What to do if you get a tick bite

Let’s talk about ticks…

Yep, I know, they turn my stomach too 🤮

So don’t worry, keep reading, because you’re not going to see a picture of a tick anywhere in this blog post.

If you want to know what a tick looks like, take a look at this tick information leaflet from the British Mountaineering Council.

What is a tick?

Ticks are spider like creatures that feed on the blood of birds and mammals. They’re found in areas with long grass, moorland, and woodland. They’ve even been known to turn up in urban parks and gardens.

They’re a crawling insect, so they can’t fly or jump. They’re quite happy in water and can be very difficult to get rid of (more later).

A few years ago, we didn’t really worry too much about ticks here in the UK. I first knew about them on a climbing trip to Frankenjura in Germany during summer 2006. We were warned of the little blighters but hadn’t come across them before.

Since then, they’ve become more common. At first, it was only in areas with lots of deer, like the New Forest or the Scottish Highlands. But they’re pretty common right across the UK now. The coastal picture at the top of this post was taken in Dumfries and Galloway in mid-August, and we took a good 20 ticks off my husband after this walk.

If you have a dog, you’re likely to have come across ticks already. Dogs are lower to the ground, run through long grass, and have hair where ticks can burrow and hide from you.

But we humans are also susceptible to tick bites and that’s worrying because they can sometimes cause Lyme Disease.

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection caught from the bite of an infected tick. It often develops around 3-30 days after a bite, and can cause a circular rash around a tick bite (like a bull’s-eye on a dart board). It can also cause flu-like symptoms.

Catch it early enough and it can be treated with antibiotics. So speak with a GP if you have a tick bite and develop a rash or flu-like symptoms.

If left untreated, Lyme Disease can lead to more serious symptoms such as pain or swelling in the joints, nerve problems, memory problems, and heart problems. Long-term problems similar to chronic fatigue syndrome can also develop.

The NHS website has more information on Lyme Disease.

What to do if you get a tick bite

Ticks climb onto your clothes or skin, then bite into your skin to feed on your blood. They’re very small, kind of the size of a poppy seed, so you often don’t notice when they attach. They grow as they feed, so what may have been a pinprick dot at first can become a more noticeable black bump a few days later.

Being bitten doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get Lyme Disease as only a small proportion of ticks in the UK carry the bacteria which causes it. But if you have a tick, you’ll want to remove it - and then keep checking for possible symptoms for the next month.

It’s important to remove ticks in the right way, taking care to remove all parts of the body. The aim is to stop them from releasing additional saliva or regurgitating their stomach contents into the bite site.

I know, it’s disgusting - and that’s without even seeing one!

Lime Disease Action has a great web page with detailed information about how to remove a tick safely. This includes a list of Do’s and Don’ts, emphasising the need for a proper tick removal tool.

Once you’re removed the tick, safely kill and dispose of it.

Here in the UK, the risk of further disease is small so treatment is only needed if you develop symptoms.

How to prevent tick bites

Ticks are most common during May-June and September-October. They can crawl up boots and clothing, and be easy to miss. So the most important thing is to check your skin regularly for ticks.

Because areas with long grass are common places for ticks, try to avoid walking through deep vegetation by sticking to paths. Keep an eye out and brush them off your clothing before they get chance to attach to your skin.

If you do get one on your skin, remove it as soon as you can.

Insect repellants can help in areas known for ticks. I dislike most of them, especially when they contain deet. But I’m ok using Smidge which was developed in Scotland for midges. They say it works on all biting insects, including ticks. And it’s deet-free, family friendly, and smells ok.

No, I’m not on commission but have been using it for a few years now.

Once you’re home:

• Brush over clothing to remove ticks before going indoors

• Check your skin carefully all over for ticks (especially folds in the skin, behind the knees and in the groin)

• Check children for ticks (they tend to be higher up on small children so check their hairline)

• Check your pets after being outdoors

• Wash clothing, especially pre-loved, before wearing as ticks can remain there

• Ticks are known to survive in 40c washes, but can be killed in a 60c wash. According to researchers, the best way to kill ticks on clothing is to use a dryer. Put dry clothing into the dryer on a high heat for 10 minutes before washing. Apparently, it’s the dryness which kills them.

Ticks like a moist environment so if they’re on dry clothing indoors, it’s reported that they can live around three days. However, I’ve also read other reports which say that a fully mature adult tick can live without a blood meal for up to 430 days! I have no idea but am guessing that’s outdoors in damp conditions 🤷‍♀️

The message is clear - check your skin and clothing regularly.

I also read another piece of advice about storing outdoor clothing away from bedrooms and normal clothing so the ticks don’t transfer and hide elsewhere.

In summary

Well done if you’ve kept reading all the way to the end. Honestly, I hate reading about ticks because the web pages always have pictures showing the disgusting creatures.

But with ticks becoming more widespread across the UK, it’s important to know more about them. That’s why I wanted to provide lots of information in a way which didn’t make people want to click off the page.

Use the links in this post to find out more, see what a tick looks like, and watch a video about how to remove them safely. They’re all from reputable sites which I trust. To finish, I’ve also included this helpful web page about tick bites from NHS Inform in Scotland.

You can thank me later for researching ticks and having to see so many pictures of the nasty little blood suckers.