BBC News, SomersetA tick has to be attached to a person for a while before it can give the lyme bacteriaThe UKA small number of the insects carry lyme disease, which canEcologist Nathan Orr said warmer, wetter winters are not killing off as many of the ticks as in the past.
Experts told BBC Radio Somerset that wearing long trousers on walks and checking for tick bites are the best ways to prevent the disease. Mr Orr, an ecologist for the Mendips Hill National Landscapes, said: "We think the warmer and wetter weather this winter hasn't caused a die-out of populations you would normally see when it's a much colder winter."How worried should we be?"Lyme disease is a very debilitating disease, it's the only disease carried by an organism in the UK that can be fatal.
"I know it's really tempting in the hot weather to go walking in your shorts, but there are a whole range of problems you might encounter if you are wearing shorts on your walks."It has to be attached to you for quite a long time before it can give you the bacteria."