Ticks

Tom RaderStaff - June 1, 2021

With ticks, we are more concerned with the long term illnesses they can give us more than the bites themselves. Incubation periods for tick-borne illn
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Thx for the very good video about this important topic. Also interesting to learn about a tick born disease which I wasn’t aware of (the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever).

Some personal notes:

In particular in Western Europe (Germany) ticks are a really big problem (likely the biggest animal caused risk) As I’m often walking through scrubs looking for Mushrooms and Plants I “collect” ticks quite(record was around 50 in about a week). Nevertheless I manage to have normally not more than one or two really biting me per year:

For me the most important part is to carry clothes (in the way explain at the video) where you can detect them easily and to look for them regulary if you walk through areas (e.g. fern in a forest). Over time you learn where they are very likely and you can avoid this areas or remove them immediately if yo have to pass through. It also makes sense to check you whole party when returning from the forest, often they can be catch before they bite or at least just after.
As explained at the video often you can feel the crawling (the bigger ones), in addition I always feel a very specific itching short after they have bitten. By this I could remove all early enough to avoid getting Lyme disease which is also quite common here.

Additional Note for Western Europe:
The best chance to detect Lyme Disease in our area is by checking for red areas (often but not always around the bite, bigger than normal minor infection – https://www.allgemeinmedizin.uni-wuerzburg.de/lehrpraxen/infobereich-fuer-lehrpraxen/studien/lyme-borreliose-lydi-sentinel/) at the skin. As mentioned at the video if you remove them early there is a good chance to not get infect (in my area about 20% of the ticks are carrying it).

Another disease transmitted by ticks in Western Europa (depending on region) is Tick-borne encephalitis, TBE (FSME in German). It is less common but more dangerous and transmitted in the very moment the tick bites. Making it more important to avoid getting bitten. For this diseases no effective treatment is available but a vaccine (recommended only in risk areas for people who are often out in the woods).

Final remark:

You mentioned that they also may have their role in nature but you can not really see it. I also asked myself this question many times (as they are nasty little bastards) but sometime ago I read an article which explained their role for the immune system and (as far I remember) natural selection for game. It was in German but here they say something similar:

https://sciencing.com/what-purpose-do-ticks-serve-in-the-ecosystem-12192945.html

 

keep a lint roller in your car, when you’re done with a summer hike, lint roll those pants. Also tuck your pants in your sox.
I did get Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Colorado. It was awful, 104 fever. I went to the ER an IV and antibiotics took care of it.