UKC

Will I get Lymes or ticks in shorts in Peak?

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 elliot.baker 28 Jun 2018

I've never worried about it before but I feel like there's loads of people posting about Lyme's disease of recent. 

If I run around Kinder Scout for hours in shorts am I at risk of getting ticks on my legs? I've never seen one before.

In this weather I want my legs out but obviously not if it's going to be detrimental to my health!

 Pedro50 28 Jun 2018
In reply to elliot.baker:

In short maybe. Rub repellent on your legs and inspect afterwards. Buy tweezers and a card in case. 

 robert-hutton 28 Jun 2018
In reply to elliot.baker:

Have been running in the peak in shorts in different habitat,  bracken and heather for 57 years and in that tine  a have  collected a couple if ticks and no Lyme's disease up to press, think you would more likely to be run over by a bus but bad luck does happen.

Just rub you legs / arms down after a run to check.

Post edited at 09:02
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In reply to elliot.baker:

What the others have said .

I wear shorts more than trousers generally and I think I've had one tick bite in 30 years of Peak district activities  and I can't even be 100% sure it was a tick .

But obviously don't strip naked and roll around in the bracken .

 

 

 

 Red Rover 28 Jun 2018
In reply to robert-hutton:

Things seem to be changing now, people have reported ticks at stanage and kinder and I think they are pretty much everywhere now. 

1
 nutme 28 Jun 2018
In reply to elliot.baker:

Recently got two ticks in Arco and went to get one out to local hospital. It was a baby tick and I wasn't able to grab it with tweezers. Doctor was not surprised and reassured it would have to be in me for at least a day for lyme to infect.

 

Generally England doesn't have that many ticks. Those insects live in forests with grass. And we have next to none.

24
 Dogwatch 28 Jun 2018
In reply to Pedro50:

> Buy tweezers

Do not buy tweezers. Go to a pet shop and buy tick removers. They are like little plastic tuning forks, a bigger one and a smaller one. They are not expensive and it is much easier to remove ticks using those without leaving the mouth parts behind. Believe me, I've take 100s of the critters off dogs over the years.

 

 Dogwatch 28 Jun 2018
In reply to nutme:

> Generally England doesn't have that many ticks. Those insects live in forests with grass. And we have next to none.

Not true. In southern England, where I live, you can pick up ticks anywhere there is long grass and animals, especially deer and sheep but also rabbits. In other words, pretty much anywhere with long grass. I have positively known people to be bitten in areas that are not forested. Lyme disease seems to be increasingly common too. FWIW they are not insects, they are arachnids.

 

 MischaHY 28 Jun 2018
In reply to nutme:

> Doctor was not surprised and reassured it would have to be in me for at least a day for lyme to infect.

That's actually a myth, it can infect in any time period after biting. The likelihood of infection simply increases over time. More info here: http://danielcameronmd.com/long-take-infected-tick-transmit-lyme-disease/ 

That said, now living in a country with many more ticks and having had a few this year already, I can say that the best approach is to simply pull the buggers out with a decent tick remover and keep an eye on the bit point to see if it flares up. If you start getting flu symptoms or a ring around the bite etc etc then get to the doctor ASAP and get dosed on doxycyclin but otherwise don't worry. 

They're horrible little bastards but as long as you're prudent you'll be fine. They also hate deet so a good insect repellant will keep them off. 

1
 Pedro50 28 Jun 2018
In reply to Dogwatch:

Sorry I meant tick removing tweezers. Cotswold sell them too.

Removed User 28 Jun 2018
In reply to elliot.baker:

I wouldn’t worry but if is definitely worth being aware. Not everyone appeals to ticks, there is a fortunate minority whom ticks seem unattracted to. I’m one of them, I’ve  collected less than ten of the things in over three decades of bashing about in tick infested environments and I’ve never taken any precautions with clothing. 

I’ll second the idea about proper tick removers, they are like tiny crowbars and work well. Tweezers on the other hand will squeeze all the blood and general tick fluids back into your body.

Rigid Raider 28 Jun 2018
In reply to elliot.baker:

So, walking in shorts, would you be protected if you rubbed DEET on your legs to prevent them from climbing up?

We were in the Trossachs last Friday and two baby deer suddenly broke cover from long grass a few feet away after we had been stading chatting for a good twenty minutes. There were adult deer all over the place and seemingly not too bothered by us either.

 TobyA 28 Jun 2018
In reply to elliot.baker:

I slept out on Big Moor (behind Curbar/Froggatt) and found I had got a tick on me the next day. Had also been cycling but far more likely it was while bivvying. I think that's the first I've had in the Peak. Scotland seems to be heaving with them. A few weeks ago I got one on me while up in Galloway and we got loads of them on us in Torridon and Gairloch two summers back.

 toad 28 Jun 2018
In reply to TobyA:

Big Moor is unusual for the peak in that it has a resident red deer herd. Ive done survey work on kinder / Bleaklow for many years and not seen a tick in that time. Big Moor is alzo more or less the only place you'll see adders in the Peak

 TobyA 28 Jun 2018
In reply to toad:

Yep, very true. Saw loads of them walking back from the top end of Curbar last week, and seen them whilst on my bike on Blackamoor across the road.

 Dave the Rave 28 Jun 2018
In reply to elliot.baker:

You will only get Lyme disease south of Peverill Castle area where the rock is mainly limestone. 

3
 toad 28 Jun 2018
In reply to TobyA:

Saw them in Galloway a couple of weeks ago. None on me but the dog picked a few up. He's currently toxic to ticks, so the ones on him were in the process of shriveling up. Makes you wish you could blob something on the back of your own neck

 Tony Jones 28 Jun 2018
In reply to toad:

> Makes you wish you could blob something on the back of your own neck

A while ago a friend of mine, visiting his GP after getting the telltale rash, was actually told to use frontline by the aforesaid medical professional. 

The above should not be taken as a recommendation...

 

 subtle 28 Jun 2018
In reply to Tony Jones:

> A while ago a friend of mine, visiting his GP after getting the telltale rash

What was the telltale rash? Did they tell their partner?

 galpinos 28 Jun 2018
In reply to nutme:

> Recently got two ticks in Arco and went to get one out to local hospital. It was a baby tick and I wasn't able to grab it with tweezers. Doctor was not surprised and reassured it would have to be in me for at least a day for lyme to infect.

> Generally England doesn't have that many ticks. Those insects live in forests with grass. And we have next to none.

Both those statements are incorrect. The first, you being fine if the tick has been on you for less than a day has been debunked. Watch out for the rash/symptoms regardless of length. The second, ticks are all over the UK, though not necessarily carrying Lymes, though the incidence rate does seem on the rise. The Lakes can be quite bad and I've heard of cases in the Peak District over the last couple of years as well.

 peppermill 28 Jun 2018
In reply to nutme:

I wish! Ever spent much time climbing in Central Belt Scotland? Effing things are everywhere.

Also It's pretty scary how many cases of Lyme's can go with no noticeable symptoms for years.

Post edited at 19:22
 dovebiker 28 Jun 2018

I live in North Hampshire and walk the dogs daily in wooded areas with bracken and long grass and can pick as many as a dozen off the dogs after - mainly 'walkers' but the fork-type remover is the best for 'biters'. A sticky roller for clothes lint removal is good to capture the 'walkers'. I wear shorts and not had one bite, although have had a 'walker' which I could feel. This current hot weather has reduced their activity considerably - not had any on the dogs for a week or so. I check my legs afterwards - they're pretty easy to spot. Not all ticks carry Lyme disease and there's a tell-tale rash around a bite if they do - a trip to the doc's needed.

 

 Red Rover 28 Jun 2018
In reply to dovebiker:

Only a third of people with lymes get the rash!

 rgold 28 Jun 2018
In reply to nutme:

> Generally England doesn't have that many ticks. Those insects live in forests with grass. And we have next to none.

Might be worth having a look at https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/hilltalk/lymes_disease_warning-687038 .

Also https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/sep/25/parts-of-uk-identified-as-h...

 

Post edited at 20:19
 Jenny C 28 Jun 2018
In reply to elliot.baker:

Wouldn't hesitate to walk in shorts and have never had a tick BUT these days I do check thoroughly when I get home.


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