Increasing numbers of tick, an expanding range, and more hosts are creating the perfect storm for a growing and often overlooked public health concern.
Thank you for an informative post. Lymes disease is a horrible thing and there really should be more research into it.
Since we moved to Scotland from the south of England, we have become more observant. But, as you say, ticks are widespread across the UK so there's no escaping them.
Interested in your tip: how/when do you use the lint roller?
Thanks Yasmin. I use it on the dog and myself after we have been on walks, before getting in the car or coming in the house. I live in an area with a very high tick burden so need to be extra vigilant.
Really appreciated this practical and personal piece, especially the reminder that awareness can be life-changing. I’ve started carrying a tick remover in every coat pocket and back since a close call.
It’s such a tricky balance, though. Acaricides can seem like a quick fix, but they don’t just target ticks, they also harm beneficial arthropods like spiders, predatory mites, and insects that keep ecosystems ticking along through soil health, pollination, and natural pest control. And overuse can lead to resistance in tick populations, making the problem worse long-term.
I think ticks feel like a symptom of something deeper - an ecosystem out of whack. Thank you for opening up this conversation. It’s one we need to keep having, especially as their range expands!
Your lint roller photo hints at just how observant we need to be: ticks can be tiny. I remember just one occasion in childhood where our dog picked up a large tick; here they are so different and easy to miss.
I thought I knew a lot about Lyme, as my partner is chronically ill after having Lyme that went undiagnosed for 15 years and I have been treated twice for a Lyme rash, but I learned something from this - that deer are ‘incompetent’ hosts.
Is that because infected ticks die when they attach to them? Normally when I remove a tick it is alive and will walk off if I don’t squish it. The twice when I was infected the ticks I removed were lifeless.
I’m sorry hear your partner has suffered from Lyme disease Felicity, it is an awful thing. Deer being ‘incompetent hosts’ means that whilst they can hosts ticks (and are a very good food source) they don’t transmit the bacteria which causes Lyme disease.
I’m not sure I quite understand. Does that mean that rodents can infect ticks with Lyme but deer can’t? What happens if an infected tick feeds on a deer?
We live on a croft surrounded by high moorland and many herds of deer. They graze on our croft daily and the cats and dogs come in with ticks on their fur every day. They’re both treated regularly but they still act as carriers. They’re horrible things. Very difficult to kill and you can’t feel them attach. I had the typical bullseye rash last year and had to be treated for Lymes with a two week course of antibiotics, but anyone walking in the grass or with pets who do so are only potentially one bite away from catching the disease. Be careful, folks
Thank you for an informative post. Lymes disease is a horrible thing and there really should be more research into it.
Since we moved to Scotland from the south of England, we have become more observant. But, as you say, ticks are widespread across the UK so there's no escaping them.
Interested in your tip: how/when do you use the lint roller?
Thanks Yasmin. I use it on the dog and myself after we have been on walks, before getting in the car or coming in the house. I live in an area with a very high tick burden so need to be extra vigilant.
Thanks, that’s interesting.
Really appreciated this practical and personal piece, especially the reminder that awareness can be life-changing. I’ve started carrying a tick remover in every coat pocket and back since a close call.
It’s such a tricky balance, though. Acaricides can seem like a quick fix, but they don’t just target ticks, they also harm beneficial arthropods like spiders, predatory mites, and insects that keep ecosystems ticking along through soil health, pollination, and natural pest control. And overuse can lead to resistance in tick populations, making the problem worse long-term.
I think ticks feel like a symptom of something deeper - an ecosystem out of whack. Thank you for opening up this conversation. It’s one we need to keep having, especially as their range expands!
Agree 100% Carrie!
Your lint roller photo hints at just how observant we need to be: ticks can be tiny. I remember just one occasion in childhood where our dog picked up a large tick; here they are so different and easy to miss.
They really are.
I thought I knew a lot about Lyme, as my partner is chronically ill after having Lyme that went undiagnosed for 15 years and I have been treated twice for a Lyme rash, but I learned something from this - that deer are ‘incompetent’ hosts.
Is that because infected ticks die when they attach to them? Normally when I remove a tick it is alive and will walk off if I don’t squish it. The twice when I was infected the ticks I removed were lifeless.
I’m sorry hear your partner has suffered from Lyme disease Felicity, it is an awful thing. Deer being ‘incompetent hosts’ means that whilst they can hosts ticks (and are a very good food source) they don’t transmit the bacteria which causes Lyme disease.
I’m not sure I quite understand. Does that mean that rodents can infect ticks with Lyme but deer can’t? What happens if an infected tick feeds on a deer?
Exactly right. If an infected tick feeds on deer it won’t pass the bacteria to the deer.
That’s interesting - humans need what deer have!
Thanks for this. My husband contracted Lyme last year and we have an abundance of ticks in
around and in our garden. The tick treatments for our dog fail to,stop them attaching. A worrying state of affairs.
It is a relentless battle to keep them at bay unfortunately - very worrying indeed.
🙁
Very informative ......a friend in Scotland has Lymes and for the last 3 years has suffered terrible pain. Thank you for your article
Thank you Wendy. I’m sorry to hear your friend has had to experience this 💔
We live on a croft surrounded by high moorland and many herds of deer. They graze on our croft daily and the cats and dogs come in with ticks on their fur every day. They’re both treated regularly but they still act as carriers. They’re horrible things. Very difficult to kill and you can’t feel them attach. I had the typical bullseye rash last year and had to be treated for Lymes with a two week course of antibiotics, but anyone walking in the grass or with pets who do so are only potentially one bite away from catching the disease. Be careful, folks