Oh, oh, oh!
- Thread starter Tengu
- Start date
You did it right when you found it, the fact that it was still attached means that it hadn't thrown up to release itself although it might have been there for more than 24 hours.Keep an eye out for any reddening around the site, and any other symptoms, did you keep the tick? If you did put it somewhere safe for a couple of weeks it might be useful if any symptoms occur. I think the chances of lymes disease are slim, but prevention is a lot easier than cure, don't be worrying about it, just be aware of it.
PS The best person to speak to is probably a ranger type person in the area you were in, they will know more about the local risk.
PS The best person to speak to is probably a ranger type person in the area you were in, they will know more about the local risk.
Yes, you should check yourself every several hours in the bush and strip down as soon as you get home.
There's been quite a bit of talk of ticks recently here.
Parden my ignorance but what are the real dangers associated with ticks and, realistically, how likely is it that I would find some on me after 36 hours in broadleaf woodland, including a night spent sleeping on the ground?
Maybe I haven't been checking properly, or maybe I'm just lucky, but I've never noticed any on me before.
Parden my ignorance but what are the real dangers associated with ticks and, realistically, how likely is it that I would find some on me after 36 hours in broadleaf woodland, including a night spent sleeping on the ground?
Maybe I haven't been checking properly, or maybe I'm just lucky, but I've never noticed any on me before.
The problem with the ticks isn't an infestation issue, they can pass on Lymes disease http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease . The chances of getting a tick on you and the odds of any tick carrying disease will vary from area to area. I beleive Lyme disease is pretty rare, but prevention is better than cure and the best form of prevention is being aware and checking for and removing ticks. I have never(knowingly) been bitten by a tick but my youngest who is now seven has had two, both of them behind his ear and they both brushed off. Dogs will pick up ticks a lot more often than us and can get lyme disease( I think) and vets are the best source for tick removal tools.
I don't lose sleep about Lyme disease, but I do keep an eye open for ticks as it is so easy to prevent.
Lyme disease is more likely to be passed on when the tick has finished feeding and vomits a fluid to dissolve skin, as a tick will feed for twenty four hours or more you can really cut the chances of getting lyme disease by simple checking.
I don't lose sleep about Lyme disease, but I do keep an eye open for ticks as it is so easy to prevent.
Lyme disease is more likely to be passed on when the tick has finished feeding and vomits a fluid to dissolve skin, as a tick will feed for twenty four hours or more you can really cut the chances of getting lyme disease by simple checking.
So how would they be transmitted to a person? Are they airborn? Do they live in particular foliage? Does contact with animals increase risk?
I understand what ticks are and how they feed but they're not something I've ever associated with camping in British woodland.
I understand what ticks are and how they feed but they're not something I've ever associated with camping in British woodland.
Ticks move from host to host in various stages of their life. In particular where there are sheep and deer, they arent airborne( I beleive) but transfer to a new host by waiting on any foliage, grass, heather etc until a new host comes along and brushes past then they will crawl to somewhere on the body to commence feeding. So direct contact with an animal isn't necessary. Any area where mammals pass through,tracks etc, can be "hotspots".
From what I've gathered the ticks are infected with a number of nasties which they might
vomit into you if they feel like. A bit like mosquitoes passing on the malarial
parasite I believe.
The ticks themselves 'quest' by lurking on long grass and other foliage and wait patiently
for some warm-blooded victim to wander past - they will then hitch a ride and crawl
around until they find a nice spot to dine.
It's not just Lyme disease (Borreliosis) but there are a number of other "things that can get
you" - although it is pretty unlikely. The chances of being bitten by a tick appear to be
reduced by wearing long sleeves / tucking trousers into socks, that sort of thing. The
chances of being infected with anything (and not all ticks are carrying anything) are also
reduced by checking regularly - some sites say once every day, some say more often -
for ticks and removing them.
People here have recommended the O'tom tick remover which you can get from
http://www.bada-uk.org/index.html
which is a great site that will tell you far more than you ever wanted to know about ticks.
Ticks are easy to miss when they first attach - they're not terribly large by the looks of
things - but they soon get a lot bigger once they start their meal. The goal appears to be
to get them off before they get much bigger (the longer they are on the greater the
potential risk of them transferring the nasties) and you might not manage this with just
a visual inspection.
I have also seen mention of using DEET stuff to prevent bites.
I'm afraid I don't know much about how they relate to human-animal interactions - it's all
a bit new to me and I'm regurgitating information rather than actually having my own
independent knowledge of it. There are a few threads here that are definitely worth
reading.
If you feel inclined, you could keep hold of any tick you find in a container labelled with the
date on which you find it - although I think I'd probaby want to burn it myself hehe. I think
the idea behind this is in case you feel unwell afterwards and the tick might 'help with
enquiries' - from what I read at the BADA site, getting a diagnosis isn't straightforward.
vomit into you if they feel like. A bit like mosquitoes passing on the malarial
parasite I believe.
The ticks themselves 'quest' by lurking on long grass and other foliage and wait patiently
for some warm-blooded victim to wander past - they will then hitch a ride and crawl
around until they find a nice spot to dine.
It's not just Lyme disease (Borreliosis) but there are a number of other "things that can get
you" - although it is pretty unlikely. The chances of being bitten by a tick appear to be
reduced by wearing long sleeves / tucking trousers into socks, that sort of thing. The
chances of being infected with anything (and not all ticks are carrying anything) are also
reduced by checking regularly - some sites say once every day, some say more often -
for ticks and removing them.
People here have recommended the O'tom tick remover which you can get from
http://www.bada-uk.org/index.html
which is a great site that will tell you far more than you ever wanted to know about ticks.
Ticks are easy to miss when they first attach - they're not terribly large by the looks of
things - but they soon get a lot bigger once they start their meal. The goal appears to be
to get them off before they get much bigger (the longer they are on the greater the
potential risk of them transferring the nasties) and you might not manage this with just
a visual inspection.
I have also seen mention of using DEET stuff to prevent bites.
I'm afraid I don't know much about how they relate to human-animal interactions - it's all
a bit new to me and I'm regurgitating information rather than actually having my own
independent knowledge of it. There are a few threads here that are definitely worth
reading.
If you feel inclined, you could keep hold of any tick you find in a container labelled with the
date on which you find it - although I think I'd probaby want to burn it myself hehe. I think
the idea behind this is in case you feel unwell afterwards and the tick might 'help with
enquiries' - from what I read at the BADA site, getting a diagnosis isn't straightforward.
So how would they be transmitted to a person?
Ticks climb vegetation and attach climb on to passing hosts that brush against the vegitation.
Are they airborn?
No, but google deer keds for that nightmare, fortunately the don't feed of humans, but they are so annoying.
Do they live in particular foliage?
Bracken, grass, heather, trees, whatever is there. As andy says mammal tracks are hotspots. Even worse are places where deer or sheep rest up. Roe deer often rest in long vegitation by cliffs as that means a shelterd spot. As a climber I can testify that I've been attacked by hundreds of ticks in a period of an hour in such conditions.
Good news, the ticks that are hardest to spot, (stage one) are tiny, but unlikely to be carrying disease, having never fed from an infected host. The larger stage two and three ticks are much more likely to be infectious, but given proper grooming are easy to find before they attach.
Ticks climb vegetation and attach climb on to passing hosts that brush against the vegitation.
Are they airborn?
No, but google deer keds for that nightmare, fortunately the don't feed of humans, but they are so annoying.
Do they live in particular foliage?
Bracken, grass, heather, trees, whatever is there. As andy says mammal tracks are hotspots. Even worse are places where deer or sheep rest up. Roe deer often rest in long vegitation by cliffs as that means a shelterd spot. As a climber I can testify that I've been attacked by hundreds of ticks in a period of an hour in such conditions.
Good news, the ticks that are hardest to spot, (stage one) are tiny, but unlikely to be carrying disease, having never fed from an infected host. The larger stage two and three ticks are much more likely to be infectious, but given proper grooming are easy to find before they attach.
Interesting thread this as I've never come across a tick, tho I was warned to look out for them when i was doing some logging work in a local wood.
I seem to remember reading that if you have garlic in your system ticks will crawl away and drop off you, the quote went something along the lines of. . "I placed a tick on my arm and it crawled away without even trying to feed", is their any truth in this?
Kev
I seem to remember reading that if you have garlic in your system ticks will crawl away and drop off you, the quote went something along the lines of. . "I placed a tick on my arm and it crawled away without even trying to feed", is their any truth in this?
Kev
Ticks will wander across you for 24 hours before attaching. The garlic thing is possible but don't count on it, and don't rely on DEET. Check your body check your partners and get them to check yours. Oh! make sure you check your genitals, they're looking for places with high blood flow.
bambodoggy
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I got a tick on me last year in Sweden, it walked up my 100% DEET sprayed arm, gave me a look as if to say "Is DEET the best you can do?", and then dived in for a meal.... I no longer wear DEET, it just seems pointless! lol
I had a couple this year in Sweden too....they're no biggy, just check your body daily as you should do in the bush anyway during ablutions and remove any that are on.
If you start to feel pretty unwell in the following days then go see a doctor and mention you've had a tick bite.
Cheers,
Bam.
(Ps. eat at least two whole bulbs of garlic that week and they didn't seem bothered by that either lol)
I had a couple this year in Sweden too....they're no biggy, just check your body daily as you should do in the bush anyway during ablutions and remove any that are on.
If you start to feel pretty unwell in the following days then go see a doctor and mention you've had a tick bite.
Cheers,
Bam.
(Ps. eat at least two whole bulbs of garlic that week and they didn't seem bothered by that either lol)
Spent 18 months in Spain where we would pick ticks off the dogs in handfulls everyday (eventhough the dogs had been treated with stuff to stop the ticks) but not once did I or anyone I know get one attach itself to us. I put it down the the large amounts of garlic (and alcohol) in my system ... I didn't suffer from mossie bites either whereas people that had just arrived did!
How long is a piece of string?
I've walked through bracken taller than me with bare arms, short socks, no insect repellant, in woodland very near the New Forest, and only found one tick on me which hadn't even dug itself in.
I've had on 100% DEET and lain down on a village green for ten minutes, then got up to find an armful of them attached and feeding.
There's no real answer.
Well, whenever I find a attached tick to me, once I've removed it, I mark the date on the calendar.
This is because if I feel/see any symptoms within about 2-3 weeks (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_have_died_of_Lyme_disease), I should be able to look back at the calendar and tell that I have had a tick bite within that period. Helps with diagnosis.
PS. From the title of the thread, I thought this was going to be a 'When Harry Met Sally' thing. Slightly disappointed...
This is because if I feel/see any symptoms within about 2-3 weeks (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_have_died_of_Lyme_disease), I should be able to look back at the calendar and tell that I have had a tick bite within that period. Helps with diagnosis.
PS. From the title of the thread, I thought this was going to be a 'When Harry Met Sally' thing. Slightly disappointed...
I arrived at the Woodsmoke camp on Friday night at seven o'clock and was fairly
sure I could feel myself being bitten around 10 o'clock - sure enough when I checked
later at about half eleven I had a fairly small one attached, and another one crawling.
(I've kept them - dead - in a little bag )
sure I could feel myself being bitten around 10 o'clock - sure enough when I checked
later at about half eleven I had a fairly small one attached, and another one crawling.
(I've kept them - dead - in a little bag
)
Aaaarggh! Not the deer keds! Man, they really are annoying - especially if you stumble into a popular deer resting spot that's absolutely infested with them. Horrible!
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