Environment. Walks, hikes… Weather maps soon to be updated to guard against ticks

This news will delight Sunday strollers and hikers alike! French researchers from INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment), have created a map that indicates the most favorable areas for ticks, the very dangerous vectors and insects. Lyme disease.

This project was also part of the national plan to fight this disease transmitted by the Ixodes Ricinus tick. (vegetation, soil, etc.). Researchers also created a model that predicts tick exposure based on weather conditions. The idea was to combine the map with the model to better predict the risk.

Map drawn by Isabelle Lebert and Magalie Rene-Martellet and Karine Chalvet-Monfray, shows that ticks prefer the Centre, North-East, and South-West regions of France. This is in contrast to the Mediterranean rim or high mountains where it is more subtle.

Map showing areas that are most favorable for ticks

Although ticks love to hop in humid forests and trees, that’s not all. According to Public Health France, 52% of bites occur in the forest, while 22% are at the edges of meadows or meadows. 16% take place in gardens.

Our Parisian Isabelle Lebert (research engineer at Inrae), who was involved in the creation of the map, stated that “certain factors favor its development, such as the density of wildlife ungulates or the vegetation on the ground, or the altitude”. She adds that they are not fond of tarmac, rock areas, and high altitudes and prefer hardwood forests over coniferous forests.

The spring seems to be a time when ticks are active, but the activity is different at the top of the Massif Central and in Toulouse, according to Karine Chalvet Montfray, a Parisian epidemiologist who was part of the research.

The researchers have created a forecasting model that allows them to predict whether a municipality will be “invaded”.

It is possible to receive alerts on your smartphone or on TV very soon, informing you of a high likelihood of ticks being present in certain areas. This risk would be updated daily, according to the Meteo France vigilance maps.