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I keep reading stuff about ticks and the rather nasty Lyme disease and my local forest ranger says he pulls 'em off his dogs really often.
2023 article https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/05/canada-ticks-uk-climate-change
"The recent outbreak of potentially deadly tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in England and Scotland is a reminder that ticks are getting worse here, as well. The first suspected incidence of the disease in the UK was in 2019, and cases of Lyme disease also appear to be increasing over the past few years.
Studies have shown several tick species in Europe becoming more numerous, and moving further north. And in the UK, Public Health England’s Tick Surveillance Scheme has found ticks expanding their range across the UK. Rewilding by expanding tree and brush cover, and introducing more deer and other wild animals, can increase the tick population. But a huge driver of the recent exponential expansion of ticks into the northern hemisphere is climate change."
2017 Guardian article:
"Reports abound of a deer-tick invasion, a blight moving across Europe and leaping across the Channel, leading to an explosion in human contractions. Meanwhile, victims on both side of the Atlantic have clashed with the health establishment – and, in the US, health insurers – over the disputed existence of symptoms that can last for decades." https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/22/ticks-lyme-disease-matt-dawson-harm
and another:
"Many patients feel neglected by the medical community due to the controversy that has long surrounded what is known as chronic Lyme disease. Despite numerous studies which have emerged showing that large numbers of patients suffer from chronic or Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), with symptoms persisting and worsening despite initial antibiotic treatment, sectors of the medical community both in both the US and the UK have refused to accept that the condition exists" https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/20/lyme-disease-is-solution-on-way
Of course, there are plenty of folk who have been in and out the woods for years and not been bitten, me included, but it seems there are more and more of the little blighters. Warming weather (on and off) perhaps. It's changing anyway
I'm told the tick nymphs are more infective when it comes to Lyme (and maybe also tick-borne encephalitis) and those nymphs are only the size of a poppy seed.
US foresters recommend tucking pants into socks, wearing light clothing and after "exposure" going over the entire outfit with a lint roller before getting in a car, or going indoors.
No sitting on the ground and, ideally, avoid brushing against any foliage. Hah, that's hardly compatible with our days out eh? Also one should get someone to check you all over, including intimate areas and the scalp, for the little buggers the size of poppy seeds. Not an easy task. I'm hoping they can't get past the elastic of cycling underwear.
SO - Crikey
I met a lady in my local riding spot a while back who said she couldn’t believe I was in the woods wearing shorts, she'd been bitten a couple of years back and got quite ill - when fobbed off by her doc who I imagine had little tick experience, eventually had Lyme testing done in Germany, sure enough she was infected with Lyme disease. She was still feeling ill and weak 2 years after being bitten.
A pal in the US got infected with Lyme and was told it may have contributed to the Lyphoma that slowly ended his life. RIP Lenny, I miss you.
I carry a tick twister from Ray Mears site plus a Smidge tick card for times out walking.
Am using Smidge repellent on the bare bits and may treat trousers with Permethrin (it apparently wets the outfit but, supposedly, once dry has no detrimental effect on skin. (Hmm, many scientists still say Glyphosate is harmless) Kills the bugs tho. Not sure I entirely trust the statement that it's harmless to humans.
So maybe a shift from my normal all-black outfit to light trousers. Maybe I'll treat those and the socks and maybe avoid overgrown trails.
hmm, food for thought
Smidge.
I'm a tick magnet. Pulled 18 off me after a 3 day bikepacking trip - because I didn't Smidge up.
Twice diagnosed with Lyme. Twice had the antibiotics. Twice had no long term effects.
I'm a bit paranoid about them, even though I've not knowingly had them, I just really don't need yet another health issue to deal with!
I have smidge and premethrin, but tend to avoid sitting down in iffy locations or camping in them and will wear trousers if I'm going somewhere woody and grassy anyway. Maybe un-necessarily OTT, but better safe than sorry.
I've found a few in the bathroom, but not on me.
I got three ticks just sat on a wall by a pond in the lakes last summer.
We carry tick removers and smidge up.
If I kayak and camp on Scotish Isands I tend to leave my dry trousers on for wandering as they have attached socks.
Last one I found was under my watch strap.
Nasty little beasts.
but tend to avoid sitting down in iffy locations
Indeed, I sat down while fell running on the lomond hills. Found one on the end of my knob the next day.
Bravecto keeps my dog tick free all season, need a human version
I met a lady in my local riding spot a while back who said she couldn’t believe I was in the woods wearing shorts, she’d been bitten a couple of years back and got quite ill – when fobbed off by her doc who I imagine had little tick experience, eventually had Lyme testing done in Germany, sure enough she was infected with Lyme disease. She was still feeling ill and weak 2 years after being bitten.
New Forest by any chance? Sounds like you met my sister in law who tries to put the fear of God into everyone about them. She was diagnosed slightly nuts and ending up spending fortune to get a diagnosis from Germany, we think so she had an excuse to be on benefits long term. She wasn't fobbed off by her doctors, they just saw through her
Bravecto keeps my dog tick free all season, need s human version
It must be seriously toxic though. I asked the vet why there was no human version and was it safe for the dog. ‘They don’t live that long anyway, give us your cash’
franksinatra, actually Friston Forest - so there's more than one lady of the woods whose been infected it seems. This lady was lucid and not crackers at all IMO. Very seriously advised against shorts in the forest.
Surrely Hills is bad too apparently. Oh dear
this stuff might help ttps://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/sawyer-permethrin-premium-insect-repellent-review/ (as long as it is safe and who knows =about that, its probably tivial to find someone online who says it turns humans into monkeys
oh dear, the perils of the outdoors
After 20 years of being at high risk for ticks as a mountain biking forester, it's not been until this year that I have encountered them with a course of antibiotics a couple of months ago for the symptoms after working in deer populated woods and just a couple of days ago pulled one away after a site visit.
I had one crawling on me last night after an MTB ride (Bristol area) it hadn't started feeding though luckily.
I’ve always wondered why stuff like Frontline apparently works for cats but we can’t have it. A little spot in the back of your neck every month or two doesn’t seem too bad for people who spend a lot of time outdoors!
Is it not because cats lick it off themself them spread it across their body when they clean themself?
Don’t know about your cat but my cats can’t lick the back of their own necks 😉
Have a few on me every local MTB ride and walk now....just brush them all off at the end of the day. They're definately more prevalent here (S. Wilts) than I've ever noticed elsewhere previously.
I've had a deer and it's fawn at the top of my garden for the past week or so; I guess that doesn't help!!
I wonder how many people actually haven't had them. Is this a bit like all the crappy reviews for, say, Planet X? I have lived/played/ridden around the woods for 60 years and have never met anyone who has had one "fitted". My dogs used to pick them up, well two of the em did, the other two , never. Wierd. Shot many a deer and never noticed one of the little beasties either.
I've had a fair few. Both my boys got them last year.
I found one crawling over my thumb nail in a hotel room post hill walk.
As much as I dislike their dietary requirements, I do find them Fascinating creatures.
Another +1 for smidge being the answer. I get a good number of them a year, but mostly it's been when I've been doing stuff like mowing the lawn in trousers but without smidge on. When I do smidge up, not so much.
Smidge +another vote
Fascinating creatures. A bit like ladyboys.
When I lived in Sweden I cycled in shorts and after every ride I would have a good check. A full length mirror and a hand held mirror would enable me to check ever where.
I would often remove 5 or 6. It was norm out there to always check. Even though they are small they are easy to spot.
therefore shorts are fine but have a good inspection.
Our dog occasionally gets them, but we’ve never had any - yet. Your risk of getting them does vary slightly across the country though:
Tick map UK
I'm currently on a 3 week course of antibiotics as I picked up 3 in Scotland a couple of weeks ago and one has flared up into a big red circle. Hopefully that sorts it out.
Doc said it had made her day as it was the most interesting thing she'd seen for a while.
That tick map, Caithness has em, working o. Railway, I got non my colleague got 3.
Indeed, I sat down while fell running on the lomond hills. Found one on the end of my knob the next day.
Think how the tick felt.... quite happily minding it's own business and someone sticks a knob in his face.
Never had a problem with them.
Long sleeve, shorts, knee pads, and socks all the way up for summer cycling. Barely any skin exposed.
T-shirt and trousers for hiking, as my legs don't like sun. Lakes, Snowdonia, and highlands. I use Smidge on my exposed face and neck, hat, upper body clothing, and arms. Are people here putting it on their trousers too?
I've always worn long sleeves for cycling, as I absolutely hate any insect (flies, clegs, keds, etc.) landing on me, they trigger some reflex I have to swat them without thinking about more important things my hands are occupied with (e.g. holding handlebar). Trying the same for hiking this year too.
I’ve always wondered why stuff like Frontline apparently works for cats but we can’t have it. A little spot in the back of your neck every month or two doesn’t seem too bad for people who spend a lot of time outdoors!
I'll guess: pets and farm animals (it's available for them too) are hairier than us, don't bathe regularly, don't wear clothes, don't live as long, lower safety standards, and it's a much bigger welfare problem for them. Not sure how the stuff works, perhaps it gets absorbed somehow so the glands all over their skin secrete a bit of it, or it's just strong enough that a stripe down the spine is enough of a deterrent.
Yep, few years ago whipped the old chap out for a bit of fun and frolics only to find a massive engorged tick on the end of it. The missus was unsurprisingly quite unimpressed and I can't remember the last time I was that freaked out. I did totally the wrong thing and ripped it out leaving the mandibles buried in my member and then had to wait till they fell out....luckily no infection but I'm now a bit more careful after being in the great outdoors.
One of my girls has had about 5 ticks, the other none - though she has been stung 15 times including one time where the bee literally flew past, changed direction came back and stung her, so go figure
Long sleeve, shorts, knee pads, and socks all the way up for summer cycling. Barely any skin exposed
Only one I’ve ever had, I found behind my knee after a ride in shorts and knee pads.
Over the past 12 years or so I've probably been bitten 18 or so times. Luckily never had the bullseye or fatigue so no concern to ever get tested for lymes.
Some places tend to be worse than others I've found, obviously likely has something to do with how many deer are in the area, not found any on me or the dog from the local woods but is neighboured by farms all part of the same syndicate and have seen them early doors pop off roe deer.
Other places I've rode still in the localish area with high deer count I've had the most ticks from, surprisingly though I've gotten a few from up on the Moors where obviously deer tend not to roam over too much as far as I'm aware so everything I'm saying could just be jumping to conclusions.
For proper riding now I always wear trousers when I know I'm gonna be on trails and hitting the brush, touch wood haven't been bitten, despise them though horrendous awful ugly little parasitic minging little bugs, always burn them with joy after pulling them off.
http://www.ticksolve.ceh.ac.uk
Thankfully plenty of research going on. This is just one project I'm involved with looking at direct correlation between host movements, land barriers and people movement.
I've spent at least an hour every day walking the dogs/riding in the new forest for the last 20 years - taken no precaution, and only ever had one tick actually attach - found loads on me though, including 2 today. The dogs record was 13 attached after 1 walk about 10 years ago.
I think the risk is actually very low (obviously high impact).
It’s really interesting how people’s reports of tick ‘bites’ varies from “never been bitten” to “I pick up ticks all the time”. Is this because some people attract and pick up ticks more easily or is it that some people don’t notice them?
I get them all time… sea kayaking camps, hill walking, bike packing, field visits at work. I picked up about 15 this week in Yr Eryri… I think they have got worse in N Wales; but years ago I probably wouldn’t have noticed because I wasn’t looking and didn’t realise how small they were.
Had loads in North Wales. Few in Dorset. Once near the south downs. Think they like me.
I had one on my chest once. Was moving house in North Wales and driving down a tiny lane in the van with the windows open. Must have come in through the window from ferns etc brushing past the van.
I think they have got worse in N Wales
Definitely. Don't live there anymore, but it got to a point where if I went in the garden barefoot. I'd come back in with one or more crawling around on me. Horrible things.
I get a few. A couple this year so far. Usually when I forget to apply smidge. A few years ago I had one bite develop into Lyme symptoms and had a course of antibiotics. When I saw the drs they said they see Lyme symptomatic patients every day in the warm months and accordingly prescribe antibiotics to folk every day.
Kind of think in this era of antibiotic resistance concern that a vaccine would be a better option.
Kind of think in this era of antibiotic resistance concern that a vaccine would be a better option.
Under development by Pfizer and Valneva it says here:
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/vaccine.html
A mate of mine has ongoing health issues which he puts down to an untreated Lyme infection years ago.
Always go hill running in shorts (NB: they're hills in Scotland, we don't have fells up here @robola)
Routinely pull many off me during and after runs. Never had an issue as either get them before they've had chance to lock on, or get them out asap.
There's deer in my garden and in the farmers field and forest next to the house, so plenty about.
I wonder how many people actually haven’t had them
Never. In 35 years of outdoor activities, I've never been bitten and only once been asked by a women walking nearby if I had some tweezers. (I wasn't carrying tick a remover that day, but got the thing out with a credit card)
I’m amidst tick country with deer in the field next to us and they’re always in the garden - only knowingly been bitten twice and we’re always pulling them off the dog. I’ll be heading out shortly for an hour’s run wearing shorts through long grass, bracken etc - I’ll check myself when I get back as they’ll still be mobile and you can feel them on your leg hairs.
Luckily never had the bullseye or fatigue so no concern to ever get tested for lymes.
Point of order: the bullseye only occurs in about 2/3rds of Lymes cases (IIRC) so don't treat the lack of it as a negative diagnosis.
Never been bitten, and none of my mates have ever mentioned it either
Guys look after yourself and get rubbered up if you're out on the hills, no embarrassing questions at Boots as you stand there in your skimpy shorts and running shoes they will know why you need them
I'm also not aware of having been bitten - is it possible to be bitten and not not notice.
Mosquitoes and midges though - bastards have me for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Both p20 and I got loads wild camping in Scotland last year. Just really unlucky with the spot we picked (we picked very very carefully the following night and basically never sat down until we got in the tent and zipped it up). Couple of months later neither of us were feeling great for several weeks and the GP gave both of us a run of antibiotics as a precaution, given I must have had 20+ bites in 24 hours, and did feel a lot better after. No doubt in my experience the number of ticks has got worst (even aside from that crazy bad one off). Now very careful where I sit/stand and use smidge.
Point of order: the bullseye only occurs in about 2/3rds of Lymes cases (IIRC) so don’t treat the lack of it as a negative diagnosis.
My understanding is that, if you do actually get the bullseye, it may not be on the bite site either
Bullseye rash not always present in Lyme cases.
Yes, absolutely possible to be bitten and not notice, most likely on your back or behind a knee etc. Some are tiny. I'm paranoid about ticks - I live in the South Downs NP with deer and sheep everywhere and Lyme disease present. If go off the path into long grass or leafy mulch in the woods I'm guaranteed to pick up two or three. So they've caused me to alter my behaviour - no sitting or camping on grass, no walking through it, no sandals (still wear shorts), and always checking carefully for ticks on arms and legs afterwards. There was a wedding this weekend in the village with lots of kids running through a meadow and I wondered if anybody had warned them about ticks...
I ride, camp, walk and generally hang out in tick areas. My ride buddies regularly get ticks, my dog gets them early on season before I give her bravecto, I've never had one.. Not even a nibble. I wear shorts, t shirts and only use Smidge for midges. Ticks just don't like me.
. Ticks just don’t like me.
I think ticks have a preferred target, whether body temp, hairiness, smell or something. Wife hasn't had one in the 20 years we've been doing outdoor stuff together, I've had tonnes.
Deer ticks can live on pheasants and blackbirds too. I think the masssive increase is due to huge numbers of pheasant chicks being imported from France with Lyme disease infused ticks already on them.. I think the reason frontline isn’t used for humans is it has really bad long term health issues in prolonged use - dogs dont live very long so it matters less to them…
I found one feeding off my gooch a few years ago
I’m the same. I have had loads, my wife has never had one. Must be subtle chemicals that attract them.
Lived in Snowdonia for the past 3 years, been holidaying here for nearly 50. Only ever had 3 tick bites. Never see 'em.
I kinda thought they were prevalent elsewhere in the country but the map shows a medium risk.
Anyway - there's a tick surveillance scheme - you can send your tick off with a form and they record the data and make it publically available to help map tick risk. Bit of voluntary citizen-science there 🙂
I’ve always wondered why stuff like Frontline apparently works for cats but we can’t have it. A little spot in the back of your neck every month or two doesn’t seem too bad for people who spend a lot of time outdoors!
oddly I’ve idly wondered about this.
Never had a tick although pulled them off the dog, have been stung by loads of things ,hate horseflies and being stung on the head behind the ear by a wasp or bee, that was nearly a fall of the bike moment.
Only had two ever, despite being in and around ferns lots - riding, hiking, gardening, working. But our outdoor cat has recently needed 5+ taken off him every day. Gonna change his flea meds again I think. A mate of mine, who's a forester keeps telling me that if you stroke a tick the right way, gently, and repeatedly it will relax and fall out. Don't know how true that is!
But horse flies - i hate those guys, but they seem to love me! Had to cut yesterdays hike on Exmoor short as both myself and the missus got mauled by the buggers - i swotted at least 20 on me during 9km. I've never seen them as bad as they were yesterday...
A mate of mine, who’s a forester keeps telling me that if you stroke a tick the right way, gently, and repeatedly it will relax and fall out.
not recommended with knob ticks, just increases their food supply…
Must be subtle chemicals that attract them.
Yep, the smell of the nutrients you give off when you sweat is a big factor in what you'll attract
I’m also not aware of having been bitten – is it possible to be bitten and not not notice.
yes a tick bite is not usually painful or itchy, if something happens that causes them to drop off before you notice you would just have a tiny red mark. I would think it’s less likely you would get Lyme if you get bitten and the tick leaves before you notice as the experts seem to say it needs to be attached for a while (>24h) to infect you. They get bigger as they feed so longer it’s attached more likely you will see it.
It’s really interesting how people’s reports of tick ‘bites’ varies from “never been bitten” to “I pick up ticks all the time”.
I think it's geographical. Growing up in Herefordshire/Shropshire and doing all my outdoor pursuits there and in Wales I'd not really heard of them never mind seen one. These days I mostly ride in isolated woodlands around Cardiff that I don't think have any deer at all, and whilst there are sheep they aren't in the woods. I also think that if you only have sheep the farmers dipping them keeps numbers down. The first I ever saw one was on my then 2-yo in Germany, picked up at a local suburban play area with long grass - it must've come from a dog as there weren't any deer or sheep areas around. Then both kids picked them up on a caravan site near Dolgellau that was shared with sheep - perhaps the farmer hadn't dipped? Then on our first trip to Scotland we sat down by a river for a lovely picnic and the ticks were absolutely all over us in minutes.
I live in the middle of one of swedens hotspots, in the middle of a forest, deer and moose in the garden type thing.
I still wear shorts, just check after every ride, TBH, i check most days if i've been outside. Keep an eye on any bite sites and ring the doctors if it goes hot, or hard, or red or the bullseye rash, obviously discount the hard if it's on my knob (not yet, thank god). Then you get some antibiotics. Don't generally even need to go to the surgery, just a phone call or two. I've had one round, one kid has had two, the other one, the ex gets bitten the most, but she goes running in the forest a lot, the rest of us walk (long trousers) or cycle (larger trails and/or moving faster). I'm also vaccinated against TBE.
I think it’s geographical. Growing up in Herefordshire/Shropshire and doing all my outdoor pursuits there and in Wales I’d not really heard of them never mind seen one.
There are undoubtedly geographic differences, but there are seasonal differences, weather differences, vegetation differences (long grass and bracken v gorse and trees) and annual variation plus likely longer-term climate type trends. They were certainly known about by "outdoor types" in the 90's (the preferred method of removal seemed to involve a lit cigarette!) but the health risks are definitely more widely promoted now - the internet will have "helped" with that but it may also have lead to some "fear".
I still wear shorts, just check after every ride,
They will crawl over clothing to get to exposed skin anyway, and then carry on until they find somewhere warm and moist, meaning that you risk it even if you're fully clothed and put a hand down, or brush your face against undergrowth, or stop for long enough for them to crawl onto your shoes. The only two occasions I have found them on me were after walks on Dartmoor where I wasn't wearing shorts. Some people above have described them as tiny - mine were fairly obvious and I wasn't checking myself for ticks, just showering.
due to huge numbers of pheasant chicks being imported from France with Lyme disease infused ticks already on them.
I was wondering how they were making it over the Channel.
They were certainly known about by “outdoor types” in the 90’s (the preferred method of removal seemed to involve a lit cigarette!)
'Outdoor types'. 😀
I was a student living on Dartmoor, late 80s, when I got the first of the ones I described above. I was definitely not an 'outdoors type' but yes, they were known about.
100% DEET ftw. I've seen a couple crawling on the ground lately but they make a wide berth.
Going back a few years now, my family moved to the Isle of Man when I was 16 and I lived over there for a couple of years before moving back to the UK for uni. The dog used to get hundreds of the buggers taking him for a walk on Laxey headland. Barely ever saw them back in North Yorkshire where I'm from. Now riding mates from home tell me they regularly get bitten by them riding over the moors.
We recently came back from a holiday in Scotland where our dog picked up loads. The trossachs seemed to be the worst. He would have them after a 5 minute walk around a campsite and generally had upwards of 20 per day for the first few days. They all die quickly as he has Bravecto but we didn’t fancy 100s of dead ticks in our small campervan so we went to a Pet Shop in Crieff. They suggested Tickless, which is a small ultra sonic device. For the remaining 1 1/2 weeks of our holiday he had one or two. Not sure if this is solely due to Tickless or that there are many more ticks in the trossachs compared to Perthshire and the Cairngorms.
They also make a Tickless for people so this might be worth a try if you live or regularly ride somewhere with loads of them.
Any recommendations for the most effective spray? I have some 'Trek' but it says 'no DEET'. Will it work?
Sounds OK. Contains Saltidin, the same active ingredient as Smidge.
Cheers SR, I've just ordered a load of Smidge too. Was challenged on here about being concerned having seen a number of deer in Lady Cannings but the Sheffield Star reports,
“We are seeing a stratospheric rise in tick numbers in the Peak District at the moment.
"There has been a perfect storm of contributing factors this year including a hot dry summer and a change in land management in the area – lack of conservation grazing, and limited vegetation burning and bracken spraying have all made matters far worse.”
I've been bitten literally hundreds of times over the years (always north of the border) so tend to be a bit more relaxed about this than the current prevailing attitude that a tick bite is tantamount to having Novichok injected directly into your brain stem. There's a debate to be had about "othering' the natural environment and making it something to be feared rather than simply respected. I also suspect the internet has facilitated a thriving industry in Lyme-related quackery.
But I'm not a denialist and there's no harm in taking reasonable precautions so, prior to a recent 10 day trip to Jura and the adjacent mainland, 'wild camping' every night apart from one evening on a campsite, I treated my boots, trousers and inner tent with permethrin spray. I also checked for ticks when I remembered, and didn't leave the inner tent door open longer than necessary. I picked up one tick during the trip, on my ankle, on the evening I was on the campsite (the day I returned to the mainland, but wouldn't rule out having brought it over from Jura on my clothing, as the island's notorious for them).
They've definitely increased in the Highlands over the last couple of decades so, while I'm happy to walk into a bivi in shorts in e.g. the Dales, as I did on Monday evening, I'm not sure I'd now opt for either shorts or a bivi in Scotland.
I get itchy at abite site so always notice. Smidge and a tick twister for the win.
Yorkshire here. Lyme/Ticks was something I never really thought about until a couple of years ago, when I got this - it was possibly Dalby Forest. It hurt like a bastard and I got all nervous and anxious having done all this reading into people who have had horrific debilitating long term Lyme Disease.
However - rang GP, asked for a photo, bosh, yep, they congratulated me on my knowledge ("Doc I think this is erythema migrans") and for not ignoring it and put me straight on the rather strong antibiotics that day. 2 years ago, absolutely nothing since.
I guess my point is that yes, Ticks and Lyme disease are very serious but also for the benefit of anyone who might be reading this in the future, it doesnt automatically mean your GP is going to ignore you and your life will be changed.
Rarely get bitten, probably one or two a year but even then I have had a confirmed infection of Lyme. Took a while to get my doctor to take me seriously, they really thought it was a fake disease, but when the lethargy got to me quite seriously they ran tests and I came back positive. A long course of antibiotics eventually sorted it out and I've got no lasting effects but it did knock me down a few pegs for nearly 12 months!
Still ride in shorts just make sure I check for them afterwards.
Thanks everyone for your replies. It seems not only area, but also (somehow) person based.
I’ll be using Smidge and probably light coloured long pants too. Thanks Nukeproof.
Might treat trousers with permethrin tick killer - any experience with that??
Do they really get into the scalp!!??
Buggers aren’t they.
Dont try burn em off guys. Apparently it makes the puke, thus injecting their infected digestive tract contents.
Some say twist to remove (see “tick twister for sale at Ray Mears) some say never twist. Smidge card seems a good idea.
Forewarned is forearmed. I hope I never see one.
My understanding is that, if you do actually get the bullseye, it may not be on the bite site either
I was told this when I got one.
Yesterday, South Glos.
2 ticks on the shin :(. Through leggings on another rider.
I myself wear bib tights and am now thinking of wearing an extra pair tights underneath, a high denier type.
Remember that episode of Father Ted in the lingerie dept 😉
Redthunder. So they get through the leggings?
That’s surprising. And not at the edge either if on their shins.
But apparenty not through 80 denier tights. Well from the video that’s mozzies at least.
Hope your pal got those 2 little buggers off and is uninfected.
I picked 6 off my legs during a cafe stop yesterday afternoon. Just the wee ones, still crawling.
Yesterday, South Glos
Not nice! Whereabouts was that? Seriously need to get covered up, I reckon.