[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Now call me a nut if you like, but I'm a great believer that every animal on earth has a purpose in life. And I really do mean EVERY animal. Somewhere in the great scheme of things every creature on earth was designed to fulfill a purpose of some sort. It may be a very tiny purpose, like being a snack for something higher up the food chain, but nevertheless it's a purpose.
It's possible even our own species had a purpose at one time. I think it had something to do with the pursuit of knowledge and attainment of higher levels of consciousness, before we lost our way and started chasing money, but that's another story.
I mention this because recently I've been receiving lots of messages concerning 'Ticks'. Ticks love the spring and summer weather, and right now, it's boom time for ticks.
So I've been racking my brains, trying to think of a reason why ticks have been put on earth - other than to annoy the rest of us warm-blooded creatures in pursuit of their own survival. I think I've finally cracked it. They were put here for the same reason that politicians were put here - to challenge the rest of us into thinking up clever ways of avoiding contact with them.
If you're a pet owner you may have seen a tick first hand, and if you've ever been bitten by a tick yourself, you'll know it's not a nice experience. They head for the warmest, most sensitive areas of your body, and latch themselves onto the most inconvenient places.
Getting them off without doing more damage can be difficult. If you squeeze their bodies they vomit what they've just sucked out of you back into your bloodstream, along with a whole host of bacteria and diseases. Ticks are 2nd only to mosquitoes for transmitting diseases to humans.
If you try to pull them off their delicate mouthparts can be left behind in your body, which can lead to further infection.
There are a number of special devices for removing ticks. The one we've had most success with is called a tick lasso. You put the lasso around the head of the tick and with a gentle tug it comes off.
To avoid picking up any ticks wear long sleeved shirts, shoes, and long trousers tucked into your socks. The use of tick repellents on the outside of clothing can also help.
Latin name: Acari
Size: 2.5mm to over 3cm depending on the species
Distribution: Found throughout the UK.
Months seen: April to October.
Food: Females feed on bird and mammal blood. The adult males do not feed.
Habitat: Grassland, leaf litter and animal hosts.
Special features: There are more than 20 tick species in the UK, the most common being the sheep tick. As well as being found on sheep it can also live on most birds and mammals. Ticks belong to the order of animals called Acari, a subclass of Arachnida.
Ticks are small and globular, with a leathery greyish-white body. The adults have 8 articulated legs, and a non-segmented body. They are external parasites, which suck the blood of animals. The amount of blood a tick drinks can be 200 times its body weight.
WARNING
Ticks carry diseases, including 'lyme disease' (see below). You should avoid handling them with uncovered fingers. Where possible, to avoid picking up any ticks, wear long sleeved shirts, shoes and long trousers tucked into your socks. The use of tick repellents on the outside of clothing can also help.
Sun Aug 05, 2012 5:39 pm