‘I’d never been bitten by a tick before’: why the little blood-sucking pest is getting us into a panic
‘I’d never been bitten by a tick before’: why the little blood-sucking pest is getting us into a panic
They’re hard to spot, they’re hungry and they’re spreading disease from the Highlands to urban parks: a special report on the increasing threat posed by ticks
Last summer I took my family on a walk through the woodlands that surround the hamlet of Ebernoe, in Sussex. My children clambered on fallen trees, my partner and I hunted for mushrooms, and all the while we were being hunted by creatures more ancient than the last dinosaurs – and so hungry they would have fed on us for days.
Lyme disease can ruin your life. Whatever eats ticks is my friend because I hate ticks.
26Oppossums eat ticks. Hopefully some other animals have gotten in on that party too
9This is a common mistake. It's pronounced "oppossum".
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Lyme disease is awful, but preventable. I lived in tick country for much of my life, and went outdoors, camping, and hiking a lot, without a single tick incident. Ticks like long grasses and short brush, the drier the better. They hang out on the flora until a deer or other victim walks through and they hitch a ride (and get a meal). If preparing for an outing in tick country, there's a number of simple things you can do to prevent being bitten.
- Wear shoes (no sandals and nothing open toed), long pants (lightweight hiking pants can be easily purchased), and wear long socks pulled over the bottom hem of your pants. As I told my girl Scout unit, they're going for a hike, not a fashion show.
- Learn how to do a tick check, and how to properly remove a tick.
- If you do find a tick on yourself or someone else, KEEP THE TICK. Put it in a bag or container and take it to the hospital with you. Go to a hospital as soon as possible- the tick can be tested for Lyme disease, and you can get preventative treatment.
And obviously, do not go rolling around/laying in tick infested grasses.
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