Walking Forum
Main Boards => General Walking Discussion => Topic started by: andybr on 15:40:49, 21/07/19
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Having just returned home from our annual summer trip to the North West Highlands I find myself wondering whether the Tick has now replaced the Midge as the biggest irritant in the outdoors UK. The numbers we needed to remove seem to have exploded out of recognition compared to even just a few years ago. Is this the new norm?
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I sure hope not, if there is one thing in the world I hate more that midges, it has to be ticks. :-\
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But at least you can still count individual ticks - midges are counted by weight!
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I hear this about Ticks, in all the years and places Ive been in the hills, including much Munro baggin many times off path cross country, through long grass and heather etc, wearing shorts, Ive never picked up a single Tick, although I do regularly check just in case.
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Several reports online link the increase in range and numbers of ticks with climate change.
I've not had any on me since I started using Smidge, I can't recommend it enough, I feel I'm on a mission to spread the word.
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Several reports online link the increase in range and numbers of ticks with climate change.
I've not had any on me since I started using Smidge, I can't recommend it enough, I feel I'm on a mission to spread the word.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Smidge had no effect on ticks. Thought it was purely for midges which are a completely different species to ticks which belong to the spider family.
I do hope I'm wrong as I won't need to carry the shotgun , dynamite and flamethrower as protection against my pathological, (and probably illogical) fear of ticks
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Permethrin is what you're looking for against ticks on your ankles etc - unfortunately they were all over in Scotland my last few trips, but you're better looking at the season as to whether they're going to be biting or not. They are quite stubborn little things and frankly I'd rather deal with midges.
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Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Smidge had no effect on ticks. Thought it was purely for midges which are a completely different species to ticks which belong to the spider family.
https://www.smidgeup.com/midges/ticks/ (https://www.smidgeup.com/midges/ticks/)
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https://www.smidgeup.com/midges/ticks/ (https://www.smidgeup.com/midges/ticks/)
Thanks Fernman. I will proceed to purchase Smidge tomorrow a.m. O0
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Last Spring I returned from a walking trip in France with a Tick.
I had read about them and always walked with boots and long trousers; this little blighter was found by my wife in my armpit when I complained of soreness there. Thankfully, no Lymes.
I used insect repellent each night, but of course, Ticks are Arachnids, so I can't blame the spray.
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Last Spring I returned from a walking trip in France with a Tick.
You didn't declare it? :o
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Oddly enough I currently use Smidge but the best I can say for it is that it is at least as effective as most of the other sprays. None of them seem to be a total success. The best one I have used is the Lifesystems one with Myrtle oil but I am nervous about Deet based sprays around my photography gear so Smidge seems a reasonable alternative.
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I take care to keep my ankles well covered up when I'm walking in the heather. Close fitting Ron Hill 'Tracksters' with foot loops work a treat.
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Good idea to tuck your baselayer in before sitting in long grass or heather too - a friend of mine neglected to do so in Knoydart many years ago, and ended up with several dozen ticks around his waistline, which understandably freaked him out somewhat.
Thinking about the OP - this would have been in the late 1980's so it would appear that there have always been hotspots where deer densities are high - perhaps it is the deer that are on the increase?
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On a recent trip to Snowdonia my wife accrued one tick and the dog two. I have never found tick to be a problem in Snowdonia before. I know that in many places of the UK ticks are becoming resistant to the tick treatments and mild winters will also help them along.
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We were in Assynt and Deer numbers have definitely increased massively in recent years. Not only in the hills but we now see them regularly in gardens and on the sports field in Lochinver. Driving about up there during the winter is becoming extremely hazardous because of the number of them on the roads at night.
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There is no shortage of deer on Exmoor at present - I saw a herd of 26 Red Deer with young only recently. My neighbour, who culls deer from time to time, tells me the deer are suffering from over population and a lot of them have TB, which is a shame as my supply of free venison has dried up.
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We will have to head back to Exmoor one day ninthace as we didn’t see any deer on our Two Moors walk! Most probably because the last day was so foggy. We saw some ponies on the penultimate day but no deer :(
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You didn't declare it? :o
Mai oui. However the man with the clipboard at Customs said it was not on his Tick List, so rien a declarer :D