[Closed] Tick - tastic hiking in north wales - be aware...

Seems to be worse year on year. when I was a kid it was fairly unheard of. Even going back 15 years we never got them Now I get them every time I go camping near enough. Last year Mrs TJ got about 15 in one day

There Welsh ticks and only bite Englishers 😆

Hi TJ,

that seems to be my experience - I do however go more places now than 15 years ago - but the last few years seems to have got worse esp having the dog - can be hills / forest or sand dunes and we get them and she is chemically treated... must be climate change or a change in treatments for sheep dips? I dunno...

paul

Surprised I managed 3 days walking and camping around Capel and Llyn Colwyd without getting any, especially friday morning walking through the bog below Moel Siabod. Plenty of midgies though 👿

Not really up on the whole tick thing!! What do the little ****ers look like?? Take it they're not fussy and chance their arm with kids too?? Thousands of midgies out today during a mammoth 5 hr cache hunt with the tribe!

The reason they are becoming more prevalent is because sheep do not get dipped any more due to nasty nature of dip and death of farmers. This kept the population quite low.

Most of the ones i get are in deer areas tho not sheep - or do the sheep pass them onto deer?

Goes to check legs. Clear.

Checks pooch- she's clear too. Brecon Beacons area.

No they feed on many livestock it's just most of us are out in areas where sheep are, prior to no dipping you would still get ticks, especially in the highlands. The dip process just kept the buggers down on your local fell or moor. Use tweezers to get out and some good antiseptic cream but there are some special kits available.

Interesting stuff about the sheep dip. My sister and I were dragged all over the west coast of Scotland as kids, when we were too young to appreciate it really. Ticks were a daily occurence and whilst I still hate the spidery little swines, I also treat them as part of the great outdoors.

Pretty sure their numbers in the highlands haven't changed in the great scheme of things. We took a holiday three years ago in Sutherland and enjoyed the attention of a few ticks every day - quick shower check gets most of them.

Dogs are a different matter - harder to see them in the thick fur. I often don't know mine has any until he goes off his food and hides!

Midges can just **** right off though (just back from a long weekend in Selkirk and they were vicious).

I remember reading somewhere that the bureaucrats in Brussels have also restricted the amount of bracken that is allowed to be burnt. Ticks thrive in the bracken so this has also allowed the numbers to swell.

What do the little ****ers look like??

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Trossachs are quite bad this year, but wouldn't say any worse than previous years. I had two on my stomach last week and the dog had one on her neck. Have had one on the dogs nose last year and also had the eye watering task of picking two out of my male parts 😀 Keep multiple tick removers in various pockets and in the car. Know the symptoms including physical rashes. They're common in areas of Scotland where there are Deer.

Fortunate enough to have never been bitten or even seen one. Don't know if it's just luck or they're just not prevalent in this neck of the woods? All these stories do make me feel a bit grossed out though!

I've picked between 2 and 5 off various parts of my body pretty much every weekend for the last month or two.

You just need to be aware, make sure you check yourself (or get your partner to) as soon as possible after being out and about.

I try keep a note of where I was when I was bitten, the location of the ticks and then keep and eye out for any symptoms.

If you're out and about in the Highlands (or anywhere else which is abundant with the little buggers), it's just a given that you'll end up being bitten from time to time.

The more you get bitten, the more aware but relaxed you become about it. Tick hunting is just as much a part of my showering routine at the weekend as washing myself is.

There's not much you can do about it in terms of prevention, other than not leaving the house.

If they get under your skin you will need to get the buggers out PDQ, and by out, I mean all of it, 100% out. See

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Lyme-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx

http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/

Lyme in the UK
How prevalent is Lyme disease in the UK?

The number of cases confirmed by blood testing in the UK has risen from 346 in 2003 to 1578 in 2009. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) acknowledges that confirmed cases do not necessarily reflect all the cases of the disease. HPA official estimates suggest there could be up to 3,000 new cases occurring in the UK every year. The true number of cases is not known, and may be higher still. Since full recovery may not take place in many cases, the total number of people affected is accumulating.

Who gets Lyme disease and Why?

In the United Kingdom, Lyme disease is carried by the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus. This tick can also feed on deer and other wild mammals and birds. The tick prefers to live in woods, heath and moorland, although it does not occur exclusively in these habitats. People who live or work in the parts of the country where the tick is prevalent are likely to be at greater risk. However, cases of the disease are widespread and it is possible that the full picture of tick distribution is not yet fully understood. Anyone can get Lyme disease if a tick that is carrying the infection has bitten them.

Do other diseases accompany Lyme disease?

Several other infections can sometimes be found in tick secretions. If these are also passed into the bloodstream, they too may establish and complicate the symptoms and outlook.

I went for a walk near Beddgelert on Monday, no ticks on me, but the doggy had several, huge ones too!

Midgies seems to be getting worse in Wales. Had no problem with tics in past couple of years.