Dare I say it but for the past few days it has really felt like Spring has arrived, and whilst the dogs have been lazily soaking up the rays, the garden creep-crawlies have been quietly shaking off their winter sleep and going about their business in the sunshine – certainly here we have an abundance of ladybirds already, along with bumblebees and yellow butterflies. But the warmer weather heralds the emergence of the not-so-pretty spring visitors too – ticks!
Ticks are blood-sucking arachnids (spider family) and can be found in gardens, parks, woods and other rural and grassy environments. Ticks are very active during the spring and autumn, but can remain a problem throughout the summer if weather conditions are favourable. If you have never seen a tick, this is what one looks like in close-up:
