Courtesy / Tick Wraps
The gaiters, bonded with an insect repellent called permethrin, are made in a variety of sizes.
Updated: May 19, 2020
Career pivot takes health care pro into tick prevention
Courtesy / Tick Wraps
Daniel Katz and his wife Sasha Rose founded Wildwood Health Center in 2005 and recently turned Katz’s development of a tick repellent leg gaiter into a start-up called Tick Wraps.
In March, when the pandemic forced Portland acupuncturist and physical therapist Daniel Katz to close his practice, he pivoted and launched a new business.
Instead, he decided to focus on developing a new idea that addresses the rise of tick-borne illness.
Katz had noticed a rise in tick-borne illnesses at Wildwood Health Center, the practice on India Street he owns with his wife, Sasha Rose, a naturopathic doctor, licensed acupuncturist and yoga teacher. The couple have now developed a leg gaiter that protects wearers from the parasites, and call the business Tick Wraps.
“Maine is ground zero for ticks and we were seeing an explosion of people coming into Wildwood with tick-related illnesses,” Katz said.
On May 4, Katz and Rose launched a campaign on Kickstarter with a goal of raising a minimum of $18,000 for Tick Wraps. Almost $6,000 has been raised to date.
Katz told Mainebiz the idea for the business came after he started buying tube socks for his family, cutting off the feet, and applying a tick repellent called permethrin. The homemade gaiter fits on the lower leg. Friends started asking about it.
“I’ve been making these for five years and just giving them to friends,” he said. “I said, ‘I’ve been getting more and more requests, so maybe I’ll try this in a bigger way.’”
Through a local clothing designer, he identified an apparel manufacturer, Selectra Industries in California, to make the gaiters. He was aware of a North Carolina company called Insect Shield, which works with numerous clothing brands to treat the products with a proprietary formulation of permethrin.
Permethrin is a type of pesticide that kills ticks and other insects, according to Consumer Reports. Permethrin-treated clothing was first developed by the military a few decades ago and has been available to consumers since 2003.
Permethrin is a synthetic version of chrysanthemum flower oil, Katz said. It’s bonded to the fiber of the fabric, he explained, so that it doesn’t leach off and is safe to wear next to the skin. “In my opinion, it’s the best way to prevent insects that are on you from being able to climb somewhere on your body,” he said.
Katz partnered with Insect Shield to create Tick Wraps leg gaiters. He said the active ingredient, when applied by Insect Shield, is so tightly bonded to the fabric fibers that it remains effective through 70 washes. Tick Wraps are offered in three sizes, and cost $35-$40 a pair.
The couple placed their first order with Selectra, which required a minimum of 1,350 pairs.
“We created the Kickstarter to fund that first order,” he said.
Although they haven’t yet achieved the Kickstarter goal, they moved forward with the order by self-funding with their savings.
It was originally expected the order would be ready by May 1, but the pandemic delayed that.
“My goal is to have them by the end of June,” he said.
Funds will go to manufacturing, finishing, packaging and shipping, he said. The couple will do the packaging and shipping from their home.
Customers will be able to order from a soon-to-be-launched website, tickwraps.com, and will also be sold via retailers and from Wildwood.
Katz said the practice is slowly reopening, mostly for telehealth plus a few in-person visits.
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