Tick Madness!

[makinganavalon]

Is it me or is anyone else seeing a huge increase in ticks this year??
I live in the Highlands so I know it's part of life but I've been shocked, as places I've been to for years and never seen one at this year I've gone and come back with a large amount on my clothing!!
Anyone else? Any advice?

Anywhere that has a deer population will be tick infested, and in cornwall we seem to have a massively increased deer problem recently.

yes, there is a technique for getting rid of them - basically you don’t want to squash the bodies as they are attached by the mouth and you run the risk of squashing their insides into you along with the bacterial infection Lyme Disease which they carry. A tick remover looks a bit like tweezers but goes under the body/around the mouth parts and squeezes from there to remove to avoid this.

Less deer were culled during lockdown which has caused a huge increase, the woodland I walk in are full of deer so full of ticks 😬

I was treated for Lymes 4 years ago after being bitten behind the knee, I was unwell for most of the year and was on antibiotics for a few months (which probably stopped me being really unwell), I now check myself over after going for a walk and manage to get them early before they start sucking my blood.

I read somewhere that putting your saliva on them makes them pull out themselves, then you can get rid of them.

That makes sense lovemusic- I never thought of that, less culling.
Glad you have recovered- it's one of my biggest fears- so will just have to be vigilant this year

This is making my skin crawl. I'm off to buy a tick remover now, just in case

We’re Highland and there’s been some on the dogs clinging on for dear life even although we use NexGuard. The deer have tick necklaces.

I’m in Cornwall and never knew this was a regular thing for people!! Dogs yes but did not know it could happen to people so easily. I’ve massively given myself the heebie jeebies; just the thought of trying to pull a tick out (made the mistake of looking on Google images) turned my stomach to near retching 🤢

@Doghairismyglitter I’m west Devon, there are ticks everywhere round here, particularly on the moors. I’ve got a technique down for removing them now and actually quite enjoy in an awful way 😬

Yes. I have removed two in two days, usually it's two in 3-6 months.

Does removing them not hurt? How do you know if you have one?

You need to twist gently as you pull, they will naturally release their nasty little claws. Just pulling risks ripping them apart and leaving part inside.

Always check that you have their legs too, they will be waving them about.

To the poster who asked if they hurt coming out - mine did, and I have seen the dogs flinch if it’s a particularly stubborn one.
In the East Highlands , and it’s definitely the little red ‘deer’ ticks that we are finding right now. Not noticed any sheep ticks ( look like beans).

I had one on my dog last month, never seen one before. I’m going to order a tick remover to be on the safe side, this thread has freaked me out!

I had Lyme a few years ago (highlands hot spot) - picked it up in December ffs and the fucker was only on me for an hour.

I saw such an explosion of ticks, I actually moved house to a relatively tick-free area last year because my enjoyment of the outdoors was being curtailed.

and yes, definitely a correlation between this tick-hell and the cessation of dipping!

Horrible little buggers. They were really bad last year here in South Wales, but so far this year they're just... bad!
I'm out dog walking in tick territory every day, and I give the dog stuff in his food which repels them. Only ever had one on me though... I'm not very tasty.

To make your own tick repellent:
Spray bottle
Small amount of alcohol . Vodka or liquid hand sanitiser spray will do.
water, boiled and cooled.
Rose Geranium oil. ( not Rose, not geranium, must be Rose Geranium. Available on EBay)
Put alcohol and water into spray bottle. Add 20 drops of Rose Geranium oil, more if a large bottle.
Shake and spray on clothes, ok to use on skin but test on small patch first.
Can be sprayed on dogs but NOT cats.

I’ve started using a preventative tick treason my dog this year which I don’t usually do because there seems to be so many about.

I actually quite enjoy pulling them, they make a satisfying "click" when they come out. If you get them out properly they will still be alive and crawling around.

My dog had one on her head a week or so ago which I removed (my dh usually does it) and I was surprised it made a click sound! I was a bit worried I didn't get it all but it was waving its legs around on the tissue paper before I flushed it down the loo, so I was sure I did. She does however have a hard lump where it was but on further research this is a common thing, called a granuloma and is a reaction to the ticks saliva. The only time to worry about a lump is if it gets bigger as that can mean infection. I started to worry that the lump was due to me leaving a bit behind but I can see now that's not the case.

Thankyou Sapphire- this looks really good especially for protection for clothes on top- as I don't want to spray everything with pemethrin