If you are aware of ticks you are less likely to be infected by a tick-borne disease. Where will you find them? Gardens, parks and countryside – wherever there is vegetation to protect them from drying out; and where there are small animals, like mice, on which to feed. How do they find us?! They smell us, and hook onto us when we pass close to them. They climb up our legs and find some exposed skin to latch on to. How do they bite? They stick their toothed mouthparts into our skin, and numb the area so we don’t feel them. They stay firmly attached for days while feeding on our blood. The best way to find an attached tick? Run your fingers over your skin. If you feel a small scab, see if it rocks back and forward. Look closely and you may see some legs, but they are very small. How to remove a tick? With a tick remover which doesn’t squash the body. Do it as soon as you can because the longer the tick is attached, the more likely it is to pass on any disease that it carries. What then? Make a note of the date you removed the tick. Read our website, in particular the page on Lyme disease symptoms so you know what to be aware of.

Very few UK ticks carry Lyme disease, but awareness is key!

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