Is permethrin safe to use around my pets?

It depends entirely on the species and the product. Permethrin is highly toxic to cats — they lack the metabolic pathway (glucuronidation) to break it down safely, and exposure to topical dog products or wet-treated items can cause tremors or seizures (ASPCA; catvets.com). Treated clothing that has fully dried is low-risk, but keep cats away from any wet permethrin product or item. If exposure happens, call ASPCA Animal Poison Control (1-888-426-4435) immediately.

Is it legal to DIY tick control in New Hampshire?

Yes — clothing treatment with permethrin and skin repellents like DEET or picaridin are legal, CDC-recommended DIY methods for your own property. Whole-yard acaricide programs are also DIY-legal with consumer products, though the NH rule that anyone treating property they don't own must be a licensed commercial applicator still applies (RSA 430:33), and waterfront treatments need special permits under Pes 500.

Will spraying my yard stop me from getting Lyme disease?

It will cut tick numbers, but the evidence on disease prevention is more sobering. A CDC/TickNET placebo-controlled trial treating 2,727 residential properties across Connecticut, Maryland, and New York with bifenthrin found it reduced tick abundance by the expected margin but did not significantly reduce human tick-borne disease incidence, though it did significantly reduce incidence in pets (Hinckley et al., 2022). Personal protection still matters even after a yard treatment.

Can I put permethrin directly on my skin?

No — permethrin is formulated for clothing and gear, not skin, and the CDC is explicit on this point. For skin, use an EPA-registered repellent like DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, applied per the label. Reserve permethrin for treating clothing, boots, and gear 24–48 hours before wearing, and let it dry fully before use.

What do professional tick treatments actually do?

Licensed applicators typically apply pyrethroid acaricides to yard-edge zones — shaded leaf litter, woodland borders, stone walls — rather than open lawn, since that's where ticks concentrate. This measurably reduces tick numbers on the property (50–90% per CDC-cited field studies) and is often paired with habitat changes like leaf-litter removal and wood-chip barriers, plus a recommendation to keep up personal protection.

When are ticks most active in New Hampshire?

Blacklegged (deer) tick nymphs — the stage most responsible for human Lyme transmission — peak from mid-May through early or mid-July, per UNH Cooperative Extension and NH DHHS. Adult ticks remain active into fall and can be active any snow-free day above roughly 40°F, including occasional winter thaws, so tick precautions in NH aren't strictly a summer-only concern.

What should I do if my cat contacts wet permethrin?

Treat it as an emergency. Call ASPCA Animal Poison Control (1-888-426-4435) or your veterinarian immediately — symptoms of permethrin toxicity in cats include tremors, hyperexcitability, and seizures, and prompt treatment matters. As Dr. Charlotte Means put it to NPR, "it's the dose that makes the poison," but cats process permethrin so poorly that even modest exposure can be dangerous.

Do yard tick treatments cover the whole lawn?

They shouldn't, if done well. Ticks concentrate in shaded, humid habitat — leaf litter, brush, and the edge where lawn meets woods — not open sunny lawn. Treating just those edge zones is both more effective and more pollinator- and waterway-conscious than a broadcast whole-yard application, and it's the approach UNH Extension and most licensed applicators recommend.

ChemicalMites & Ticks

Chemical Tick Control: Permethrin, Yard Sprays & Cat Safety

TL;DR

Permethrin-treated clothing and skin repellents (DEET/picaridin) are the highest-value chemical tools against ticks — rated HIGH for personal protection. Yard acaricide sprays reduce tick numbers 50–90%, yet a masked, placebo-controlled CDC trial found they did NOT significantly reduce human tick-borne disease — so they land at SITUATIONAL. The critical safety flag: permethrin is highly toxic to cats and must never contact them wet.

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NH License #782664Family-owned since 2017Updated Jul 2026

Clothing treatment strength
0.5% permethrin treats clothing/gear and remains protective through several washings
CDC.
Yard acaricide tick reduction
50%–90% fewer ticks with chemical/biologic acaricides
CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases, May 2022.
Yard spraying vs human disease
No significant reduction in human tick-borne disease incidence found
CDC/TickNET placebo-controlled trial across CT, MD, NY — 2,727 properties (Hinckley et al., 2022).
Cat toxicity
Cats cannot safely metabolize permethrin and can develop tremors or seizures
ASPCA; catvets.com — cats lack the needed metabolic pathway.

The honest verdict

Does this actually work?

HIGH for permethrin-treated clothing and skin repellents as personal protection; SITUATIONAL for yard acaricide sprays, which cut tick numbers 50–90% but have not been shown to reduce human tick-borne disease incidence.

Situational

Evidence: The CDC recommends 0.5% permethrin clothing treatment as a core prevention tool; separately, a masked, placebo-controlled CDC/TickNET trial applying bifenthrin to 2,727 residential properties across Connecticut, Maryland, and New York found treatment 'did not result in a significant difference in incidence of human TBDs but did significantly reduce incidence in pets,' concluding that reducing tick abundance alone might not reduce human disease incidence (Hinckley et al., 2022).

Works when

Clothing and gear are treated with 0.5% permethrin and allowed to dry fully before use
Skin repellents (DEET, picaridin, IR3535, OLE) are applied per label during outdoor exposure
Yard acaricide is targeted to shaded leaf-litter edges and woodland borders, not open lawn
Tick checks are performed after every outdoor exposure regardless of chemical use

Fails when

Permethrin is applied to skin instead of clothing (not the intended use)
Yard spraying is treated as a substitute for tick checks and personal protection
Whole-lawn spraying is expected to meaningfully cut disease risk on its own
Cats contact wet permethrin-treated clothing, gear, or products

At a glance

The most effective tick chemical isn't a yard spray — it's what you wear

How it works

Moderate DIY

Permethrin and other pyrethroid acaricides disrupt a tick's sodium channels on contact, causing rapid paralysis and death; on clothing and gear, this creates a protective barrier that repels and kills ticks that land on it. Skin repellents (DEET, picaridin) work differently — they interfere with a tick's ability to locate and latch onto a host, rather than killing it.

Vital stats

Time: Clothing treatment: same-day, protective through several washings; yard treatment: seasonal program
Best for: Personal protection during outdoor activity in tick habitat (clothing/gear treatment plus skin repellent), and targeted yard-edge acaricide treatment where leaf litter meets lawn — not as a substitute for tick checks.
Cost: Low for personal clothing treatment and repellents; yard acaricide programs are best budgeted as a seasonal service

Most people picture tick control as spraying the whole yard. The evidence points somewhere else: permethrin-treated clothing and gear, paired with a skin repellent like DEET or picaridin, is the CDC's headline recommendation and the chemical tool with the strongest personal-protection track record. Yard acaricide sprays do reduce the number of ticks on a property — often substantially — but a rigorous, placebo-controlled CDC field trial found that reducing tick numbers didn't translate into fewer human tick-borne disease cases.

This page gives the honest picture for New Hampshire, the state with disproportionately high Lyme disease rates: which product classes work, how to use permethrin without endangering a cat, when a licensed yard-acaricide program still makes sense, and where DIY chemical control reaches its limit.

Step by step

How to do it

Treat clothing and gear with 0.5% permethrin
Apply 24–48 hours before use and let it dry completely; the CDC notes treated fabric remains protective through several washings.
Caution: Permethrin is for fabric only — never apply it to skin.
Keep cats away from wet or drying permethrin
Store treated clothing and gear somewhere cats can't access until fully dry; cats cannot safely metabolize permethrin.
Caution: This is the single most important pet-safety step on this page — permethrin poisoning in cats is a real veterinary emergency.
Apply an EPA-registered skin repellent
Use DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin per the product label whenever you're in tick habitat.
Tip: Pair skin repellent with permethrin-treated clothing — CDC recommends both together, not either alone.
Treat yard edges, not the whole lawn
If using a yard acaricide, apply to shaded leaf-litter zones, brush, and woodland borders where ticks actually concentrate rather than broadcasting over open lawn.
Tip: A 3-foot wood-chip barrier at the woodland edge reinforces a chemical yard treatment.
Do a tick check and hot-dry clothing after exposure
Check your body and pets for ticks after time outdoors, and tumble-dry clothing on high heat for 10 minutes — the CDC notes this kills ticks that hitched a ride.
Caution: Chemical treatment reduces risk; it doesn't replace this check.

What you need

Tools & materials

0.5% permethrin clothing spray
Treats clothing/gear to repel and kill ticks on contact
Fabric only — never apply to skin
EPA-registered skin repellent (DEET/picaridin/IR3535/OLE)
Personal bite protection on exposed skin
Follow label concentration and reapplication guidance
Tick key or fine-tipped tweezers
Safe tick removal if one attaches despite precautions
Grasp close to the skin and pull straight out
Light-colored long clothing
Makes ticks easier to spot before they attach
Tuck pants into socks in high-grass or wooded areas
Clothes dryer
Kills ticks on clothing after outdoor exposure
High heat, 10 minutes, per CDC

Products & actives

What to use — the label is the law

Product classes only — never a dosage. Always read and follow the product label.

Clothing/gear permethrin treatment

Active class: Permethrin (pyrethroid class), 0.5%

Repels and kills ticks on treated fabric; remains protective through several washings

Fabric only — never apply to skin; keep wet product away from cats

Yard acaricides

Active class: Pyrethroid class (e.g., bifenthrin)

Targeted treatment of shaded leaf-litter and woodland-edge zones to reduce tick numbers

Read and follow the label; consumer forms are general-use, pro concentrates and others' property require licensing

Skin repellents

Active class: DEET / picaridin / IR3535 / oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) class

Personal bite protection on exposed skin

Read and follow the label for concentration and reapplication interval

Stay safe

Safety first

Pets
Severe
Permethrin is highly toxic to cats, which lack the metabolic pathway to break it down safely — exposure to topical dog products or wet-treated items has caused tremors and seizures in cats. Dried treated clothing at low residual is lower-risk, but keep cats away from anything wet. Call ASPCA (1-888-426-4435) if exposure is suspected.
Children
Caution
Apply skin repellents for young children rather than letting them self-apply, and follow label age restrictions; permethrin-treated items should be fully dry before kids wear or handle them.
Pollinators
Caution
Pyrethroids are toxic to bees — never treat blooming plants, and follow the EPA pollinator/bee advisory box directions on the label.
Waterways
Caution
Pyrethroid runoff is toxic to aquatic life; keep treatments off water and follow NH's waterfront-buffer permitting rules under Pes 500.
Applicator
Low risk
Follow label PPE requirements when applying any acaricide product, including gloves and avoiding inhalation of sprays.

Avoid these

Common mistakes

Why this method fails in practice.

Applying permethrin to skin instead of clothing
Letting cats contact wet permethrin-treated items
Spraying the whole lawn and expecting it to prevent Lyme disease on its own
Skipping tick checks because a yard or clothing treatment was used
Treating open lawn instead of the shaded leaf-litter edges where ticks actually live

New Hampshire context

Chemical tick control in New Hampshire

New England has the nation's highest Lyme disease rate, and New Hampshire blacklegged (deer) tick nymphs — the life stage most responsible for human Lyme transmission — are most active from mid-May through early or mid-July, per UNH Cooperative Extension and NH DHHS. Adult ticks stay active into fall and on any snow-free day above 40°F. Waterfront tick treatments require special permits under NH Administrative Rule Pes 500, and any restricted-use acaricide requires a licensed NH commercial applicator (RSA 430:33). Anchor holds NH commercial applicator license #782664, category F1.

Peak season

Nymphs: mid-May–early/mid-July; adults: fall through spring on any 40°F+ snow-free day

Waterfront acaricide treatments require special permits under NH Pes 500; restricted-use products and treating property you don't own both require NH licensing (RSA 430:33).

UNH Cooperative Extension pairs personal protection (permethrin clothing, repellents, tick checks) with targeted yard-edge treatment rather than whole-lawn spraying.

This method targets

Pests this applies to

Dog Tick

When to call a pro

Tick Control with Anchor

Personal protection (clothing treatment, repellents, tick checks) is genuinely DIY-friendly, but a property with heavy tick pressure — wooded edges, tall grass, pets and kids using the yard, or proximity to water requiring buffer-compliant application — is where a licensed program does more with less risk. Anchor's technicians (NH #782664, F1) apply targeted yard-edge acaricide treatment rather than broadcast spraying.

Call us when…

Heavy tick pressure along wooded or leaf-litter-heavy property edges
Pets and children use the yard regularly and you want a professional risk-reduction plan
The property is near water and needs a buffer-compliant treatment under NH Pes 500
You've had a tick-borne illness diagnosis in the household and want the yard risk addressed
You want a seasonal acaricide program rather than repeat DIY applications

Tick Control

free inspection; same-day service across southern and central New Hampshire.

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Keep them out

Keep lawn mowed short and clear leaf litter from yard edges
Install a 3-foot wood-chip barrier where lawn meets woods
Manage rodent and deer activity, since both are key tick hosts

Common questions

Frequently asked

Sources & further reading(7)

[1]
CDC — Preventing Tick Bites
0.5% permethrin clothing treatment, skin repellent guidance, tick-check recommendations
govverified 2026-07-13
[2]
CDC — Emerging Infectious Diseases: Effectiveness of Residential Acaricides (Hinckley et al., May 2022)
Placebo-controlled 2,727-property trial finding no significant reduction in human tick-borne disease despite reduced tick abundance
academicverified 2026-07-13
[3]
ASPCA — Feline Toxins to Steer Clear Of
Permethrin toxicity mechanism and risk in cats
medicalverified 2026-07-13
[4]
American Association of Feline Practitioners (catvets.com) — Permethrin Poisoning and Cats
Clinical detail on feline permethrin toxicity
industryverified 2026-07-13
[5]
UNH Cooperative Extension — Biology and Management of Ticks in New Hampshire
NH nymph/adult activity seasons, yard-edge treatment approach
extensionverified 2026-07-13
[6]
NH DHHS — Tickborne Diseases
NH tick-borne disease context
govverified 2026-07-13
[7]
NH Pesticide Control Rules — Pes 500 (waterfront)
Waterfront acaricide treatment permitting
govverified 2026-07-13

Written & reviewed by

Verified

Daniel Brady

NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664 (NHDAMF, RSA 430)

Daniel Brady is the New Hampshire–licensed applicator behind Anchor Pest Services, a family-owned pest control company serving the Manchester area since 2017.

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Anchor Pest Services

When mites & ticks won't quit, we will.

Same-day service across Southern New Hampshire. NH-licensed #782664. Family-owned since 2017. We diagnose the pest, then treat it the right way — with a satisfaction guarantee.

Get a free inspection Call (603) 785-0118

Keep Exploring

Chemical Tick Control: Permethrin, Yard Sprays & Cat Safety

Works when

Fails when

The most effective tick chemical isn't a yard spray — it's what you wear

How it works

How to do it

Treat clothing and gear with 0.5% permethrin

Keep cats away from wet or drying permethrin

Apply an EPA-registered skin repellent

Treat yard edges, not the whole lawn

Do a tick check and hot-dry clothing after exposure

Tools & materials

0.5% permethrin clothing spray

EPA-registered skin repellent (DEET/picaridin/IR3535/OLE)

Tick key or fine-tipped tweezers

Light-colored long clothing

Clothes dryer