Bank Holiday Walks.
North Yorkshire Moors Moorland Organisation
With the weather set to improve over the bank holiday weekend we thought we’d share some tick talk.
Again already this year we are seeing a big number of ticks across the #NorthYorkMoors.
Top tips for avoiding ticks:
When out and about on the moors try to:
* Avoid walking through long grass and areas of thick foliage, keep to paths and tracks in heavily infested areas.
* Leave no exposed skin on your legs, feet, ankles or arms, wear long sleeves, tuck your trousers in your socks or wear gaiters and choose a fabric which is thickly woven.
* Spray insect repellent on clothing and socks.
* Wear light-coloured clothing so you can see the dark ticks and remove them, inspect your clothes often to remove any ticks.
* Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks when you get home, especially your hairline, navel, groin, arm pits, between toes, behind the ears and knees.
DON’T PANIC if you find an embedded tick, it’s most likely that it’s not infected, and if you remove it within 24 hours it is unlikely to have passed on the bacteria.
If you are worried in anyway then consult your GP and mention your concerns about Lyme Disease.
Most tick bites happen in late spring, early summer and autumn, as this is when most people take part in outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking and camping. Ticks can be found in any areas where there is deep or overgrown vegetation and where there is access to animals and wildlife for them to feed on. Ticks don’t fly or jump but they climb onto your skin or clothes if you brush against something that they’re on, they then bite into the skin and start to feed on your blood.
Moorland estates try to reduce the risk of ticks by having a good flock of sheep on the moors as the sheep act as “tick mops”. The sheep are dipped in a pesticide that attracts ticks and kills them off in huge numbers, and this has been welcomed as an effective and harmless method in the fight against ticks.
For more details on ticks and Lyme Disease please visit the Lyme Disease Action Organisation at the link below, they have a massively informative website with all areas covered.