I agree with everything DavyOwens has said above.
The vast majority of people know nothing about ticks and the associated dangers, and it never ceases to amaze me just how many "outdoorsy" types seem oblivious to them. And it isn't just people who go out into the country who are at risk as I read recently that tick counts in London's parks yielded quite alarming numbers. Livestock are treated for parasitic infestations, wild deer are not, and there is a definite, credible link between the numbers of ticks and deer populations, and the numbers of red deer on most Scottish estates is mind-boggling!
They say that tick numbers are increasing due to seasonal/climate change, which you may or may not believe to be true.... As you were!
The one thing I am aware of though, is that I have picked up ticks on numerous occasions in the last few years, whereas I can't say I remember more than one or two nymph stages prior to that, despite having stravaiged the Scottish hills for decades, camping, crashing through bracken or undergrowth, reclining in the most inadvisable places or leaving the tent in the buff to answer natures call during the night. In fact, bearing in mind the ambush tactics of ticks, positioning themselves on the end of a leaf or grass stalk, hooks at the ready, such natural urges probably constitute the time when you're most at risk, day or night.
What has changed over the past few years are my habits. The first thing I used to do when getting out of the car was to put my gaiters on and, being a Scottish hill-man, it was always spray with Jungle Formula, trousers in socks, shirt in trousers and long sleeves in defence of midges, ticks and the dreaded Cleg (although I have had a cleg bite straight through a shirt). I no longer set off on the epic journeys I used to take into the mountains of my youth, heading out for weeks on end and covering a ridiculous number of miles in a day but tend more to camp based activities and day forays into the hills. I also use bothies as a base more these days as opposed to having utilised them if they happened to be en-route at the end of the day, or as a refuge. These changes in my use of the country account for the change in my habits, but I also believe they explain the increased number of tick bites I've received in the last few years.
After a trip to the far west last weekend, I returned to find a tick behind my knee and another in my groin. I had something of a scare last year with a red blotch developing on my calf, followed by painful inflammation and swelling, so back to old habits for me from now on, out come the gaiters, trousers in socks, shirt in trousers!
I was of the assumption that the hard winter we've experienced would have taken its toll on the tick population, but after meeting a group of women kayaking from Loch Hourn to Lochailort, one of whom said she'd had 29 ticks so far, I'm no longer sure. Incidentally, the women were all wearing sandals!
Some thoughts;
Ticks show up on light coloured trousers, but not on dark!
Modern synthetic fabrics designed to be quick-drying tend not to allow ticks a hold and they can be brushed off easily!
I believe there is a lot in what Gregorach is saying, although nubuck hadn't occurred to me.
Don't wear sandals!
Try to be aware if your arms contact long grass, bracken, etc, and check immediately.
Check yourself over nightly when out in the field, and thoroughly when you get home.
And from...
http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ticks.htm
"Three of the diseases that can be caught from a tick bite in Britain are, Lyme borreliosis, Babesiosis and Ehrlichiosis. Globally, the list of diseases is much longer."
Although rare, a quick scan of the consequences of the above diseases makes perfectly clear why children must be protected against exposure.
And finally, the biggest tick I ever saw was in Bavaria, when I became aware of a thing 1/2 cm wide with a red stripe on its back crawling up the leg of my trousers. Ticks, in some areas of Europe, are reputed to carry Meningitis and Parvo Virus, among other goodies!
Another thought, Bush-man, the latest advice is that any distress caused to a tick whilst embedded will cause it to evacuate the contents of its stomach back into YOUR bloodstream, thus also any infection or virus it may be carrying. That includes burning, the use of alcohol, vaseline, salt, or applying any other substance to make the thing let go. The recommended method of removal is with a proprietory brand tick-puller.
"Don't distress the tick" sounds a bit too PC for my liking though, so just keep that delight for later!
