Globally, ticks are on the rise. They have been crawling around our planet for at least 100 million years, and in that time they have evolved into 850 species and built enough defences to put us on the losing end of a health battle. The British Isles, with our temperate climate, are at the heart of the global rise.
Many have cited global warming as a primary factor in driving up tick numbers. Warm and humid weather does favour tick biology. The number of months in which they are active is becoming longer with the milder winters and wetter summers. Even tick eggs are hatching much earlier. Numerous studies have shown that ticks have extended their ranges in the northern hemisphere. Beyond climate, there
