Comment by toss1 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by toss1 | Hacker News Reader

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Yes, they will definitely keep climbing on you until they find a 'good spot'. The bite is also usually painless, so they can often hang on unnoticed for hours or days (iirc, they inject a numbing agent, as getting noticed kind of ends their life cycle).

I read an article that described their basic algorithm as climb to the top of whatever they are on, blade of grass, shrub branch, etc., and just hang out there waving their arms until something brushes by and they snag it, then climb again until they find a good spot.

In New England, I've had to get in the habit of immediately dropping the clothes in the wash, showering, and then diligently checking the whole body for tics after a run, mtn bike, or hike. And I still occasionally find one hours later. The good thing is that they don't really inject the disease until they've been attached and biting for 24 hours or so and are mostly engorged.

Definitely a hazard to be diligent about!

[edt: spelling]

In your experience, can a tick attach to you if you just brush against it while moving fast (running or cycling)? They're rather slow-moving, so I thought they can't latch onto you that quickly.

YES, especially to any fabric such as socks, shorts, etc. seem especially good for them to snag, considering the number of times I've caught them crawling up a leg or something. I'd guess less so against a shaved leg or something, but still check diligently, since shoes, socks, etc.

Running is probably an ideal speed for them to snag you (think how they'd be snagging deer, dogs, etc), and I've never found biking fast enough to not get them. It seems like they don't grab by any reflex, but just by hanging a few hooks out in the breeze to snag whatever comes by.

Another thing I found that I didn't expect -- I'd guessed that they'd be most active in hotter weather, making motion easier, etc., but it seems that the most active times are moderate temps, maybe 10-25C (50-77F), but we still need to watch out outside of that range. I've seen them all the way down to almost freezing and up in the 30C+/90F+ range.

I've had ticks attach themselves to me cycling off road in Scotland when it was very rough and I was cycling slowly through quite thick and very wet undergrowth on an old unused track.

Edit: I had no idea Lyme Disease was a risk here:

http://www.ticscotland.org.uk/incidence

> And I still occasionally find one hours later

On yourself even after taking a shower, or in your clothes that you threw into the wash?

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