I love nature, being outdoors, but you have to admit there are some aspects that are challenging. Ticks feature very prominently on that list. Don’t get me wrong, they are impressive beasts, smart, patient, and tenacious. You know if it weren’t for the blood sucking and debilitating diseases bug-a-boo they might make good pets, you know for those people that think bugs are pets. (That is a whole nother blog)
Every day I go out to the pole barn there are four to six of them all lined up on the door frame. Not on the hinge side but the handle side. The side the dog and I brush up against as I open the door. Like I said smart. And patient, I mean seriously their whole mode of transport is getting to a spot and standing there with their little arms out just waiting for some unsuspecting warm-blooded creature to come close. That’s almost as bad as flying stand by.
We are in a kind of heavy tick area. I have gotten used to them, I pick dozens off after every walk and even more when I work with the hay. Though there is nothing worse than walking through a tick nest. You can be covered in hundreds in an instant. God forbid you are wearing jeans, or work pants. The seems on those are perfect for them to jam their little heads in and hide.
I am not happy to kill living things but with ticks, well let’s just say I make an exception. There are many and varied ways to do this. My preferred method is fire. We have a little metal bowl that comes out at the first sign of the little blood suckers, usually in April. They die by the match.
If we are in the shop, stabbing with a 16 penny nail does the trick quickly. Some opt for a jar of alcohol and others use what I heard referred to as tick-er tape. A roll of duct tape sticky side out left in various places throughout the house. Just stick the little buggers on there and toss it when it’s full.
I truly hate to admit this, but I have gotten quite good at ripping their little heads off when I find them during the middle of the night. That is the price I pay for letting the dog in the bed. He has a tick preventative so they leave him and find me. I can wake up with several attached. Not fun. And believe me when you are old and fat there are so many more flaps and folds you have to examine.
But it is just a part of living in the woods. And wouldn’t give that up for the world.
May any nest you find be filled with furry or feathered sweet faced critters.
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