How do I get bitten by a tick?
Ticks don’t jump or fly, but climb on your clothes or skin if you brush against something they’re on. They then bite into the skin and start to feed on your blood.
You are at risk of getting bitten by a tick if you are taking part in practically any outdoor activities, such as, picnicking, hiking, fishing or camping.
Ticks may stay on your skin for a few days
to complete their blood meal before dropping off.
People who live or work (for example forestry) in areas of woodland, heathland or scrub are at particular risk of getting bitten by a tick.
Where are the ticks found?
The ticks that carry Lyme disease are usually found in woodland, heathland and moorland however they may also be found in grassy meadows, urban parks and gardens. Ticks are found all over the UK.
In the UK infection with Lyme disease occurs
most frequently in the New Forest, Salisbury Plain, Surrey and West Sussex, Exmoor, the South Downs, parts of
Wiltshire
and Berkshire, the Lake District, the North York Moors, the Thetford Forest (Norfolk), and the Scottish Highlands,
but
any area harbouring Ixodes ticks may have the potential for Lyme borreliosis transmission.
[67, 68]. The mild damp climate of the British Isles is ideally suited
to support tick populations [69]. Lyme disease has been acquired
in people following travel to the US, Germany, France, and other northern, central and eastern European countries.
The
regions with highest tick infection rates (nymphs>10%; adult ticks>20%) are located in central Europe and include
Austria, Czech Republic, southern Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
What time of year can you get tick bites?
Most tick bites happen in late spring, early summer and autumn
Peak times for tick feeding, and also
transmission
of infection, include late spring, early summer, and autumn. Infection can also occur during mild winters and wet
summers
[67].