachusetts and the mosquitoes were horrendous. I had to spray myself constantly with the DEET. Suddenly, the walls caved in and I had a panic attack. On Monday, I tried to go to work, but the panic attacks continued. I couldn't understand what was happening, but I went to a psychiatrist and psychologist to find out what was going on. After about three weeks, the panic attacks stopped, but I was none too keen on ever using DEET again.
Which is when I discovered permethrin. I bought a bottle and tested it on clothing, and it worked wonderfully with no side effects. My daughter's birthday party was coming up and it was hot as hell here in New Jersey, so I got the bright idea to spray the entire back yard with permethrin. Believe me, the permethrin killed everything - not just mosquitoes, but every other insect that pollinated my vegetable garden. It was the worst season my garden ever had because I basically killed every pollinator around. My daughter had a wonderful birthday party in the back yard but my garden yielded very little fruit.
I've never sprayed my backyard with permethrin since then because I like home-grown vegetables. I still use permethrin on my clothes, and it just creates a no-fly zone around me. I still use DEET, though only in the evening or morning when the mosquitoes are most aggressive.
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