I’ve been outside a lot the past few days, and have encountered one of the consequences… ticks. I’ve found several on me and have gotten rid of them in the usual way. I’m a live and let live sort of fellow in general, and do not blame bees and wasps for stinging when they feel threatened. (See http://tedsoldan.com/?p=976 for an example.) Critters like ticks, mosquitoes, and blackflies, that seek me out for my warm blood don’t merit such treatment.
My typical method is to first find the tick on me, squeeze between thumb and forefinger to keep it in one place, and then seek out a piece of scratch paper. I drop the tick into the center of the paper, wad it up around the doomed creature, and then stick it in the woodstove firebox.
I’ve been told that the brain is aware of everything touching one’s skin, but that it learns quickly that clothing is not to be feared, and turns off the tickle feeling after a while. Well, once the tick season starts, that filter deteriorates quickly, and I, for one, feel like things are constantly crawling on me. Fortunately for us the bad part of the tick season is only a few weeks. Then it will be the mosquitoes’ turn for a while. Oh and did I mention the Deer Flies? Don’t get me started on the Deer Flies! (I just learned from the above referenced Wiki article that next building wasps and hornets prey on Deer Flies. Isn’t life strange?)