Ticks do not tickle

Do the ticks tickle this deer? Looks like it!
May all creatures be happy and good! Sounds like a good motto.
But concerning ticks, I have a very different opinion. Ticks are nasty little buggers, they can transfer a dangerous disease like Lyme disease. And they are ugly. A brownish/black, flat, diamond-shaped body that swells up when they suck blood from a warm-blooded animal. Eight short spidery legs and a snout that is able to dive into flesh, my flesh.
Describing this beasty already sent shivers down my spine. I can not find any good qualities in the insect-like making medicine against life-threatening diseases or helping to relieve pain. I don’t know why ticks ever evolved in the first place if their intent is to be vampires. They are dark side creatures.

Ugly little bloodsucker
Despite their 8 legs, they cannot move very fast but cling on to clothes or tent or wherever they are on. During the years it looks like ticks are increasing in numbers. After a walk, we find a few on our socks and trousers. They lurk in long grasses, heather and bracken waiting for a warm-blooded creature to come along.
This year we put the tent up in, what looked like, a nice bit of grass. It turned out to be a nest of very small ticks and the tent was covered with them. We spent 2 hours getting the tiny ticks off the tent. And they kept popping up.

Very idyllic campsite with an infestation of tiny little ticks
That means socks and trousers will be outside the inner tent. But that is by no means a guarantee that they won’t find a way to gain access to the tent and slip in my sleeping bag. We have to be vigilant and check our clothes every day. Especially in area where there is deer around. Deer are the favourite victims of ticks.
We check our body’s as well. If a tick is attached for longer than 24 hours on your body you have to keep an eye on the bite for redness or circular markings. On the optimistic side, not all ticks carry Lyme disease. But that doesn’t make them a good guy again!
They have favourite places to bite, like the back of your knees, armpits, behind the ears, in the groin. Nice warm places near to a nice warmblood supply. I am always worried they get into my hair and I cannot spot them fast enough. Alexander has to check my hair twice a day. Looks a bit monkey-like. But very good for the relationship. I think that must be the only beneficial effect of ticks.
Charlotte Gannet

Favorite host of ticks relaxing in typical tick vegetation
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I hate them and have about 5 in my travels wherever you find kangaroos. Nasty little buggers.
Tried to “like” and “comment” yesterday but maybe the heat here in The Netherlands is causing WIFI issues? LOL. It just maybe could be operator error too.
I can’t stand those little miserable creatures! They are horrible! I have also tented in an area where you know it is a nest of them and even as I am writing this it is giving me kippenveld! Uwwww!
They exist in Minnesota as well and in a wet Spring there are millions of those nasty creatures.
I found that the solution is chickens! So maybe you could haul a couple of chickens with you to these tick infested places and then the chickens eat the ticks, you get eggs for breakfast and if the chickens don’t do a good enough job you can kill the chicken and eat it! It is better and simpler than killing a fish! LOL
Hope the rest of your vacation time is tick free! Happy paddling!