Interested in rewilding my garden but....ticks??

aismac · 21-08-2021 4:58pm #1

Hi there,

I'm interested in at least partially rewilding my garden. It's not ginormous, but it's a decent size, in suburban south Dublin. My concern if I let the grass grow long is ticks? I picked one up while in Leitrim the year before last and it freaked me out I'll admit. I was put on antibiotics as a precaution but showed no symptoms of Lyme. I have two dogs so there'd be no avoiding going through the long grasses, though we use strong 3-month anti-tick repellent on them. I thought the situation was much worse in Ireland along the west and northwest coasts until my vet told me that she had a puppy come in recently covered in them from the house garden (just up the road from me).

Just wondering what peoples' experiences have been, tips are. Can anything be done to keep them at bay when it's in a relatively small, enclosed space? Would pesticides by the only option there?

Thank you,

Aisling

10-10-20 · 21-08-2021 10:01pm

It's hardly an issue unless you have regular deer, badger and fox visitors. Is the garden enclosed by a reasonable wall?

aismac · 22-08-2021 4:08pm

Only partially and there's loads of foxes in the area and they definitely visit the garden - we see them regularly, even during the day

and they leave their mark too :) I see them most nights if I'm out walking or driving too. So yes, definitely an issue. Obviously no deer, or sheep :D

Jim_Hodge · 22-08-2021 6:15pm

I have foxes, long grass, no deer and never had an issue with ticks.

Suckit · 22-08-2021 6:21pm

I let my back garden grow wild this year until two days ago I tackled big areas of it. Still areas completely wild. The dog was out in it most of the time, I was out in it a lot during the summer, we have at least one fox that regularly visits. No issues with ticks as a result of it.

Jim_Hodge · 22-08-2021 6:24pm

OP, what area of brass are you talking about?

Bawnmore · 23-08-2021 3:46pm

For what it's worth, our garden was fairly wild until recently and we had an awful problem with ticks on the dogs. I was removing at least 1 a day from each of our 2 dogs and more some days. We're in tick central in Connemara though and wild here means rushes and boggy land with all sorts of wildlife passing through (lots of sheep, deer etc).

23-08-2021 3:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117793597#Comment_117793597

Would you not give your dogs a monthly treatment that deters ticks from latching, the treatment ( a tablet) may be the tick bited but never stays put to suck blood. Id have thought this would be essential for anyone in the countryside? my vet recommends simparica, not in a tick area imo, Im sure simparica is for fleas,ticks and mites and only requires a 3 monthly worm dose if used. I dont think Id notice if my dog had a tick and she has short hair.

which we use monthly. Honestly I think its easier than searching for ticks

Bawnmore · 23-08-2021 4:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117793643#Comment_117793643

We've tried everything - drops, tablets, collars, shampoos. They're both long haired dogs (rough collies) and the ticks seem to be able to grab a hold of their coats handy as they walked through the rushes and latch on. Nothing we tried did anything to stop it. We levelled the garden and now have lawn and I haven't seen one in a few months.

Admittedly we never tried simparica as the vet never suggested it. Might be worth a shot.

dePeatrick · 23-08-2021 4:21pm

I’ve badgers, foxes and hedgehogs in garden and get about one tick a year on cat, myself maybe once every five years.

23-08-2021 8:34pm

my understanding is with simparica use,the tick might bite, but then drops off, not sure if it kills the tick or it doesnt like the taste and drops off, we used a different tablet previously,but I think it was only for fleas as there are lots of stray cats near and in the garden. Anything bought at a vet will be more effective than whats available over the counter at a pet shop or anywhere like it, even told the same thing in a petshop.

edit, it kills ticks, mites and fleas, releases a chemical into the animals blood that goes to a layer under their skin. Not sure if its for all simparica versions, but some versions seem to do certain types of worms also. Essential for a cat or dog owner imo, relieve the animal of parasites, discomfort from that and any other connected problems.

Bawnmore · 24-08-2021 11:08am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117794688#Comment_117794688

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117793722#Comment_117793722

I'm going to check that out - thanks.

aismac · 24-08-2021 12:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117793722#Comment_117793722

One of my dogs is a rough collie, the other a pom cross so both very shaggy. We use the 3 month treatment but honestly....from reading I think we'll stick to the short grass for now because checking every day and worrying about them being carried into the house, doesn't seem worth it just yet...

fryup · 29-08-2021 10:45am

always thought it was a tropical disease?

New Home · 29-08-2021 5:16pm

It's not a tropical disease, but just like not all anopheles mosquitos carry malaria (only the infected ones do), not all ticks are Lyme disease carriers.

aismac · 30-08-2021 3:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117818115#Comment_117818115

This is from 2011:

...shows incidences of Lyme, only on the west coast at that time. I have a place in Leitrim and a woman a couple of miles away was bitten recently and developed a bad case from the outset - facial paralysis etc. I've been bitten down there too and also lived in the East coast of the USA where it's very common so I'd be very cautious!

NIMAN · 30-08-2021 3:36pm

Strange map that, loads of purple but no purple on the legend?

aismac · 30-08-2021 3:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117823731#Comment_117823731

I know 😁 I can't explain that. It wouldn't let me post a link but it's from ticktalkireland blog if you want to google...

aismac · 30-08-2021 3:39pm

Maybe the purple is incidences of people who're scared of ticks 😁

NIMAN · 30-08-2021 3:42pm

Last summer our little girl came in from walking in the field behind our house, and the OH noticed a tick on the side of her shin bone.

It was hanging on for dear life, really took a lot of effort to prize it off her. I'd say we caught it just in time.

Bawnmore · 30-08-2021 3:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117823726#Comment_117823726

We're in one of the red areas on that map. Our biggest concern has always been that the dogs will carry something into the house (which they did, all the time) and one of the kids will get bitten. There have been cases locally where peoples lives have been changed forever by tick bites.

New Home · 30-08-2021 6:36pm

Yes, I know someone who ended up in ICU with full blown encephalitis, from a tick bite. It took him months of rehab to get better. Thankfully, cases like that aren't very common.

Alun · 30-08-2021 6:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117824536#Comment_117824536

Yes, many people think Lyme disease is the only thing you can get from a tick bite, but TBE or Tick Borne Encephalitis is another extremely dangerous one.

john9876 · 30-08-2021 6:55pm

Is Lyme disease something new in ticks or has it always been there?

We used to spend half our life playing in the hay shed as a child and would regularly have to remove ticks and never heard of Lyme disease back then? Mind you this was 50 years ago and we used to call them Sciorthans (spelling probably wrong).

Suckit · 30-08-2021 6:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117824597#Comment_117824597

I think this is where it was first discovered, but not sure if it made it's way here, or is in all ticks.

https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Epidemiology-and-Emerging-Infections/A-Brief-History-of-Lyme-Disease-in-Connecticut

Pawwed Rig · 30-08-2021 6:58pm

A friend of mine in South Dublin contracted Lime disease from tics.

No joke I tell you. She suffered hugely with it and life will never be the same again

New Home · 30-08-2021 7:16pm

Having said all that, unless you've concrete instead of a lawn, I don't think "rewilding" your garden would be much different to having a lawn, tick-wise, but it'd be much better for biodiversity and for providing a habitat for innumerable life-forms, including those for whom a tick would be a tasty meal.

magicbastarder · 30-08-2021 7:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117824612#Comment_117824612

needless to say, i can't find the link now, but i read an article a month or two back which mentioned that lyme disease seemingly affects women worse than men, and it's being looked into whether this is down to the same underlying factors that women are more likely to suffer from long covid. i think there was a hint in the article that if there's a breakthrough in understanding long covid, it may assist sufferers of long term lyme disease.

[Deleted User] · 31-08-2021 7:10am

@john9876 it’s sciortán - you’re not far off spelling wise. I’m in the west and don’t worry about too much about it to be honest. If you see a large round circle of red around the bite then you go to the doctor to get it treated and you won’t get lymes disease. Otherwise you’ll be grand. Most tick bites don’t produce that. Be aware 😉

Rewild the garden. Life is not without any danger. Know what to look out for. Enjoy the plants and insects in your garden. Keep the rushes back.

Alun · 31-08-2021 9:23am

Be aware that not all Lyme infections cause the rash, known as erythema migrans. If it's not there but you have any of the other symptoms, you should still go to the doctor.

RainInSummer · 04-09-2021 5:58pm

I've had Lymes twice. No rash in either case. It's not a cert that you'll get that bullseye circle around the bite.

Interested in rewilding my garden but....ticks??

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