No, this blog entry isn't about time slipping by. It's about ticks. We are facing an infestation of them. Not at the level of Exodus but for some reason this year, in southern Illinois, ticks are abundant. It doesn't help that we have two dogs in our backyard. We've found about a half a dozen plumped-up boogers in the house and I am totally grossed out (do your best valley-girl).
I am from the city. I grew up in a suburb in southern California. Ticks are from the country. I am not used to having nature so close to me, leeching off my existence. I muttered to Dave, ashamed of myself, "I could watch someone give birth but I don't think I could remove a tick from you, hon!"
If anyone has remedies for this plague, PLEASE pass them on to us.
P.S. I though of including of photo of a tick (obtain from flickr) but the idea of looking at that parasite everytime I opened up my blog brought bile up from my innards. So enjoy the clock.
4 comments:
Sorry you didn't ever get to vacation in the Ozarks Barbie. There was the ritual of being checked over and then having the tick removed (with head in tack) via the heat method. That was back in the days that Dave's grandparents smoked. You take a piece of cardboard (matchbook cover) and put a hole in it about the size of the tick and hold it over the tick, apply heat (burnt match, cigarette ??)and watch the little critter back out.
U. Kev...suggests flea and tick collars for whomever.
Do check heads (of your family) as well as those out of the way crevices. When they (ticks) are out flush them down the toilet....they're really hard to kill. My bet it's all the moisture.
Barb.......
In addition Campho-Phenique works well with a cotton swab. If thats not available, alcohol will work. On a final note. If you have any game, you'll let the bugger gorge itself to the size of a quarter or what looks to be a Mario Olive. Remove, and then squash it on the driveway. Its a new blood sport...the kids will love it.
So KG, is the alcohol for me to take before removing the tick, or do you swab the tick with it?
Ticks are HORRIBLE in S. Illinois. And I have no idea what to say to do to "get rid of them." I know how to remove them from the body - but as far as the infestation...ugh. It seems to me that the ticks AND the chiggers have gotten worse there in the past 5 years.
Do frequent tick checks. AS in - every night. The most difficult ones are the deer ticks at nymph stage. They are so hard to see!
Once they are removed from the person (by heat method)- we always either flush them - or put them in a solution of dishwashing liquid to kill them.
Ticks are grotesque - particularly when they swell up to olive size...ugh. I have such gross memories from childhood of picking 60 ticks at a time off of the dog. Yes - it is a sort of sport - but quite a sickening one!
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