Friday

M is for Mini Monsters


Warm weather is here, and outdoor enthusiasts rejoice. At the same time, we’re starting to pick ticks off our pets and even ourselves.

Arachnophobia isn’t just a fear of spiders. Ticks are part of that family as well. These parasitic creatures love to latch onto host creatures (like our four-legged friends, or us!) and suck our blood. In the process, they can transmit germs, such as Lyme Disease.

Look out for ticks in the lawn, the garden, the woods and other outdoor spots. Tall brushes and grasses may be their favorite spots, but ticks can even jump from tree branches. (Don’t ask.) 

And be sure to do a body check in the shower. Look closely! The smallest ticks are usually the most disease-transmitting ones of all.

Need some tips on ticks?

Check out these informative tick articles, published by a variety of web writers.

10 Tips for Removing a Tick from a Human or Animal – Linda Ann Nickerson
Ticks are perennial pests, especially in warm-weather. Horses to humans, canines to cats, many creatures may be affected by these pesky parasites. What is a tick, and how can you remove a tick from a human or animal? Here are ten tips for tick removal.

Fleas and Ticks: A Nightmare for Pets and You – Greg Spinks
Some flea and tick treatments pose risks to humans and pets.
How to Reduce Ticks in Your Yard Without Chemicals – Jo Brielyn
Here are some chemical free ways to reduce ticks in your yard and around your home.

Nasty Blood Sucking Ticks - Ten Things You May Not Know – Rodney Southern
Summertime means ticks. These nasty blood suckers are quite dangerous and one should know all they can about them. Knowledge is power when it comes to tick control.

Summer Brings Increased Risk for Lyme Disease – Debra Cornelius
Lyme Disease, also known as Tick Fever, is an infection caused by a bacterium that is carried by deer ticks. With early diagnosis and treatment Lyme disease is easily cured.

CDC offers Lyme Disease pointers for equestrians and outdoorsmen – Linda Ann Nickerson
Whoa! Lyme Disease is a perennial problem for equestrians, farm staffers, outdoor sports participants and others that spend plenty of time enjoying nature. Annually, tens of thousands of Americans develop Lyme Disease symptoms after bites by infected ticks.

Summer Means Fun and Ticks Bearing Lyme Disease – Kim Remesch
If you're a lover of the great outdoors, pay attention to the little critters who may bring your summer meandering to a screeching halt. Ticks. The little guys bring Lyme Disease which bring a lot of pain and aggravation.

Ticks Can Cause Lyme Disease, Not Romance – Linda M. McCloud
The song "Ticks" has an amusing theme and title. Some women may love the idea of going off into the woods with a man like Brad Paisley and allowing him to check her over for ticks. But in real life ticks is not amusing or romantic. They can be dangerous.

Upper Midwest and Eastern states named high-risk Lyme Disease areas – Linda Ann Nickerson
A multi-disciplinary and multi-university team of scientific researchers tracked deer ticks nationwide for three years, capturing and analyzing the arachnids for the presence of the borrelia burgdorferi, or Lyme Disease bacterium.

Just for fun (OK, you had to know this was coming), here’s Brad Paisley’s “Ticks.”

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Last year’s A to Z post: Makin’ Muffins


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Image/s:
Puppy and Ticks
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3 comments:

  1. No ticks in my lawn. They'd drown. This is Seattle after all. The wetlands are a different matter though.

    I'm a new follower via the A to Z.

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  2. I live in the desert, so we don't have much of a tick problem. If we go up in the mountains, we have to be careful. They get more rain up there.

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  3. I live in Florida and ticks are in abundance already. I am very leery of them and always telling family members to check themselves. My sister was hospitalized when she was about 2 yrs, very sick and very high fevers, finally docs discovered a tick that had crawled inside her ear.

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