Anyone else hate TICKS as much as me????

[SandraMort]

My oldest daughter had Lyme as a toddler. A friend's 17 year old son is hospitalized due to complications from it . He's been in the hospital for six or seven weeks now and there may be permanent brain damage from undiagnosed Lyme. SCARY STUFF.

My landlady and I discussed this before I moved in. This property is infested with deer ticks and she strongly encouraged me to free range my birds to eat them. That's all well and good, but now we're losing them to hawks. SO, I'm probably going to have to put them in an enclosed run most of the time and get semi-disposable guinea hens next year. I feel bad about being so callous about it but I'd rather see the hens get picked off one at a time than risk my kids' health.

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[SandraMort]

That would explain a LOT. Either that or he wears heavy boots, long socks, pants, long sleeved shirts and other protection from the bushes... and I wear skirts with no tights or socks, leaving my legs exposed. Both could be true.

When I lived at my inlaws' house, we pulled ticks off of me at least once a month and I never even went into the woods!

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[BFeathered]

Actually, Baldie and Ugly Cowboy probably just don't taste good! (kidding) Ticks are one of the few things that flip my "GET IT OFF ME NOW!" switch (cockroaches are the other one). Got lucky this year with the ticks, but in NC, they were the worst! We tried curling iron, matches (they just got hot), alcohol (drunk) and everything else, but they're just nasty. I wish everyone out there good health, good luck avoiding these nasties, and perhaps a bit of strategic extinction. (Can anyone honestly tell me that ticks have a useful place in the ecosystem?!)

 

[SandraMort]

How about ticks are Mother Nature's revenge for all the nasty stuff we've done to the planet?

 

[speckledhen]

Well, they sure must be revenge for something! Ick.

 

[lovemychix]

I dislike ticks.....they are nasty little insects, I hate snakes. I will hardly even walk in tall grass anymore after I had one slither over my foot once.

 

[SandraMort]

I love snakes, love love love snakes. They do good things for the planet, they're almost never poisonous, and the pet ones are warm and cuddly!

 

[BFeathered]

Warm and cuddly? Well, I do like em, they feel nice and smooth and are beautiful, and eat the moles, mice and rats, so I encourage them in my yard!

 

[speckledhen]

Well, one benefit of winter is the ticks take a holiday! So do those nasty scorpions.

 

[suebee]

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Yes, they are bad here in NC. I suffered with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever all summer. I'm okay now, thanks to antibiotics.

Some people say to spread sulfur all over your yard. Ticks and Chiggers (redbugs) will be gone.