I agree with many of the comments. I am regularly in areas with high tick prevalence and lymes disease.
Main prevention for me is decent trousers and gaiters over the trousers and then a thorough inspection of me (gnads and pits especially) and then the dog at the end of the day.
The spaniel gets an anti-tick crew-cut every spring, and this helps. He regularly gets ticks and a short coat makes the evening de-tick inspection easy.
Dog (with crew-cut) loves the heather, but so do the ticks
I agree with comments on time you need for a tick to pass on Lymes disease, allthough im no expert. Best bet for me is to try my best to keep them off the dog/me with regular inspection.
I always carry a tick tool.
Final point is I’ve had some pretty bad issues wild camping in tick Habitat, pitching on long grass in the highlands. Nothing worse than ticks in the tent. Never again, I pick my Camping spots much more carefully away from tick habitat now.
It’s not all bad news. I’ve lived on the West Coast of Scotland my entire life. I’ve been on the hills for years, I must have had over 50 ticks on me in my lifetime with no ill effect. Maybe I have just been lucky.
None on me yet - but two found on the dogs in the last week (North Pennines) and not really on wild ground. I’m not sure what an and “good” year for ticks looks like but they obviously don’t mind constant rain. The dogs are off to the vets tomorrow anyway so will be topped up with tick treatment and I’m going to be more wary!
[Journal of Travel Medicine] “What is important for the tick is a high humidity of >85%. In addition, host questing is only possible at temperatures >7°C.”
So, with summers getting warmer and wetter in northern Europe, every year is a good year for ticks.
BTW: Questing is where the tick climbs up a blade of grass or other structure and then waits with its front legs outstretched.
I was on the Schöckl on Sunday for paragliding rather than SOTA. It was the Styria Cup Paragliding Comp, so I had to wait 2 hours for 125 pilots to launch. Foolishly, I lay down in the shade below take off. No ticks this time, but the next day I had about a dozen dark red bites on my hip. Possibly some sand fleas that I picked up while lying down. They were very similar to the bites I got last year in the Pyrenees, where I was quite shamefully ravaged. I’m never camping without a bug nest ever again.
73 de OE6FEG
Matt
Hmm, I was planning on leaving my gaiters home when flying over in June (Scotland, LD, Wales, Friedrichshafen) but I guess those and the DEET are now coming with me.
Having spent 10 years in HB9 I already had my FSME shots, but long overdue for a booster which has been done at great cost here. Feeling a lot better about that decision after reading this thread again. Doesn’t help with Lyme disease though… will add a tick removal tool.
The usual insect repellent container is an aerosol which airlines take a dim view of. Maybe buy your feet when on the ground? I’ve had containers with 125 mm of liquid confiscated even though not full.
I would bring gaiters for (parts of) wales and the highlands if you are tramping there. Not solely because of the ticks, but because of the peat bog, which I absolutely hate getting in my boots. It can be ok after a dry period but the peat bog can be pretty special in the highlands. The walk highlands website rates each walk with a ‘bog factor’
I personally don’t bother with DEET. SMIDGE and a head net are going to be far more crucial in the summer in the highlands
In peaty / moorland areas in the north of England too.
I’ve been walking up to SOTA summits in the Pennines on warm dry summer days and got a ‘bootie’ (boot full of water) when - not wearing gaiters - my foot went down a hole. Sometimes it’s because the hole is in permanent shade. But also, underground water in aquifers not only emerges at springs and surface streams but some of it in random places where you might be walking.
Jungle Formula is available in a pump bottle and a roll-on.
It contains DEET but my xyl reacts badly to insect bites so one (or both) of these go with us when travelling, because it works!
I used to go running across some small fields, one of which had tallish rushes in it that i knew had ticks in it. One day as an experiment I decided to see how many ticks would come onto my bare legs if I ran across the field with the intention of brushing them off on the far side.
After crossing the field I saw numerous ticks climbing/scuttling up my legs, much faster than I could imagine a small creature could manage. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I discovered they were difficult to brush off and had to make a real effort to do so. In total I remember brushing 27 ticks off.
Both myself and my dog regularly picked up ticks, although they never got swollen with blood on me, unlike our dog!!.
spots much more carefully away from tick habitat now.
Must get back to it soon.
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