Don’t let them bite you. Protect yourself against ticks!
The risk of being bitten by a tick is highest between March and October. Ticks become active as soon as the temperature rises above 7 degrees Celsius. The risk of being bitten by a tick in the autumn or winter is very small. Unfortunately, ticks do reappear during early autumn or mild winter days. A mild winter can cause the number of ticks in spring to increase and with it, the risk of a tick bite. Be alert as soon as temperatures rise and you’re going outside.
Ticks are tiny spider-like parasites that are almost invisible to the naked eye. They survive by feeding on blood from ‘hosts’, animals and humans.
This parasite is very small and clings with small barbs and pierces the skin with a hypostome (saw-like organ). At that moment, a tick is literally stuck: you cannot move it without using special material. It can be dangerous to remove a tick incorrectly, as the tick can release its infection into your skin incorrectly. So always remove a tick with a special tick remover. This way you reduce the chance of an infection, such as Lyme disease.
You often only discover a tick after it has bitten into your skin and sucked in blood. Therefore, check yourself after you have been outside in nature and after gardening.
Don’t let them bite you. Protect yourself from the tick!
The danger comes from below
Because the tick comes from below, out of the bushes, grass and the heather, it is important to protect your feet. It is therefore best to tuck your trouser legs into your socks. This can be done with regular socks, although ticks will still climb up looking for a place to bite. A wiser choice are socks impregnated with permethrin. This agent is an insecticide that repels ticks and is harmless to humans. Care Plus ® Bugsox are an example of impregnated socks. The tick does not get a chance to crawl up through your foot and bite your skin, as soon as they come into contact with the socks they let go.
Prevention is better then cure
Preventing a tick bite is better than cure. With warmer temperatures, the ticks also reappear, which makes it necessary to think about prevention in good time. A tick can be infected with the Borrelia bacteria, which can cause Lyme disease. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to enjoy being outside carefree.
The tick is very strong and can survive for a long time. The first piece of advice is always to stay on the trails, tuck your pants in with your socks, and always do a thorough tick check when you get home. There are a number of other things you can do to be on the road really safe, and above all carefree. For example, we recommend that you use Anti-Insect DEET, a strong mosquito and tick repellent, to use. Depending on the chosen concentration, DEET protects against ticks for 3 to 5 hours.
Our tips at a glance:
- Stay on paths and avoid tall grass and bushes.
- Wear light clothes with long sleeves.
- Tuck your trouser legs into your socks.
- Wear tick-resistant socks.
- Apply an insect repellent such as Anti-Insect Natural or Anti-Insect DEET.
- Check yourself and each other after a day out in nature.
Do you suffer from ticks in your garden? Then a chicken is also a good solution. Chickens pick the ticks from the grass. What you can also do is cut the grass short. Ticks don’t like that.
Importance of tick bite prevention
Why is it so important to prevent a tick bite? A tick can carry the Borrelia bacteria, which in turn can cause Lyme disease – especially if there is a long time between the bite and the treatment. Because a tick bite does not hurt, does not cause a bump or itch and is difficult to recognize, it is important not to get a tick bite. In addition, the diagnosis of Lyme disease is difficult to establish, because the symptoms vary greatly from person to person and from time to time. Many symptoms also resemble other diseases, such as MS.
FSME is also a viral infection that can be transmitted by a tick bite. The virus is transmitted to humans immediately after the bite. As a result, contamination cannot be prevented. Unlike Lyme disease, there is a vaccine for this condition. The disease is common in European holiday countries, mainly in the area east of France to Russia. Vaccination is strongly recommended if you travel to one of the risk areas and spend a lot of time in nature.
Anti-Tick
Based on natural lemon-eucalyptus extracts and contains no DEET. Anti-Tick can be used on children from 3 months.
Bugsox
Optimal protection for your feet, ankles and lower legs? That’s what our impregnated Bugsox provide.
Anti-Insect Natural
Made with natural lemon eucalyptus extracts and does not contain DEET. Natural can be used on children from 3 months.
Remove ticks
Got a tick bite? Time for action. Ticks are almost invisible when they walk on your skin or when they have just bitten themselves. It can be dangerous to remove a tick the wrong way because the tick can release its infection into your skin the wrong way. Therefore, always remove a tick, within 8 hours, with a special tick remover. This way you reduce the chance of an infection, such as Lyme disease.
Remove the tick with the right tool as quickly as possible after the bite: there is a minimal risk of infection when you remove the tick within eight hours after a tick bite. Record the date and the location of the bite when you removed the tick. Keep an eye on the affected area over the course of three months: skin colouration and other symptoms of Lyme disease may still occur after a few weeks or months. A red circle around the area of the bite, called Erythema Migrans, indicates this disease. This only occurs in 50% of infections.
When do I consult my general practitioner?
Even when you have safely removed the tick, symptoms may still occur. Always keep an eye on the area of the bite and the skin around it. Should a red circle appear after having removed the tick, contact your general practitioner immediately for a course of antibiotics. The quicker you get to it, the higher the chances of preventing infection.
Symptoms may still occur without having a red circle on your skin. If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, such as muscle ache and/or fever, consult your doctor. It is better to be safe than sorry in case of a tick bite.
In some cases, skin problems, nervous complaints and heart problems may occur. You may also experience joint pain. This may happen if the infection has not been adequately treated in the first stage, or can be a manifestation of the first stage of Lyme disease. Not everyone has the same symptoms and complaints don’t all develop at the same time. If in doubt, always see your GP when you have any of the above symptoms.
Tick Remover
Remove the tick with ease, within 8 hours, with our Tick Remover.
Insect SOS Gel
Ease the pain of a bite with Insect SOS Gel.
Ticks-2-Go
Handy for your keychain: the Ticks-2-Go tick pincers.
Lyme disease
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by Borrelia Burgdorferi bacteria (spirochaete). It is transmitted by the sheep tick, the tick that occurs in most of Europe, Asia and the United States. Lyme disease is a nasty disease because the symptoms resemble other diseases and can have severe long-term effects. If you have any of the following symptoms following a tick bite, consult your doctor immediately.
The symptoms
Sometime after the tick bite, you can get flu-like symptoms, such as headache, stiff neck, fever, muscle ache and fatigue. These symptoms can disappear by themselves. When the Lyme bacteria spreads (disseminates) through the body, you can get several or combined symptoms. After which the symptoms usually persist and can develop into neurological, dermatological, cardiological, ophthalmological and psychiatric symptoms. Lyme disease is a multi-system disease, so you never suffer from one symptom, but from a combination of several.
The development of Lyme disease can be divided into 3 stages:
- local skin infection
- disseminated infection early on
- chronic Lyme-Borreliosis
The local skin infection does not occur in every patient, although treatment is most successful in that stage. There is no clear standard for diagnosing Lyme.
Borrelia Burgdorferi bacteria (spirocheet)
