Some follow-up to my big tick primer from last year:
I explained to my doctor that I am immense (at 6 feet and 200 lbs my skin could upholster an Italian sports car), hairy, and near-sighted, so being told “inspect yourself for ticks” is basically demonic cruelty. She had a smart suggestion: shower when you get inside going over yourself thoroughly with a loofa. I’m gonna buy one of these or else one of these.
Problems:
1. Must inspect loofah after shower for any embedded ticks.
2. Ticks might go down drain and (yikes) climb back up.
BTW, best way to kill a tick (I love this!) is to trap it in an inch of tape stuck to itself. This also preserves the specimen if you need it checked by a lab for Lyme virus. Crap, I already wrote this
.
I feel conflicted about killing ticks. On one hand they are a lyme disease transmitting parasite and on the other they possess some level of intelligence and are food for other animals. I went hardcore on the vegan path and a firehose of correct and incorrect data was thrown at me, I was told all animals could feel pain, but I am unsure if ticks can. In short, I have a spot in my yard where I throw all the blood suckers, call me a bleeding heart liberal, but I just can't stand to kill ticks.
ReplyDeleteHaving vegan leanings I also feel weird about cyborg moths, turtles, and mice. What do you think?
"Researchers Steer Cyborg Mice Through Maze with Brain Stimulation"
Btw, no captcha needed.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/researchers-steer-cyborg-mice-through-maze-with-brain-stimulation