Ticks!!
- Thread starter Dogoak
- Start date
Will the relatively hard winter not have reduced numbers considerably? No reason to be complacent I realise, but was wondering?
Last winter was particularly hard but as far as I could tell there wasn't much difference in numbers, unfortunately. They are protected very well from harsh conditions by their diapause. I believe it only alters their development cycle as opposed to stopping it, dead.
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My sister-in-law is a nurse and said last autumn there was a 100% rise in people seeking treatment for tick bites. So the previous winter's cold spell didn't seem to affect them much. The nasty little buggers are everywhere and Lyme disease is present in some central London Parks including Regents Park as well as the more obvious countryside locations. One city park worker caught Lyme disease after a tick bite on his first day at work. I've read a couple of anecdotal reports that the nymphs can be blown about by the wind. So, after avoiding them all day, the revolting little sods can parachute into your camp while you're asleep. They give me the creeps.
Mosi-guard, signal mirror, small camp mirror (for checking behind ears) and O'tom remover packed.:yikes::aargh4:
Will be adding some precision tweezer to my kit... However, this has me thinking. It's good to remove them as you find them, so what if you don't have your tweezers to hand/you forgot them... How could you remove them?
a couple of whittled cocktail sticks and a mastery of chopsticks? I don't think that is a feasbile answer, so what is and effective way of removing them in the field, without your kit to hand?
a couple of whittled cocktail sticks and a mastery of chopsticks? I don't think that is a feasbile answer, so what is and effective way of removing them in the field, without your kit to hand?
You can just pull them out with your fingernails if you have to. The risk is reinjecting the tick's contents into your blood stream. I use the tick tool:
This grabs it around the head and thorax and minimises pressure on the blood filled abdomen. Recommended piece of kit.
This grabs it around the head and thorax and minimises pressure on the blood filled abdomen. Recommended piece of kit.
Never had a tick bite yet, but was wondering if someone could teel me if all tick bites have the chance to cause Lyme Disease or is it only ones that carry it? Also does it transfer as soon as it bites and should you go to a doc regardless to get checked if you have the symptoms?
This link has probably been posted before but lots of useful info.......................
http://www.bada-uk.org/
http://www.bada-uk.org/
i'm surprised.
theres enough ticks round your way to fill a skip.
thin knife blade or longish finger nail under the abdomen, push the head towards the abdomen with the tip of your thumb, then twist and pull.
if you get a red circular mark around bite (approx 2 inches) within 2 weeks, go see you dr.
OR YOU WILL DIE MUWHAHA!!!
The tick has to be carrying the Lyme to give it to you - but Lyme is pretty much endemic now in the UK. The real risk from Lyme is missing the symptoms. In the long term it can cause all sorts of neurological problems which can be mistaken for mental health issues. The key is to get the tick out quickly and cleanly with minimal squeezing - hence the tick tool recommendation.
Classic symptom is an inflamed tick bite with a target lesion around it:
The rash isn't always as well defined as that - basically, if in doubt have it checked out. Clinicians are getting better at testing for Lyme, and treatment is relatively straightforward.
Classic symptom is an inflamed tick bite with a target lesion around it:
The rash isn't always as well defined as that - basically, if in doubt have it checked out. Clinicians are getting better at testing for Lyme, and treatment is relatively straightforward.
http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/care-plus-tick-test-kit-4380-p.asp
I had this link sent to me by The Bushcraft Store in a newsletter. If you want extra reassurance.
Im surprised as well, I only became aware about how bad ticks can be when I arrived on this forum. Never thought about it before then.
Might get one of those tools that Ronnie showed.
Is that your final diagnosis for my death?
Bodge - interesting bit of kit. Has anyone here tried it out?
Might get one of those tools that Ronnie showed.
Is that your final diagnosis for my death?
Bodge - interesting bit of kit. Has anyone here tried it out?
The aussie ticks are nothing. They are huge, but don't seem much interested in biting 'umans. In 20 years of running around the bush barefoot in shorts, I never once got a tick on me.
My stepdaughter had lyme disease as a toddler - tick carried in on a cat. Luckily Mum had read about Lyme disease the week before (in a walking mag), spotted the rash, and persuaded doc to administer mega-strength antibiotics like they use in the US.
My stepdaughter had lyme disease as a toddler - tick carried in on a cat. Luckily Mum had read about Lyme disease the week before (in a walking mag), spotted the rash, and persuaded doc to administer mega-strength antibiotics like they use in the US.
