Raising tick awareness

In recent years TCV has been involved in an initiative to increase public awareness of ticks, small spider-like creatures whose bites can transmit infections and cause illnesses such as Lyme disease.

Ticks are present throughout the UK, particularly in grassy and wooded areas. Anyone spending time in the outdoors such as hillwalkers, campers, dog walkers and conservationists, should be aware of the presence of ticks and their potential harm.

Climate change may also be impacting tick populations, as the recent mild winters in Scotland may have stopped ticks from dying off meaning more survive through the winter to start biting again in spring.

TCV was a partner in the What Makes Viruses Tick? project, led by the Brennan Lab at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. The project encouraged people to report tick ‘sightings and bitings’ on our online tick map. What Makes Viruses Tick? concluded in 2024, but you can still report tick sightings on the tick map, with the information being collated by the Lyme Resource Centre

Whilst the project is mainly concerned with tick sightings in Scotland, sightings from other parts of the UK and the rest of the world are welcome and can be recorded on the tick map, and this data will be shared with our project partners.

Tick map

Submit a sighting

Important: Please don’t go out looking for ticks!

If you/someone you know/your child/pet get bitten, then please let us know by filling in this short form.

Submit your sighting

Keeping tick safe

When you are out and about, it’s important to make sure you:

Wear long sleeved tops and trousers, ideally tucked into your socks.
Wear light-coloured clothes so the ticks are visible.
Stick to clear paths and try not to wade through vegetation especially long grass and bracken.
Take a spare pair of clothes to change into at the end of your activity.
Thoroughly check yourself for attached ticks at the end of your activity, and again when you get home.

If you do get bitten...

If you do get bitten make sure you:

Do not disturb or squash the tick’s body – this can make it regurgitate whatever it may be carrying (for example Lyme disease), and if you pop it the contents may spill onto your skin too.

An illustration of a squashed tick

Remove it quickly and safely (using a tick-removing tool or fine tweezers) by gripping the tick by the mouthparts as close to your skin as possible and pull steadily away from the skin.

Illustration of removing a tick from skin

Check the bite to make sure all the tick is removed.
Wash the bite and then apply antiseptic cream to the skin around the bite.
If there are bits of the tick you cannot remove yourself, or if you develop a circular red rash or flu-like symptoms – feeling hot and shivery, headaches, aching muscles or feel sick in the month after you are bitten – go and see your doctor as these could be symptoms of Lyme disease.