Ticks!

[tipmethewink]

Yep . Wash your hands but don't squash them !

Sorry, I meant after you'd taken them out.

[VTS]

I got a few in Botswania whilst out there working, had to go to the med tent, i stood naked and star shaped in an air conditioned tent whilst the medics put vaseline on me. They found 96 ticks. I was then sent out of the air con back into the heat and it just ran off my body.

 

A few years later i got another 1 and removed it with the pliers on my Leatherman (not recommended)

[Bren.]

I've been trying to think if there's a creature I hate more, and whilst I can't quite make up my mind.

It might be the Horsefly.

[markieg31]

yeas i would not burn or squeeze them as this makes them spew up, not so good.

grab at head and turn anti clockwise, they will unscrew.

my dog is a tick magnet! had 12 off him the other day.

[Bren.]

LOOK, is there anything in this image that suggests to you that turning clockwise or anti-clockwise, or any other direction, will aid in extracting a tick?

NO! So just PULL.

[Mark Bolam]

Spot on Bren, the anticlockwise thing is another myth.

I'm with you on the horseflies!

[Rob Stringer]

BADA-UK (a lyme disease awareness charity) recommend using an insect repellent called 'mosi-guard natural' to deter ticks from attaching themselves. Its basically a spray with a strong citrus type smell, I use it this time of year if i'm working on a site where ticks are prevalent.

[sasha.p]

I have to agree with you guys just pull the horrid little thing's straight out no twisting burning or anything else just watch you dont snap their headsget them at the right angle so they will come straight out and do it quickly before they realise your going to get a grip on them.Lymes disease is a nasty thing have any of you seen the channel 4 documentry called the town that caught torettes? I watched it a while back when it was first aired anyway I also watched some follow up postings from a girl who was featured in the documentry on you tube and it turned out in the end she had been diagnosed with lymes disease all the nervous ticks where caused by a tick bite and lymes disease! absolutly horrible thing to witness anyone go through and there has been a huge increase in cases more recently.

 

We get a lot on our land as we have a lot of bracken they like to hide on I am forever removing them from the dogs even though I treat them regular with frontline and advantage on them.I have often wondered what the figures are for people in the UK who have caught lymes disease.

[woodland dweller]

we had a population explosion 3 years ago. The other half did some weeding one weekend and came in with 36 on her. She had to strip whilst i had to go over her with a magnifying glass and tweezers to remove them. That year if you put your hand in a flower bed you could see them crawling up your arms. living where we do us and the kids are used to them as we get them regularily on us. Horrible things, we have a bottle of surgical spirit in the house, just unscrew the top and place over the tick for a few seconds then lift off with tweezers, only the wife gets any reaction to the bites.For the cats i just pull off quickly. Always weed with disposible gloves these days.

[hedgesparrow]

knew a doctor who got lymes when walking in the new forest it affected his nervous system and was off work for over a year. nasty as bad as weals. makes me shudder writing about it