For some reason I don't seem to get bitten by things. I've no idea why but I've never had a tick bite, or flea bite, and have yet to have a mosquito bite despite being on honeymoon in Italy with my wife when she got around 30 bites, and a similar thing happened in Greece as well (twice). I'm sure my days are numbered but so far nothing.
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I'm prone to picking up ticks and have been literally covered in them (in all sorts of places:w00t: ) when camping on Harris and having a pee in a place where red deer turned out to sleep each night. Some were minuscule and scratched off easily and some were the size of small pieces of sweetcorn and had to be carefully twisted in order to remove them whole. I've mainly picked ticks up in Scotland but have also found a couple on my ankles after doing some of the North York Moors fell races in summer. I'll try and keep a record for you from now.
'The birds are the keepers of our secrets'
Fortunately I've never had one either. I'm guessing this is just down to chance though and not to do with being "un-tasty" !
Usually get at least 2 when orienteering in Lake District- the higher the bracken the worse the ticks.
Got 2 yesterday from Stickle Pike - but I did spend some time rolling on the floor having badly sprained my ankle
Interested to know if the anti-bacterial gel is available in UK
My daughter got one on her chest whilst watching coledale horseshoe few weeks ago - it was tiny and we managed to get it off in one piece. It was still alive when we removed it but then we squashed it (sorry!) No idea how she got it because she was well wrapped up! It hasnt left a mark and she hasnt had a reaction to it.
While walking in Madeira through thick undergrowth, my friend got 3 ticks which quickly buried themselves in his skin and we couldn't get them out. He had to have them surgically renoved in hospital, and was given antibiotic cover. I got away scot free on that occasion, but was covered in nymphs when falling in Lyme Park ( Does that mean I'll get Lyme Disease) on the moor that is used as a shortcut in the Boars Head race. These were easy to flick off. I also found an adult Tick on my arm a couple of days after returning from Rum (an island noted for ticks) after falling in long grass on the coastal path. I was surprised that after two days, I was able to remove it whole with fine forceps.
I did get into ticks a couple of years ago. They bury themselves into the ground to over winter and reappear when the temperature hits about 5ºC. To moult and progress from juvenile to nymph or nymph to adult they require a blood feed and also so the adult can produce eggs (lots of protein). When they require a feed they climb plants or foliage and cling to any passing mammal or bird, working their way to the body surface. If you catch one 'in transit' you can brush it off but be wary that it hasn't attached to feed. They are prone to desiccation so they tend to be found in long grass or leaf litter where its damp and dark, hence when they feed they will head for the groin or armpit (be warned!)
My own anecdotal evidence from the Clwydian range was that dogs would be most likely to pick them up and interestingly, cyclists. I got the feeling that when you're running it's easier to avoid overhanging vegetation but cyclists tend to brush along through it. I'd never heard of anyone getting Lyme disease but was told of a dog being quite ill after a bite but nothing was proven!
There are a couple of websites that may be of interest to you:
The national biodiversity gateway, that has information on all the recorded flora and fauna over the UK. It depends on the research being provided for your area for ticks or whatever your particular interest is but you may find records of tick species there.
http://www.nbn.org.uk/
And also the Health Protection Agency which gives all the latest figures for reported cases of Lyme disease.
http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/Infecti...iologicalData/
Not all cases may have been reported but it gives an idea of the scale of the problem.
lots of stuff here on ticksOriginally Posted by Mike R
Might be worth a mod putting the two together for completeness
http://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/showt...ticks%2C+lymes
I know of at least 2 confirmed cases of Lymes in the peak and a possible third in the last few years
My latest tick was on my stomach and I am pretty sure I picked it up when I sat down to admire the view after running up Lords Crag from Rydal the other week. It was small and I removed it with my nails. It was still alive so I chucked it out the bathroom window.
'The birds are the keepers of our secrets'
Keep the posts coming as it's really helpful to get an overview of distribution and timings - thanks.
I did the LAMM this w/e and only picked up 4 ticks (that I've found so far). I'm quite surprised how few considering the amount of vegetation we trampled through (I was wearing shorts - too hot, for me, for leggings).
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