Waging war on these parasites

In the first of a two-parter, Al Gabriel investigates the rise in our tick population and the risks they carry

- Al Gabriel

Globally, ticks are on the rise. They have been crawling around our planet for at least 100 million years, and in that time they have evolved into 850 species and built enough defences to put us on the losing end of a health battle. The British Isles, with our temperate climate, are at the heart of the global rise.

Many have cited global warming as a primary factor in driving up tick numbers. Warm and humid weather does favour tick biology. The number of months in which they are active is becoming longer with the milder winters and wetter summers. Even tick eggs are hatching much earlier. Numerous studies have shown that ticks have extended their ranges in the northern hemisphere. Beyond climate, there are a number of other factors that are probably unique to our islands.

From the turn of the 20th century, land use in this country has evolved, namely intensive farming. In the British Isles, the biggest driver of ticks is the ever-increasing number of hosts. This is mainly due to livestock from intensive farming and deer due to post-war afforestation. Ixodes ricinus (sheep tick) is the most abundant and widespread tick species in the UK. Unsurprisingly, it is also the one that’s responsible for the majority of tickborne illnesses.

Vectors of disease

It is important first to understand what ticks are. Ticks are parasitic arachnids — yes, spiders. They are vectors for a plethora of animal and human diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites. In fact, ticks carry so many diseases at any given time that one should never touch ticks without wearing gloves.