There are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself from ticks when you are in nature, but there is one you should take: Spray your footwear with the synthetic insecticide permethrin.

It contains permethrin, and it comes in a lotion or cream form. Your doctor may recommend a second treatment with a scabicide 1 to 2 weeks later, to make sure the mites are gone. If you have a ...

But you must use it properly. Permethrin-treated clothing—designed to kill or disable bugs upon contact—has been available to the public since 2003. By Catherine Roberts Updated by Justin ...