A little advice please.TICKS

[guardpig]

Now I live in a City on the edge of the New Forest.  As a result every doctors surgery has leaflets warning of the dangers of tick bites, how to remove said ticks, how to prevent getting bitten and symptoms to watch for afterwards.  The leaflets are produced, naturally enough, by the New forest District council.  The main preventative method is to cover yourself as much as possible with the appropriate clothing.  Fsir enough, it's a trade off.

However:

Our Council has stopped cutting the grass except where they have to. This has happened over the last couple of years.  Daughter has moved into a Council flat in a tower block on an estate just up from the beach.  There are play and relaxing areas between the blocks which could be quite nice but the grass is knee height. There is a pathway to the beach across what used to be a large grassed area full of kids playing but is now above knee height grass with nettles and brambles getting a nice hold along the sides of the pathway. Then there is the beach which used to have the odd green growth area on it but, yes you've guessed, is rather overgrown in places and looks a right mess.

My daughter went to the drop in centre with a tick still wriggling in her arm last night.  A fortnight ago my little grand daughter also had a tick in her scalp. 

They had been no farther than the beach.  

Now daughter could strap Sproglet firmly in her buggy and not allow her out until they reached the play area.  Once there she could prevent her from playing on the beach or kicking her ball.  She could keep herself and the child covered completely when out side. BUT why should she?  Isn't a toddler allowed to explore and learn?

Bear in mind that on the way to the drop in centre we went past another of our large council estates and the grass areas had been cut and were being regularly cut.

As I said we live in a city, ticks are not something we would normally be concerned about - the odd murder, mugging and anti social behaviour is our norm!. She doesn't do wriggling things anyway, has read the leaflet and is worried about taking her daughter to the beach or play area.

Do you think she should be complaining?  

[leoleoleo123]

Ticks are horrid things..

I have never been unfortunate enough to be nabbed by one, but the dogs have had the odd one from running in the grass..

You could complain, although all you will probably hear is the 'not enough funds' cry..

wonder if you could google to see if there are any topical remedies that could be applied to deter the little monsters...?

[guardpig]

If there's funds for one council estate there should be funds for all of them!

Also, although not a sandy swimming beach it gives prime position for watching the cruise ships wandering up and down(free parking) and the beach/promenade is quite literally an eyesore.

[duck_a_lorange]

Did she take any pictures of the ticks?

Whether or no, let the local papers know.  You know, "toddler and mum in tick disease danger on local estate, council does nothing". They love that sort of thing.

Then watch the grass go pdq.

[artisanone11]

Citrus juice applied to the skin is supposed to keep them away, but then you get wasps. Eating lots of garlic is another one that's supposed to repel them.

[merc1_clocks]

That's shocking guardpig...I would do as duck suggests...you have nothing to lose !

[ilove2patch]

Yes I would complain. Then if they don't cut the grass contact the paper as Duck suggested.

[stan3502]

You could also try contacting your local environmental health department as they may have some influence in the council to recommend grass cutting in Daughters area

[ilove2patch]

If it is an area where children play what else could be in the long grass. Broken glass & dog mess?

[guardpig]

Did she take any pictures of the ticks?

Whether or no, let the local papers know.  You know, "toddler and mum in tick disease danger on local estate, council does nothing". They love that sort of thing.

Then watch the grass go pdq.

Ah Duck.  Think she'd be a tad embarrassed at that.  Will be ringing the local babygroup see if anybody else has a problem so they can do it.  There's a council by-election coming up next week and the local paper has it in for the "sitting tenants party" big time!.LOL

There's not many dogs around the area and the teenagers hang around in a brokendown disused area where the grass has been cut.

[stampingpat]

Since becoming a hedgehog carer I have had to deal with loads of ticks. And alot on my own hogs from my own garden. The grass around here, as I live on an estate is kept cut as is the grass of my neighbors gardens. The height of the grass isn't the cause of there being ticks. And neither is the presence of hedgehogs. Ticks exist and they find little places to hide everywhere. The thing is you need to not fear them but learn to deal with them. First off, I am not sure of the methods you have been taught to remove them, but the latest is to not upset the tick by putting oil on them, burning them, or squeezing them off. These methods could cause the tick to regurgitate the stomach contents back into the host victim. The best way is to use either a lasso tick remover that goes around the tick near the head of it, and gently twisted off. Or the Tom O ticks which are little hooks that again go up against the ticks head area and gently twisted.

    I think that since our hedgehogs in this area are under sheds where it is cool and dark and probably slightly damp, this is where possibly the ticks are. They do and will also get in the grass, but you could well pick up ticks, just about anywhere. The council is probably leaving the long grass areas because of wildlife that require this type of habitat. And our wild life is deminishing so I think they should be protected areas such as this available for them. I do know it is inconvient for some folks, but personally I would rather put up with a bit of bother and have the wildlife than to not have it around.

   If you would like more information you can visit this website. I along with alot of other wildlife carers have helped them out with their studies on ticks through out the country.

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Ticks/

[stampingpat]

Both tick remover types can be bought here on ebay too. That is where I got mine.

[ilove2patch]

That is interesting Pat. I hadn't thought of the wildlife. They are cutting the grass around here but less often than usual. Damson has never picked up a tick but my daughters Springer is always getting them. She uses a tick remover to get them off.:-) Thanks for the info.:-)

[guardpig]

Pat, the council is leaving it as an excuse.  We have roundabouts that are dangerous because one cannot see over the grass.  Daughter has picnic tables and play equipment outside flat totally surrounded by long grass though the bit arounf the actual tables has been cut, just not the bit to get to tables LOL.  It looks messy, it is messy and is totally un necessary.  There are enough "wild" and genuinely so, areas locally to her that more wildlife meadows do not need to be encouraged.  She doesn't have a garden, she has communal long grass, does one allow all of one's garden to grow wild or just some of it?

BIL ended up with Lymes disease from a tick.

We will be getting something to remove ticks with when we get chance.

[stampingpat]

In that case Guardpig, I would definately be getting after them. There should be long grassy areas, but not in communal areas around flats, etc. I did see a program on telly, I think a guardening program about leaving the long grass and wild flowers to grow. This was to help the bees and other pollinators. If we don't do something to help them we are going to be in big trouble as they are too on the decline as is the hedgehogs. If we loose them we as a species are in trouble. Our food depends on them.

Maggie, I am trying a little patch of my front garden where I leave it to grow natural sort of plants and wildflowers. I did get some seeds from some of our MDCC members to grow to help the bees and butterflies and other benificial insects. There is another person here in our estate that also has a mini wildlife meadow growing for them too. We really do need to start looking after our wildlife as once we loose it then we could be next.

[ilove2patch]

We have a private lane behind our twelve houses which is a lovely wild area. We need to keep some of the nettles down but the rest is lovely. I sprinkled some MDCC wild flower seeds along the sides last year & we now have poppies, lovage, wallflowers & loads more growing. The back is blackberry, hazel, ivy & hawthorn.:-)

[stampingpat]

Sounds really lovely Maggie. 🙂

[guardpig]

Where they have left it all wild for a couple of years on one of our local roundabouts it is just ugly brown long grass.  It used to be lovely in spring with daffs, then cut round them and then cut all over.  Trees giving shade and the grass and daisies it looked really nice.  Now it is just "skank" - as my daughter would say.

Beaut word that one.

They also have plans to turn our derelict boating lake into a "lovely wildflower meadow" where families can picnic and wildlife flourish - more like a tick, mossie, dog poo and broken glass one!.  Hold on what about the newts - which were the reason it couldn't be re-developed as a lake.  Bear in mind that the boating lake is surrounded by woods, sports pitches a golf course and plenty of wild life areas - aka long grass.  

[guardpig]

For bees the french lavender "papillon" is a real draw.

[stampingpat]

Sounds like they need some help from a wildlife gardener to give them some advice on what to plant. But if like most politions, they won't listen to those who know how to do things. 😞

I do like lavendar and have several plants in my wildflower patch. 🙂