Driving home from a two-day SOTA weekend tonight (W7W/FR-044 & FR-040), had a tick crawling up my leg. I struggled to keep the truck in my lane while trying to grab the sucker and toss him out the window. Luckily we sprayed DEET liberally before starting our hike.
DEET works with these suckers.
Today, on SP/BS-020 I noticed a guy who was walking on my arm, he jumped there when I was fixing the mast at the bottom and had to put my hands in the grass, fortunately I noticed him right away and stopped his walk, after returning home I underwent a marriage inspection 
I think I did not bring anything 
I wish same to everyone, come beck home “clear”
73, Jarek
Tics are abundant here in Nova Scotia. I put down a groundsheet and keep my pants tucked into my socks when out portable. When I get home I strip down and check myself in a mirror. Still end up picking some off me for hours later. Here they are mostly Dog Tics, bigger and don’t carry Lime.
A few people in my local hiking club have sent their hiking clothes to Insect Shield for permethrin treatment. Insect Shield claims its treatment is good for 70 washings – essentially the life of the clothing. You can get 3 pairs of shirts, socks and pants treated for around $75 USD. The treatment can cause some shrinkage, so don’t send your tight-fitting stuff ;-)! I’ve used the service and have seen ticks walk around near me but never get on me. So far so good. Insect Shield also sells some pre-treated clothing.
I never wear shorts or short sleeves when in the woods, and always wear a hat, which helps protect against scratches and cuts as well as parasites and sunlight.
Ticks aren’t just a warm weather issue. They remain active year-round – or so I’ve been told by WI DNR, who have seen ticks in northern Wisconsin in February!
N2GBR is spot-on regarding tick-borne diseases. One of the oddest I’ve heard about is alpha-gal syndrome, which is a food allergy to red meat. It is caused from the bite of a Lone Star tick, found primarily in the SE US, but is spreading via deer. It also has been found in EU, Australia and Asia. See Alpha-gal syndrome - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic.
Be careful out there!
73 Paula k9ir
Hmm, this is all a timely reminder to be careful, especially as I am allergic to some antibiotics. I see in the UK the recommendation is for Doxycycline or Amoxicillin. I’ve never taken Doxycycline, but Amoxycillin brings me out in red spots from head to toe. Well that could be confusing! Thankfully I have only ever picked up one tick in over 500 summits, probably as I always wear trousers and gaiters.
Just picked up on Facebook from Scottish Mountain Rescue that there is already quite an amount of ticks about. They link to a useful article by NHS24 - see the pinned post on page . Redirecting...
Time for a refresher course?
When I was young, I worked on a survey crew in the mountains of Utah. Ticks were a constant problem. One day the subject of ticks came up for discussion, and I asked the Crew Chief what to do if I got a tick in one of those “unmentionable” places. There was a pause, and he looked me squarely in the eye and solemnly said, “That’s when you find out who your best friend is.” 50 years later, I still find ticks on me from doing SOTA.
It’s about 12 months now since I got Lyme’s and I’m pretty good health-wise. Funnily enough, the really bad place for ticks here is right next to Graz on Fürstenstand (OE/ST-299). I have my new groundsheet now. It’s bigger so it’s easier to keep clothes off the floor. I often have a shower when I get home, which helps identify any ticks before they have been embedded too long. Most importantly of all, don’t expect to see the big bullseye rash if you get bitten. Always mention to your doctor that you are very active outdoors if you start feeling ill.
73 Matt
I take it after he was arrested he showed them the evidence of tick bites??? 
Keeping your pants tucked into your socks must be somewhat difficult if you wear shorts. Have your tried it?
You must have been in a different navy to me David. My uniform white shorts came down to just above the knee and my socks were folded down to just below.
Fortunately my waistline has changed sufficiently to justify me buying new shorter apparel 
I think that sort are back in fashion now.
…. There must have been a huge number of ticks on Mull as We removed 32 at the last count from Woody. I think they came from the 1 pointer on Ulva…. None on the humans - he must act like a magnet…
(Dogs can also get Lymes). Paul
… maybe you write a note on the summit page for a really bad place?
73, DIZ
We’re a bit lax in winter dosing our pets because ticks are inactive then but ticks appearing on our cats in recently weeks not only prompted us to resume treating them but a reminder to me to start checking my legs after finishing an activation.
You should have 2, a left and right. They should reach the ground from your bottom on both sides as well.
I’ve not been vigilant enough: I’ve been bitten again since I last posted here - that’s the 4th time in under 5 years living and SOTAing in G/LD and G/NP. I consider myself lucky not to have got Lyme’s disease. But my luck is bound to run out.
So, I’ve been reviewing the experiences of others on this reflector and printed this checklist to pin up somewhere:
TICKS – CHECKLIST (Tick list?)
Time will tell if that’s enough.
After being bitten, time is indeed the key. Up to 12 hrs odds of getting Lyme Desease are almost nil. After 24 hrs, odds are rising significantly. 36 hrs after a bite you can almost be sure to be infected. 24 - 36 hrs is the time Lyme bacteria usually need to travel from the tick’s gastric to its mouth. Remove the tick quickly and in a sensible way, i.e. pull it from its head. Don’t put pressure on the body, to avoid bacteria being pushed to the wound.
It’s your right not to use repellant, but I wouldn’t call it wise. The best way to avoid a bite is using a decent repellent. DDT is not DEET. However, DEET works well, but is not needed to keep ticks away. Icaridin 20 % (e.g. Autan Multi Insect) is good enough.
Ever been to DL? I remember several times the YL and me had to beat off dozens of ticks from our trousers after hikes.
Ahoi
Pom
PS: On the time factor, if you do not have a decent tick tweezer, shave them off! Use a sharp razor and cut them on the first wipe. The sting will remain in the wound causing a minor inflammation that will be itching for some days. Still better than Lyme.
I am rather obsessive about ticks and use the following:
(i) Permethrin sprayed clothing (prior to use - spray clothing and allow to dry).
(ii) Smidge (active ingredient picaridin) sprayed onto clothes, hat and also not too worried if gets on skin.
(iii) Wear cycling mitts to cover back of hands plus always long sleeves and long legs
(iv) garments arranged so that something crawling to the top of my trousers doesn’t get under my shirt (ie shirt tucked into trousers, trousers tucked into socks)
(v) Vitamin D tablets (not to repel ticks - but to make up for not getting any exposure to sun through covering my self up!)
(vi) A keyring tick-tweezer (so its always with me), a wallet tick remover (also so its always with me) and a more substantial tick tweezer set in my first aid kit.
Permethrin:
https://amzn.eu/d/3WChSuw
Keyring tick tweezers
https://amzn.eu/d/arf1duB
I checked on Icaridin – it seems effective and harmless (to humans) if applied properly. So, I ordered the Autan pump spray, which should arrive in time for the Transatlantic S2S event on Saturday. I’ll add the spraying of outer clothes (before leaving home) to my ‘tick list’.
We have a plastic one at home which we’ve used on me and the dogs and cats (though the ticks on them die anyway as the pets have regular Bravecto tick treatment). I ordered this metal keyring version to keep in the rucksack.