We don’t want to worry you about ticks but...
You’ve been out for a country walk on a warm summer’s day. When you get home, you may find that you’ve brought one or two unwelcome visitors with you, or on your dog.
Ticks are not a pleasant subject, but one that we should all think about if we spend time in the countryside
Ticks are the culprits. Not a pleasant subject, but one that we should all think about if we spend time in the countryside and in the garden. Tick is the common name for the small arachnids in a superfamily called
Ixodoidea that along with other mites make up the Acarina.
Ticks can be found in most wooded and forested land throughout the world. They are especially likely to be found in meadows wherever shrubs and bushes provide enough cover and woody surfaces for them live to in. They also are found near water where animals come to drink.
One of the areas that can be quite risky for walkers in the West Country is on Exmoor, and warnings are put out annually to walkers and holiday makers to be aware when they are in country areas.
Ticks are blood-feeding parasites that are often to be found in tall grass and shrubs. The tick attaches itself to the host’s skin. They can’t jump or fly, although you may be unlucky enough to be sitting under a branch if a tick falls from it on to your skin.
Animals, pets and farm stock are vulnerable in country areas in the summer, and older or weaker ones can die from the resulting anaemia caused by the tick’s presence in the skin if it is not removed.
They can be difficult to see in an animal’s fur. You need to get the whole tick out and not leave any of it behind, so a tick removal tool must be used – don’t use your finger tips. Use rubber gloves if possible, put the tick on to a tissue and flush it down the loo. Don’t put it in the bin. Then wash your hands afterwards.
One of the worst case scenarios of getting bitten by ticks is to contract a disease such as Lyme disease (Borreliosis).
But this should not be a horror story, making you stay indoors or not go into the countryside if you want to in the summer.
There are a number of common sense precautions – and of course the best defence is to avoid getting bitten by wearing suitable clothing and using a repellent bought from a pharmacist.
Be careful with repellents containing permethrin. Don’t apply directly to the skin but on to clothing, and make sure that cats do not come into contact with the clothing as it is highly toxic to them.
Get advice from your pharmacist and read the leaflets accompanying any repellents that you buy.
When you are out walking, walk in the middle of paths, not under vegetation and not through long grass if possible.
Don’t bring ticks home: take off your outer clothes before going indoors. Clothing can be treated in a tumble dryer to kill any hidden ticks.
Tests have shown that ticks can survive a full cycle in the washing machine and short periods in a tumble dryer, so high heat and prolonged periods of drying may be necessary to kill any ticks.
Deter ticks from your garden, by keeping seats and play equipment away from borders, trees and bird feeders, keeping leaf litter to a minimum and keep grass short, at least where you are likely to walk and sit.
Groom your pets thoroughly, making sure that you brush against as well as with their fur to see any embedded ticks. Check their ears, eyes, chin and muzzle, between their pads and toes.
If all of this sounds alarmist, it has been circulated by a charity, BADA-UK (Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness UK), because of the ill-health and suffering that can be caused.
Visit their website:
www.bada-uk.org
Simple tips to help you and your animals – and your garden – stay tick-free this summer
socks, smooth or waxed jackets that ticks can’t latch on to, and elastic or draw strings at waist, wrist and ankle
around
litter to a minimum and grass short where you are going to sit, and divide lawns from shrub areas with wood chips or gravel
and bird feeders
Country Gardener 47
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