Probably little, because the ticks also sit further up in the bush and drop on the victim.
Fortunately, I am not the favorite target of ticks. But there are people (I know it mainly from women) who almost always have a tick when they come home from hiking.
An acquaintance with whom I was once on a biological excursion (we were looking for butterfly eggs) , knows about her problem. Her method (besides vaccinating, which unfortunately does not help against Lyme disease - and a spray) is to close all access points to clothing. She wears the socks over the pants and has also sealed the sleeves and neck… also she wore a silk balaclava. She really looked very weird and able to scare people. It was a warm summer day and I was in shorts.
When we came out of the bush, we checked each other for ticks. ( This is very important, especially with children) - I had none. She had 3 on her clothes.
In the evening she called me and told me that she found another one while showering.
Since a friend is seriously ill with Lyme disease, I think everything is good that helps just a little against ticks. But this product alone will not help!
I’ve occasionally had ticks on my legs from walking through heather or long grass, except for one time when I was cycling through really long bracken [ferns] and picked one up on my arm.
I very rarely wear shorts on the hills in summer unless I know in advance the levels of vegetation.
When we came out of the bush, we checked each other for ticks. (
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I’ve had ticks, under my arms, on my inner elbows, back of my knees, but what really concerns me about your “mutal examination”, is that I often have them around my errrrrr? Wobbly bits, the groin area - testicles etc., Are you sure you did a thorough examination?
I think others have pointed out the shortfalls of this. Any tick higher than your sticky bands is safe.
When I lived in Eire, where ticks were common place, I got curious as to how ticks got onto your legs and how they managed to creep up your legs etc., So… I used to run/jog through a small meadow which had lots of rank grass and rushes in it and I often picked ticks up… I decided one damp day to run that way in shorts… Arriving on the other side of the meadow I discovered I had numerous ticks running/scrambling up my legs.
To my surprise they were very agile, quick and had a good grip. It was harder than I thought to brush them off as they had a stong grip. Eventually I managed to remove 26 off my legs before I continued my run.
In about 40 activations I managed to collect 3 ticks in the Black Forrest. This was in an area where you would seldom meet people. As a consequence there are more wild animals there. You always would be able to hear something moving in the bushes…
You do not need to get lime disease… already a “simple” infection can get you to hospital … the usual treatment consists in strong antibiotics e,g, Clyndamicin with all the known sideeffects.
So any hints to avoid this are welcome!
In summer I use an Antitick Spray… but I do not know how effective it is…
Yes, ticks are indeed very common in EI. I tend to wear gaiters year round for tick protection as much as keeping my legs dry, and I still pick up an occasional one. One of these tick removal tools is a handy thing to keep in your wallet.