So what are ticks? - Ticks are arachnids, typically 3 to 5 mm long, but can be much smaller and very difficult to see. Ticks are parasites, living by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. They are usually found in high grasses at the path side waiting for you to pass where they will transfer to your body, and start feeding on your blood.
Are they dangerous? - Ticks can carry a number of diseases that can transfer to the host including Lyme disease, which starts with flu like symptoms but eventually can cause more serious symptoms from joint disorders to heart issues.
For dealing with ticks we use 4 basic principles, Protect, Check, Remove, and Watch.
Protect
Use a product containing at least 20% Deet on your skin and clothing. A couple of years ago on a walk the Fossil Tree on the Isle of Mull, I covered myself in ‘Avon Skin so Soft’, and I sprayed loads of it around my boots and gaiters, this seemed to work as I didn’t have one tick where one of my colleagues had dozens of them.
Wear gaiters if possible, avoid wearing shorts in tick areas, and tuck your trouser legs into your socks, or use an elastic band to prevent them from climbing up the inside of your trouser legs.
Try and stick to paths, you are less likely to get a tick from a path than you are from walking through long grass or vegetation.
Dogs often accompany walkers, they can be also be treated with a product such as 'Advantage’, which will help keep ticks at bay.
The obvious advice is to avoid tick infected areas, this may not always be possible and they seem to be spreading to all parts of the UK.
Check
Be vigilant and do regular checks
Wearing light coloured clothes makes it easier to spot the little buggers.
Ticks seem to like sensitive areas of the human body, so check your nether regions, armpits, ears and belly button.
Look carefully, they can be as small as a pin head
Don’t forget to thoroughly check children and dogs, ideally check them before you let them back into the house. The last thing you want is a tick dropping off onto a carpet or furniture to then find another victim days or weeks later.
Remove
Removing a tick can be a tricky job. You need to ensure that you remove the head that is buried into the skin and it’s equally important that you don’t squeeze the body of the tick which could force any infected blood back into the host.
A pair of tweezers or a tick remover are an important part of any first aid kit, and the knowledge of how to use them.
It may be tempting to remove the tick with your fingers, but resist the temptation as you may leave the ticks head stuck in your skin which can then lead to tick borne diseases.
To remove the tick you need to apply the tweezers or tick remover and squeeze the tick by the head (not the body), and pull upward in a slow and steady motion.
As a kid growing up in North Wales, ticks were a common occurrence, my old man would put a burning cigarette to the body of the tick or cover it in vaseline, but these practises are not advised as you can force infected blood back into the host.
Other methods include rubbing a wet cotton bud next to the body of the tick, the tick then thinks it’s another host and will release its grip on you and attach itself to the cotton bud. Follow this link for more details https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ujtww
Ticks are tough little buggers, and you’ll need to dispose of them correctly. They may well re-appear a few days after you put them into the bin in your kitchen. Don’t touch them with bare skin, wear surgical gloves if available. To dispose of them properly squash the tick to a pulp, or put a bunsen burner to them until they fry.
Watch
Keep an eye on any tick bites, if you get a bulls eye type rash get straight to your doctor.
Any flu like symptoms, then get to your GP straight away and tell them that you have had a tick bite and get them to test for Lymes Disease.
