ticks story on that there homepage

in all my years of riding, I’ve never had the misfortune of one. Are they that common? Or have I just been incredibly lucky?

It depends where you live, how wide your trails are and how big the local deer population is. Riding round Surrey where there are a lot of deer I’ve had five ticks in the last four years and that’s with applying repellant on every summer ride.

i think its also personal, i very rarely get ‘ticked’, others I ride with seem to get them all the time.

Got my first last week while walking on Exmoor. Bit on to the back of my leg. Freaked me out a bit. Take them off the dog all the time so that wasn’t a problem. Though have an OCD like checking habit now for any rash around the bite site.

Getting more common I think. Year on year I seem to be picking more off my dog.

According to all the ‘common areas’ cited I live bang in Tick Central – hence my addition to the comments 🙁

Definitely more around, possibly due to climate being a little warmer/wetter?

i think certainly in rural Scotland they are more common as they have stopped dipping sheep and the flocks don’t appear to be on the hills as they used to be (experience limited to one very small area so may not be of general application.)

I have had one attach itself to me in the lakes about 10 years ago. It died after ingesting my blood. Never had any since.

Yeah I’ve had a few after riding or walking in Scotland.

One particularly memorable one I didn’t spot on my thigh till I was sat taking a dump at work on a Monday.

I (stupidly) just pinged it as hard as I could and its engorged body splattered against the cubicle door like a scarlet paintball.

Then I had to spend ages picking the remains of it out my leg with a hastily acquired paper clip and staple. Very sanitary.

I pick them up constantly in the highlands/islands.

I found 13 on one occasion after having been climbing, despite taking more precautions than usual.

Never had one riding where I’ve lived in the UK, although picked one up in the Lakes and Exmoor. As mentioned, thought it was primarily down to the local deer population? Sheep are everywhere I ride and don’t seem to promote ticks in anything like the same way.

Rode in Pennsylvania for a couple of years and the ticks were everywhere – they’d rain down from the trees on you. Lyme was endemic – had one dug in for 24 hr + but nothing came of it (had a dose of antibiotics IIRC).

No ticks but I had a leech climb up my leg in Australia. I felt it due to my leg hair and flicked it off.
It landed on the side of my tyre and was still there at the bottom of a very long downhill. Bet he felt a bit green at the bottom.
Do hairy legs give tics more purchase?

never found one despite living and riding in the Appalachians in the US in the late 90’s where Lyme disease is endemic and they are paranoid so being tick-aware since then.

A triathlete friend recently got bitten “by something” and FB’ed a picture of a bullseye rash, she had NO idea what the significance was and neither did her friends commenting on it until we phoned her and told her to get to the GP sharpish. Had a big course of antibiotics and doesn’t seem to have suffered any ill effects (so far).

i’ve had suspected lyme disease from ticks. it’s rough, they are rough, I hate them with a passion you can only dream off

Never found one. Either a) I don’t push my bike enough, b) they don’t like me or c) I am crap at finding them.

Worried now…

I didn’t used to get them (riding in and around Edinburgh, Peatlands, Glentress mostly – plus *a lot* of hill walking in past times).

Moved to N Scotland, more forestry, more rural – check and usually get at least one or two most rides — thankfully seems to be the nymph type mostly, and am very aware of checking regularly.

Had my fist of the year in Noth Devon I check every 30mins now. Bloody hate them

Edit only when walking or riding not every 30mins of the day ;\

Only had the one, I do check after every ride and run. Move to a new area means I’ll be checking a bit more than normal this summer.

I’ve had 3 in the last couple of years. 2 picked up in the Lakes and one on the North York Moors.

The most recent was couple of weeks ago. Felt bloody awful despite getting it all out with tick twister, popped to Doc for blood test and course of Antibiotics. Getting far more common I think.

Had loads including one in the navel. Which was nice.

I’ve had a few that I pulled out with tweezers.
This seems interesting though.

I’ve only ever had the one, but it had climbed all the way up my leg and attached itself right next to my left testicle. A very delicate removal operation followed using a cigar lighter and some tweezers. Thankfully no sign of a rash. Don’t much like ticks!

I used to get them on practically every outing in the Quantocks until I started using Autan, I very rarely get them now.

The sensible thing is to cover up, needless to say I don’t.

This seems interesting though.

So the aim is to make them dizzy…?

I’ve never had any myself.

Ended up with two attached last week in the northwest highlands when out and about camping/climbing.

Have had quite a few when out riding and walking in the past. Normally pretty good at catching them early and getting shot of them with a ‘tick twister’.

One of them looked like it’d had a pretty good feed though, so will definitely be keeping an eye on the bite site. It’s a little scary that 1 in 3 people don’t get the visible ‘bullseye’ rash when infected with Lyme disease though. 😐

A very delicate removal operation followed using a cigar lighter and some tweezers.

Apparently this is not a very good idea as it can cause them to spew whatever stuff they have inside into your bloodstream when you burn them.

I do a lot of work with school groups. Years ago this was never an issue. Then it started getting mentioned, up on the risk assessments and covered in briefings. Now most trips out we have at least one kid with them on them. Anecdotally about 1 in 30 kids in the lakes at the moment.

I’ve had a tick card and lasso for a few years now. Something cheap for the backpack first aid kits.

Dog seems to get them almost every day. I get maybe 1-2 a year. Going for vaccination against encephalitis tomorrow – but there’s plenty of other diseases they can carry.

iirc the numbers have increased steadily since compulsivity sheep dipping ended.

got one on me doggie within 5 minutes of getting to the Bds at Bala this weekend gone, never seen one before then, they both got stung quite badly by a swarm of wasps too, anyways, half of a piriton each and a couple of hours sleep and the were both brand new.
needless to say my socks were tucked into me kex the whole weekend, I might of looked like the village idiot but no ticks on me 🙂 Lol

I’ve never had a tick (AFAIK – but then I’d know wouldn’t I?) despite going places where other people I know have got loads. Unfortunately the midges still seem to like me.

Also a regular tick-magnet and had the antibiotics last autumn after a suspected Lymes incident. Get a Tick Card or Twister and learn how to use it!

I’ve had 8-9 this year so far riding the wilds of Scotland, just yank them out with tweezers or my nails.

Creepy wee things that just won’t die when you crush them!

I’ve had ticks from hiking (even when covered up). But even though I do a lot of riding on the South Downs I’ve never had one from biking – and I can’t see how they would attach at the speeds riders go. Do they latch on during cake breaks??

Got them pretty much every ride or outing growing up in the Highlands, undetected Lyme is a real problem up there especially amongst farmers. Get them less often down here but had a classic Lyme bullseye after a ride at glentress a couple of years ago and was given antibiotics as a precaution. A friend has had a confirmed case from a tick at glentress too.

Wherever there are deer there are ticks and milder wetter weather favours their numbers I think.

Got one on my old chap once. Mrs Beaker was amused and disgusted in equal measure. God knows how though as I had cycling shorts on with tight leg grippers.

My son picked one up walking the Gruffalo trail at Dalby.
I’ve never had one in hundreds of laps.

I’ve had the bullseye, two courses of serious antibiotics and one occasion where my wife took over 13 of them off me including one right next to my eye. This was after riding a trail near Oykel Bridge that was better described as a very long bush.

I got one at swinley a fortnight ago

My wife got one next to her eye last year. Ended up in hospital for 72 hrs with an acute infection a week later. It’s not just Lyme you have to watch out for. Nasty things.

O’tom tick hook. Use it at work to remove them off cats and dogs all the time.

Sent some up to my friends on the Black Isle whose boys seemed to be tick magnets.