[andy_e]

Yes, I'm thorough when it comes to tick-checking as I'm worried about Lyme's disease, but I never actually seem to have any! Others seem to get them more frequently from similar areas. Odd. All anecdotal evidence though!

[jshaw]

Yes, I'm thorough when it comes to tick-checking as I'm worried about Lyme's disease, but I never actually seem to have any! Others seem to get them more frequently from similar areas. Odd. All anecdotal evidence though!

Yeh, absolutely, it's really strange. I feel the same as you, to spend the best part of 2 decades messing about outdoors and to have only seen one bite me does seem odd given they're obviously about. Would be interesting to see if there's anything to it.

Maybe we just don't taste nice 

[SA Chris]

You might have naturally repellent pheromones, like people who midges don't like.

[andy_e]

Sounds about right, I think they also work on humans.

[Mr_Cus]

 Was walking my dog in Curbar woods at the weekend and we stopped for a snack with the kids and I saw an adult tick crawling across the dogs fur.
Good to find one before it was latched on.

Also, someone's been cleaning up some of the boulders around there. There's loads of great easy problems in that woods which would make a great low grade circuit.

[al]

Was there at the weekend  too, saw a small herd of deer half way through, don't they carry ticks? It is a magical place all the same 

[mark20]

Just found a tick on me after a walk along the top of Froggatt, under the crag and a brief look at the stone circle. Barely brushed past any bracken so quite surprised.

[Bonjoy]

I've picked up ticks at Froggatt, Curbar and Yarncliffe in the last two weeks, including one today that I must have  got on Weds eve. Seems like every time I go to anywhere with red deer activity. Much more of a menace this year than midges.

[Bradders]

Not the Peak but...

Found a tick on my dog last night. Can only have come from either my back garden or green spaces within short walking distance of my house in West Leeds. Never would have thought this was possible before!

[andy_e]

Molly picked loads up in the Meanwood Valley last year, it's pretty much a trade route for roe deer.

[36chambers]

Hmmm, last year we were walking el doggo daily along the Meanwood Valley and she was all over the place causing havoc. Never noticed a tick on her, but then again, I don't think we were necessarily looking all that hard.

She's picked up a few this summer though, either from Kilnsey or the Chevin.

[Bonjoy]

In other biting mite news, I got my first few chigger/harvest mite bites of the year today. Presumably from Dale Quarry, though they might have been from Apparent North last night.

[Stabbsy]

In other biting mite news, I got my first few chigger/harvest mite bites of the year today. Presumably from Dale Quarry, though they might have been from Apparent North last night.

Have you ever had these at grit crags before? I’d always had them down as a limestone only thing. Never had them in the Peak either, it was always South Lakes and Yorkshire.

[SamT]

Kids got some harvest mite bites up in the lakes couple of weeks ago, but I'm never had them in the Peak.

Are the mites themselves invisible, never actually seen one!!

[Bonjoy]

I think it was from the lime to be honest. I've never knowingly got bitten on a grit crag, but they are very seasonal and I generally tend to be on lime during that seasons, so they may not actually be fussy about rock type. They seem to like perma-dry veg at the base of steep crags. Yes, they're practically invisible to the naked eye. I've never seen one, only the bites.

[Stabbsy]

BITD some friends of mine in Lancaster used to refer to them as Storth Mites, as in their memory (20+ years older than me) they were very localised around the South Lakes limestone crags (Storth is near Silverdale and Arnside). Over the time I was in that area, they became more widespread such that they were common in people’s gardens in Kendal.

Sounds like they’re spreading further and further each year, kind of like what we’re seeing with ticks. I think they’re related in some way, so maybe prospering for similar reasons?

[Will Hunt]

I think it was from the lime to be honest. I've never knowingly got bitten on a grit crag, but they are very seasonal and I generally tend to be on lime during that seasons, so they may not actually be fussy about rock type. They seem to like perma-dry veg at the base of steep crags. Yes, they're practically invisible to the naked eye. I've never seen one, only the bites.

I was told not to leave your jumper on bare ground at the base crags like Kilnsey "because the mites live on birds and then fall out of the nests onto the ground". No idea if that's true or not but might explain why you find them in those locations.

[Bonjoy]

I heard that too. A yorkshire climber I spoke to at Kilnsey referred to them as birdmites. As far as I can tell it's apocryphal. They certainly turn up at plenty of crags with no sign of nests or suitable nest sites on them.

[spidermonkey09]

 I've been absolutely nailed by some sort of insect in the last few weeks and think it must be due to these harvest mite things. I'd previously thought it must be midges. They've bitten me all around the harness waistline. Must have 50 bites. Little bastards. I've only been at Malham so worth avoiding leaving clothes on the ground etc until it gets properly cold...

[Bonjoy]

Classic chiggers. Absolute bastards

[T_B]

Mrs T_B picked up a tick yesterday evening above Millstone. Sounds like they walked through some heather to get back on the path.

Seems like they’re spreading

[El Mocho]

Over the last couple of weeks the dogs have had more ticks on them than ever before (luckily not many actually biting as the tick tablets they have seem to work) Nowhere very unusual - Millstone, Froggatt, Abney Moor, Grindleford wood etc but the frequency and the fact they seem to have them even when they haven't been charging through the undergrowth gives the impression they are a lot more common than before. Luckily I haven't yet had one on me, even though I seem very attractive to midges and ants etc ticks don't go for me much - I've noticed this in Scotland before when on a fair few occasions folk I'm with have had multiple bites and I've had none (and I've been wearing shorts the last few weeks)

[SA Chris]

I've had 2 mates plus myself pick up ticks on Deeside the last few months. Once was up Vat Burn, climbing with our kids. The two boys were in and around in the vegetation, the whole time, whereas we were mostly involved climbing and setting up ropes for them. I had 2 on me in the evening, he had one, neither of the boys got any, the dog had about a half dozen.

The other mate was wild camping with his boys, he got one, his kids none. He's currently getting treated for Lymes.

I have a theory that hairiness could be a factor; hair gives them something to latch onto, but nothing to really substantiate this other than that I have manage to get rid of some in the past which are hanging onto hair but not yet made it in to skin (notably at Creag Dubh the most tick infested place I have ever been, thanks apparently to the feral goats).  Not implying anyone is hairier than they should be btw .

[shurt]

Sorry for the slight thread hijack but down here in the SW they're a fucking nightmare. The antibiotics for Lymes are rough too.

I recently got these tick machines for the kids as they seem to get them the most. The send out a high pitched noise that they don't like. They weren't cheap (£30 each from memory) but after the last few years I thought fuck it.

[edshakey]

I recently got these tick machines for the kids as they seem to get them the most. The send out a high pitched noise that they don't like. They weren't cheap (£30 each from memory) but after the last few years I thought fuck it.

Did they work?

After getting 12 ticks from a day at Eskdale Fisherground, I'm keen to avoid playing so many rounds of Lyme Roulette again any time soon.