Tick awareness.

Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group

This image of a feral ferret and a photograph of a stoat were sent in by two of our Dales gamekeepers yesterday and show these mammals with ticks present. In the U.K. there are around twenty recorded species of tick but the three most often encountered types are the Deer Tick (Ixodes ricinus) also known as the Castor Bean or Sheep Tick, then the Dog or Fox Tick (Ixodes canisuga) and the Hedgehog Tick (Ixodes hexagonus). Ticks are classed as arachnids and related to spiders. They can carry dangerous bacteria and are the most common vector for Lyme disease that can affect dogs and humans. Evidence suggests Lyme disease is increasing in the U.K. with around 3000 cases being reported annually. This has increased dramatically within the last two decades. If untreated the ailment can cause severe neurological complications and long term illness. The other image shows the site of a tick bite on a person. Anyone who suspects they have been bitten by an infected tick must seek medical attention. Ticks are on the increase in Britain. With milder winters this problem is likely to worsen and ticks can be active all year round when cold weather or frosts are less prevalent. Ticks like heathland particularly brackens and longer vegetation where they wait for passing mammals to latch on to. This is often called ‘questing’ where the tick waits with outstretched limbs hoping to hook onto an unsuspecting victim. They gorge on the hosts blood and can remain present for a number of days. Managing moorland for grouse and livestock by reducing bracken and rotationally burning heather is an excellent way of preventing tick contact with humans and pets. It has been suggested that increases in Lyme disease and the presence of more ticks could be associated with negligent habitat management and the increasingly popular choice of leaving vegetation to go wild and increases in deer and mammalian predators such as foxes and mustelids.

The advice from the NHS and other organisations is that contact with ticks can be reduced by avoiding vegetated areas and sticking to footpaths. Wear protective leg wear and check for ticks after being in the countryside. Ticks can be as small as a poppy seed and can go unrecognised even when attached to skin. There are a number of devices available for tick removal and these are recommended. Coating a tick with petroleum jelly, nail varnish, alcohol or other old wives remedies are ineffective. Ticks can go without air for many hours so the best method is to remove the tick manually. Advice from YDMG is to be tick aware, check for them regularly and seek medical help if you see any reddening around a suspected bite or develop any symptoms. Not all ticks carry diseases but prevention is better than cure. Thankfully due to the fact that large swathes of the Yorkshires Dales are managed moorlands the tick population is very much reduced.