A tic

I have to say even my normally cool temper has been tested at times to its limit. Mosquitoes, horseflies, tics, no-see-ums and midges....don’t you just love them! These for me are the bad boys of the insect world. Give me beetles any day.

I was amazed last year to find Mosquitoes waiting for me when I reached a few mountain summits. What are they doing up there all day? Just doing insect stuff I guess. In Montana last year a horsefly continually buzzed me one day, so I decided to name him David to amuse myself. David unfortunately decided he was bored of buzzing around me and tried chewing my shoulder. Not a good idea my friend!

The serious part to this for me has to be the tics though. I suffered a mystery illness after unintentionally picking up three tics whilst out picking wild mushrooms. I was shocked to find one deeply buried in my belly. After many tests, the Lymes disease tests fortunately came back negative but my guess was that it was something I caught from the tic. There are a number of other diseases you can catch from them. I had never even heard of Lymes disease, but there are many cases being reported in the UK and the USA.

With many insects the best way to avoid them is to stay covered up as much as possible. With tics you should try and check your body at the end of the day when climbing into the tent. Remove them using a recommended technique. My preference is to carefully remove them with tweezers, that I always carry.

If you live in the South of England you may think there is nothing to worry about. I am sorry to report that tic numbers have dramatically increased over recent years, possibly due to increasing deer numbers or maybe even climate change.

For anyone that has ever wondered, I can now confirm - ants like cheese