Tick-borne encephalitis in UK

[MikeOxon]

According to the BBC - see https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-50206382 - Public Health England (PHE) says it has confirmed cases of tick-borne encephalitis virus in ticks from two parts of England - Thetford Forest and an area on the Hampshire-Dorset border. PHE says the risk to people is still "very low".

Another good reason to take care when butterflying in tick-infested areas.

Mike

[David M]

Can never be too careful when it comes to ticks, Mike.

I'm constantly on the alert during my travels and have found several using me as a host over the years.

Nasty little blighters. Apparently, keeping chickens helps eradicate them!

https://www.wideopenpets.com/tick-contr ... ck-patrol/

[Lee Hurrell]

Until this week, I have never been troubled by ticks. Even I am surprised by this, given the amount of time I spend in the field.

However, in a spectacular jinx on myself, after relaying the above to a local butterfly colleague a couple of days ago, I have had one bite and removed three ticks from my jeans only last night.

What do members recommend for tick repellent? I'm aware of DEET based products but I am wary of causing harm to leps.

Thanks,

Lee

[David M]

Until this week, I have never been troubled by ticks. Even I am surprised by this, given the amount of time I spend in the field.

However, in a spectacular jinx on myself, after relaying the above to a local butterfly colleague a couple of days ago, I have had one bite and removed three ticks from my jeans only last night.

What do members recommend for tick repellent? I'm aware of DEET based products but I am wary of causing harm to leps.

Sorry to hear you've been targeted by these little parasites, Lee. Yes, DEET is supposed to be effective but I only ever spray it around my waistband and my ankles. Butterflies often alight on human bodies (particularly in Europe) and the last thing I want is for them to be probing a poisonous substance with their probosces.

[Chris L]

This was something that I had been meaning to ask about but never got round to it. I hadn't given it a second thought until I read Patrick Barkham reference in his book about his suffering with a tick bite. I usually go out in shorts. Should I not do that or only do that with the aforementioned repellant?

[David M]

Shorts are okay in a short sward, Otep, but any location with scrub/brambles, etc should be treated with caution.

Insect repellant should really only be used if you are venturing somewhere where biting flies are a known feature. Far better to cover your body instead, which is usually a good option in the UK where temperatures are rarely oppressive.

[Lee Hurrell]

Thanks, David.

My DEET arrives tomorrow, hopefully!

Otep - you are a brave man; I never venture out in shorts, either in the UK or the 30 degrees plus temperatures in Europe, for that very reason.

Best wishes,

Lee

[Chris L]

Thank you for your responses David and Lee. I think I shall make a purchase of this and keep the shorts. As an aside by wearing shorts my ankles and lower legs are absolutely ripped to shreds with a network of bramble scratches. There is something to be said for wearing long trousers.

[Padfield]

I have had literally hundreds, if not thousands, of ticks feed on me over the last 20 years. They are abundant in the sallow thickets where I used to study purple emperor caterpillars until I moved to the UK. Plus, I sleep with my dogs (now Minnie, previously Asha) and they used to pick up several to dozens of ticks a day. In my opinion the most important thing is to have a good tick remover tool with you at all times, so as soon as you notice you have a passenger you can take it off safely. I have a metal tick tweezer I've used since I first adopted Asha - I don't like the plasticky ones. For Lyme disease, it is important to remove the tick within 36 hours - preferably within 24 hours. Despite all my precautions, I have on at least one occasion been infected with Lyme disease. I had the distinctive erythema migrans - a daily expanding, red rash centred on the location of the tick bite. I've never used - and will never use - doctors or medicines, because of the use of animals in research, so I assumed I was a gonner. But apart from a few mild symptoms the disease did nothing to me and it turns out I'm still alive. I have an interesting theory about why this is! It has recently been suggested that Japanese knotweed, Reynoutria japonica, is more effective against Lyme disease - especially the persistent kind - even than antibiotics. Well, it just so happens that I have taken traditionally prepared Chinese knotweed, Reynoutria multiflora (aka fo-ti), daily for the last ten years. This very closely related plant might well have similar effects on Lyme disease.

I digress! If you visit the right sorts of site often enough, you will eventually get a tick. Be prepared and get hold of a tick-remover. Minnie's best friend in Switzerland, Rex, a German shepherd, died of Lyme disease, caught in the same woods where we studied those purple emperors.

Guy

[petesmith]

I'll throw in my own experiences here for what it's worth, as something of a tick connoisseur!

I have had many hundreds of ticks attach themselves to me over the years, mostly when butterflying in the UK. My worst UK experiences have been in Wiltshire, the New Forest area, and the Morecombe Bay area. There have been occasions when I have returned to a tent or hotel of an evening and found double figures of them attached to various parts of my body.

Fortunately, I have never had any problems with Lyme Disease, Tick-borne Encephalitis, infection or anything else other than a bit of a red patch and an irritating ITCH!

I would make a few comments:

1. Long trousers and clothing undoubtedly help, but are no guarantee that you won't get got. The ticks can jump and attach to your socks, for example, only to climb higher up later and sink their jaws into you.
2. If you are travelling with a partner, get them to check you all over for ticks in the evening and remove any that they find.
3. If you are travelling alone, removing ticks can be very tricky, especially ones on your back or other inaccessible areas (and believe me, these buggers will get into all sorts of inconvenient places!).

My worst ever experience was during a solo trip in Eastern France. I got back to my hotel room one evening, after a full day in the field, with more than 20 attached, all over the place. It is incredibly difficult to remove ticks whilst contorting yourself in front of a hotel mirror!

The following day, I covered myself from head to toe with this stuff before leaving my hotel:

It is 50% DEET. It worked superbly! Not a single tick was acquired the following day in the same area after using this. If you are visiting an area where ticks are prevalent, I would strongly recommend it. Just be aware that DEET isn't the nicest of chemicals. If you get it on your lips it will sting and taste very bitter.

[Chris L]

I am both fascinated and educated by this thread and I am grateful for the contributions. I have just watched a few videos on You Tube to supplement by knowledge, particularly with regards removal. The link below was a short and sweet video about removal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27McsguL2Og

[Rogerdodge]

Hi
Avoid using DEET anywhere that it can touch camera plastics.
I had some on my face, and where my nose touched the viewing screen, it turned it horribly opaque.
The bottle base had some on it, and melted a nasty circle on the plastic shelf in the bathroom of my campervan.
My record for ticks is 13 in one day in Exmoor bracken. I have also found them on me many days after visiting the field.
I think they get off my clothing onto the vehicle upholstery and then re-find me days later.
I have never had a related illness, but always remove them as soon as I spot them.
Only ever use a tick remover that looks like a mini claw from a claw hammer. Tweezers, cigarettes, Vaseline, alcohol etc. all cause the so & so's to evacuate the contents of their stomachs into your blood stream.