Cycling UK Forum

Mick F wrote: ↑4 Apr 2023, 9:33am ...
Surgical spirit on them to kill them, then pull them out with tweezers. Make sure all the bits come out.
...

I'm not aware of any reputable advice that includes using surgical spirit (or doing anything else except cleaning) before removal and many experts explicitly recommend not doing so.

Similarly it is advised not to remove the mouthparts if they don't come out with the body.

This is an increasingly important health problem and it is important to follow the best advice available.

Jonathan

PS: Sources available on request: NHS in England, NHS Scotland, CDC, Mayo Clinics etc.

Tick-borne encephalitis in the UK:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... ound-in-uk

Jonathan

Now there's tick-borne encephalitis virus to worry about too.

Hikers urged to check themselves for ticks after deadly virus found in UK
https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... ound-in-uk

So what's the best way to remove them when you are out in the wild. I've a vague recollection that someone suggested cutting a short slot in a credit card to slide beneath the little blighters and lever them out.
Tweezers and surgical spirit are items I don't routinely carry when out riding.

Yes.

Unfortunately we now have two parallel threads.

I recommend everyone to check that they're aware of current best practice, eg:
https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-an ... tick-bites

Jonathan

I do recommend carrying suitable tweezers: they make it much easier.

Current advice from the NHS in Scotland:
https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-an ... tick-bites

Jonathan

PS: "What 1st Aid Do You Take On Tour":
viewtopic.php?t=150880

I bet less than 1 in 100 of us carry tweezers when out and about. Any useful suggestions would be welcome.

rjb wrote: ↑5 Apr 2023, 9:23am I bet less than 1 in 100 of us carry tweezers when out and about. Any useful suggestions would be welcome.

When travelling/touring I always carry oTom's (https://www.otom.com/en/). Tiny, no real weight and very effective at removing ticks. For local day rides I don't bother (as I'll be home within a few hours ...).

Ian

rjb wrote: ↑5 Apr 2023, 9:23am I bet less than 1 in 100 of us carry tweezers when out and about. Any useful suggestions would be welcome.

However, thats the best way IME to remove ticks sooner rather than later. Probably weighs less than a spare spoke (which i dont carry).

Ticks are definitely a thing.

Thinking about this a plectrum type tool with a notch cut in it could be a useful addition to your wallet or key ring. Should I patent it. ? I could cut a notch in my micro Tesco clubcard attached to my key ring.
Ticks are on the increase as reported by the BBC news.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65177440

Psamathe wrote: ↑5 Apr 2023, 10:40am ...
When travelling/touring I always carry oTom's (https://www.otom.com/en/). Tiny, no real weight and very effective at removing ticks. For local day rides I don't bother (as I'll be home within a few hours ...).

Very similar here. The tweezers are in the smallest and lightest first aid kit. So not usually with us for day walks or day rides from home. But always available otherwise.

Jonathan

rjb wrote: ↑5 Apr 2023, 9:23amI bet less than 1 in 100 of us carry tweezers when out and about. Any useful suggestions would be welcome.

I'd have thought then that "carry tweezers when you're out and about" was a very useful suggestion.

VinceLedge wrote: ↑4 Apr 2023, 9:08am Looks like an adult that isn't full up yet. When fully engorged they look like a cardamon pod and are about the same size.

Yes, having given it more thought and studied the tick and the photos, I don't think it is engorged at all, I had wondered if it was a nymph, but fairly certain now it is an adult. Engorged adult ticks (which I have often removed from the dog) are huge, often the bodies quite white.

So it would suggest it had been on me for less than 24 hours, which is good as it would not have got to the stage where it could have passed on any of the unpleasant pathogens that they carry.

Which also raises the puzzling question of where it came from, I must have picked it up in Durham, and the closest I came to anything green all day was my salad, unless of course I picked it up on the cross country train? (which had come through yorkshire where the rare case of tick-borne encephalitis was recently confirmed!)

I have just taken in back out of the fridge, and in just a few minutes it was crawling about looking quite fit and well. should I hold onto it for a while ? or should I knock it on the head with a small hammer. Is it possible to be cruel to a tick? I don't think keeping him in the fridge or whacking it with a hammer are very nice, but then I don't want to release him back into the wild where it might do what ticks do and cause grief to some other poor creature. The ethics of tick disposal?

rjb wrote: ↑5 Apr 2023, 9:23am I bet less than 1 in 100 of us carry tweezers when out and about. Any useful suggestions would be welcome.

Do you carry a wallet. I have this tick removal tool and a matching smaller one in my wallet.
a [/url]

rjb wrote: ↑5 Apr 2023, 9:23am I bet less than 1 in 100 of us carry tweezers when out and about. Any useful suggestions would be welcome.

One of these little devices https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165996620005 ... R9Lek9_qYQ