Protection from ticks, fleas, chiggers, and leeches

Protection from acarids, insects, and annelids is achieved mainly by treatment of the clothing with repellents. When properly used they will provide a high degree of comfort in the presence of large numbers of bloodsucking arthropods. None of our present repellents are completely satisfactory, but the better repellents are: for ticks—diethyltoluamide (deet) (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide), Indalone (butyl-3,4-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-4-oxo-2H-pyran-6-carboxylate), dimethyl carbate, and benzyl benzoate; for fleas—deet and benzyl benzoate; for chiggers (larvae of trombiculid mites)—dimethyl phthalate, ethyl hexanediol, or any of the tick repellents; for leeches—deet and benzyl benzoate. The only chigger repellent remaining effective after rinsing and washing in water is benzyl benzoate.