Ticks

notherbob;3396980 said:
Living on a cattle ranch in west central Texas, any time I work with the cattle, I have to check every crease and cranny all over carefully for ticks. One day after fixing a fence down by the creek I pulled 22 of them off me. If you get them the first day, the head usually comes out with the tick intact. I just grasp them and with a steady pressure pull straight out and out they come but if you miss any of them they are harder to remove intact the second day onward.

We have had very few ticks the last 10-12 years as the fire ants have moved in and pretty much wiped them out. Back in the 90s if you turned over a rock there would be scorpions, spiders, centipedes, crickets and all kinds of things under every rock but since the fire ants moved in that's all you find under rocks anymore, almost nothing but fire ants. We used to have lots of quail and other ground-nesting birds like Kildeers but no more, the fire ants eat their young and they are now all but extinct, just like the horned toads we used to have.

The fire ants are changing things a lot more than most people know about, you probably don't notice it in town but you can really tell the difference out here.

That's such a shame. You would think someone would have found a way to kill all of them.
 
I've pulled ticks off my stray cats before, but have been lucky enough to get the entire thing every time.
 
notherbob;3396980 said:
Living on a cattle ranch in west central Texas, any time I work with the cattle, I have to check every crease and cranny all over carefully for ticks. One day after fixing a fence down by the creek I pulled 22 of them off me. If you get them the first day, the head usually comes out with the tick intact. I just grasp them and with a steady pressure pull straight out and out they come but if you miss any of them they are harder to remove intact the second day onward.

We have had very few ticks the last 10-12 years as the fire ants have moved in and pretty much wiped them out. Back in the 90s if you turned over a rock there would be scorpions, spiders, centipedes, crickets and all kinds of things under every rock but since the fire ants moved in that's all you find under rocks anymore, almost nothing but fire ants. We used to have lots of quail and other ground-nesting birds like Kildeers but no more, the fire ants eat their young and they are now all but extinct, just like the horned toads we used to have.

The fire ants are changing things a lot more than most people know about, you probably don't notice it in town but you can really tell the difference out here.

I'm not one who runs around getting all weird over insects but I HATE, LOATHE and DESPISE fire ants.

When I was 10 years old, I stepped in a nest of them when we were still living in Louisiana. I can tell you, outside of the kidney stones I've had, that was the worst pain I had felt. Thought my foot would burn up or explode.

I always believed all creatures were made by God. But I'm thinking maybe the devil snuck one in.
 
Cajuncowboy;3397017 said:
I'm not one who runs around getting all weird over insects but I HATE, LOATHE and DESPISE fire ants.

When I was 10 years old, I stepped in a nest of them when we were still living in Louisiana. I can tell you, outside of the kidney stones I've had, that was the worst pain I had felt. Thought my foot would burn up or explode.

I always believed all creatures were made by God. But I'm thinking maybe the devil snuck one in.

I hate them too.

Mosquitos come in at a close second.
 
Option #2 is to leave it in and become a superhero.

The%20Tick%204.jpg
 
How can you even tell you have the head? They're so small and blunt I could never tell.

A couple years ago after a walk in the park I found 3 on me and very unscientifically scraped them the hell off and jumped into the shower.
 
silverbear;3396770 said:
Ordinarily, what you do is touch a lighted cigarette to the back end of the tick, which causes it to back out on its own... but it sounds like you did the wrong thing, which is to say you tried to pull the tick, and only managed to rip the body from the head of the thing, so that the head alone is still embedded...

If that's the case, I don't know what you do... but for the next time, remember the lighted cigarette trick, it works...

My mother used to light a match, blow it out, and then press the burning red ember against the tick. Seemed to do the trick every time.
 
bbgun;3397030 said:
My mother used to light a match, blow it out, and then press the burning red ember against the tick. Seemed to do the trick every time.

Then she scratched you behind the ear gave you warm milk and then put you out on the back porch? :D
 
Who the **** gets Ticks?

I live in East Texas and I have never gotten a Tick embedded in me before.

Take a bath for Gods sake.


(P.S. ...... all playing aside ..... go to a doctor.)
 
Doomsday101;3397037 said:
Then she scratched you behind the ear gave you warm milk and then put you out on the back porch? :D

When I was 6 or 7, I got a tick on a very sensitive part of my anatomy--the last place you'd want a tick or a hot match pressed against you.
 
bbgun;3397043 said:
When I was 6 or 7, I got a tick on a very sensitive part of my anatomy--the last place you'd want a tick or a hot match pressed against you.

But it does explain allot about you. :laugh2:
 
bbgun;3397043 said:
When I was 6 or 7, I got a tick on a very sensitive part of my anatomy--the last place you'd want a tick or a hot match pressed against you.

Ahhh. Thats why you speak with a high pitched squeal. :laugh2:
 
bbgun;3397043 said:
When I was 6 or 7, I got a tick on a very sensitive part of my anatomy--the last place you'd want a tick or a hot match pressed against you.

simpsons-haha.jpg
 
bbgun;3397043 said:
When I was 6 or 7, I got a tick on a very sensitive part of my anatomy--the last place you'd want a tick or a hot match pressed against you.
That can't be real. :laugh2:
 
notherbob;3396980 said:
Living on a cattle ranch in west central Texas, any time I work with the cattle, I have to check every crease and cranny all over carefully for ticks. One day after fixing a fence down by the creek I pulled 22 of them off me. If you get them the first day, the head usually comes out with the tick intact. I just grasp them and with a steady pressure pull straight out and out they come but if you miss any of them they are harder to remove intact the second day onward.

We have had very few ticks the last 10-12 years as the fire ants have moved in and pretty much wiped them out. Back in the 90s if you turned over a rock there would be scorpions, spiders, centipedes, crickets and all kinds of things under every rock but since the fire ants moved in that's all you find under rocks anymore, almost nothing but fire ants. We used to have lots of quail and other ground-nesting birds like Kildeers but no more, the fire ants eat their young and they are now all but extinct, just like the horned toads we used to have.

The fire ants are changing things a lot more than most people know about, you probably don't notice it in town but you can really tell the difference out here.

I must live close to you, because my quail and horned toads have also gone, but I have two Kildeers nesting as we speak. I take suppliments every morning and one is a garlic gel tablet that I think keeps blood suckers off. My wife gets all the mosquitoes and chiggers but they don't bother me.
Just my theory but it won't hurt to try it before going hunting or camping and the garlic is beneficial. To see if it works for you don't give any to wife or buddies and see if they get bitten.:)
 

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