Ticks are members of the arachnid family. They are widely distributed around the world. In the UK they are most prevalent in the New Forest. They are a vector of a number of diseases, including Lyme disease, Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, African tick bite fever, tularaemia, tick-borne relapsing fever, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, tick paralysis, and tick-borne meningoencephalitis. They thrive in countries with warm, humid climates because of the higher moisture content in the air which is good for their development.
Ticks find their hosts by sensing breath, body odours, body heat, moisture and vibrations. They are not able to fly or jump. Instead they hold onto leaves and grass with their first pair of legs outstretched, waiting to climb onto a passing host, a behaviour referred to as “questing”. Once they have found a host, they attach themselves (very often where the skin is thinnest) and gorge on their host’s blood for several days. They often go unnoticed due to pain killers secreted in their saliva. It is during this feeding that ticks can transmit one or more pathogens.