Monday, June 15, 2009

I Wanna Check You for Ticks...

So let's just say that when you need your fix of EWWWW for the day, come on over to my photo blog, k?

You really want to enlarge these photos to see the detail, it's amazing.
Trust Me. Enlarge 'em.

So this is an engorged tick, one that's filled himself with so much blood, he can't even escape from me. Oh yeah, he's still alive, evil lil b*stard. Yep, that's exactly how I feel about ticks. They are oh so gross and beyond disgusting. Hubby likes to squash them (a big blood splat, can you say EWWWW again?!); I prefer flushing them down the toilet, although it would appear they could clog the septic system.

See that little black dot between the tick and the penny? That's the size of a tick before he drinks all the blood from his host. Is that gross enough for ya?

I found this guy on our bedroom carpet as I was getting ready for bed. Preempted my bedtime strategy big-time; I really needed to share this with all my bloggy friends since they've enjoyed my spider and snakes thus far. I have learned not to pick up anything off the floor that a) looks like a rock (usually a tick) or b) looks like dog hair (could be a spider). So now I either look very closely before I pick something up with my bare hands, or I just go ahead and get a tissue to be safe.

Oh, and by the way, all our dogs get their monthly dose of Bio-Spot for fleas and ticks, but occasionally a tick will somehow manage to survive this poison. The ticks have been horrendous this year.

Before I close this post and flush him down the toilet, I did find the detail on his "face" interesting (do ticks have a face??) For a quick minute. I mean, he's oddly fascinating in the grossest of ways, isn't he?

So has anyone answered the question yet -- what exactly IS the purpose of blood-sucking mosquitoes and ticks, except to annoy the crap out of us and create huge welts that take weeks to go away?!

I'd like to walk you through a field of wildflowers,
and I'd like to check you for ticks.
~"Ticks" by Brad Paisley

29 comments:

  1. Gross but interesting - both our dogs had ticks on their noses at the weekend

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  2. Oh, my garsh, woman......amazing photos! I have NEVER seen a close-up picture of an engorged tick before. The details are fascinating, though seeing them this one time will probably be enough for me.

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  3. thank You for comments on my blog, i'm glad, that someone like my pictures :)
    ps amazing photos, details are impressive!

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  4. They're about as useful as wasps - but hubby is right - squish them. Flushing them won't kill them and they'll be trying to find their way back to you to get even!

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  5. Apparently this was not the blog to visit right after eating breakfast. Ha ha:)

    Ticks are gross. They rate right up there with cockroaches. Yuck.

    Interesting photo, though.

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  6. Ummm, glad I didn't have my lunch in my mouth when I got to your blog today. Next to lawn grubs, this is probably the next grossest thing I've observed....

    Great detail, though.....in an "ewwww" sort of way.

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  7. ughh!! i absolutely detest ticks. good thing you got this one before it decided to latch onto you for the night!! lol

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  8. EWWWWWWWWWWW
    I just hate finding a tick when I am on my way to bed. I feel like I have creepy crawlies all over me all night long!!
    Our little dogs sometimes bring a tick in even though we Frontline treat them monthly.
    EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

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  9. I can't even believe I just enlarged a photo of a bug for detail. But you told me to so I did. I have to say, it's truly fascinating. I'm not converting to a bug lover or anything but still......intriguing.

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  10. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

    oh and

    EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

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  11. Yuck! I did enlarge it and it was even more yuck! I've never seen one before and could live without seeing another again!

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  12. Awesome photos! I've been fighting ticks for two months!

    I stopped by because of your interest in horses and animals.

    I'm a children's author and animal lover. Please come visit!

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  13. I could say it again, EWWWWWWWWW! Enlarged, I saw the details and you just captured it so well!

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  14. I agree! They are so gross. I picked one off the dog that was HUGE, and had the pleasure of smashing it with a rock!

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

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  15. Sorry...can't bear to enlarge them. They are plenty yucky as they are!

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  16. I wish I knew what a tick's purpose in the ecosystem is, but I can't even come up with a guess.
    I'm not fond of them, but you do have some great photos!

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  17. I sense you delight in the gross. Fantastic shot!

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  18. I HATE ticks, and thankfully haven't had any on my dogs in a long time.

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  19. spiders and snakes are welcome, but ticks... no, not really!

    we are vaccinated! Hope it´ll works

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  20. I am still trying to get over this:0)

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  21. Fascinating! Yucky, but fascinating. Arrived here from Midlife by Farmlight.

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  22. OH-EM-GEE! That thing is HUGE! Looks like his little feet can't even touch the ground!! I've never seen anything like that before. Thanks for sharing!

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  23. Fascinating! I love the face on him. It's amazing how huge they can become. I hope you played "taps" as you flushed him away! ;)

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  24. Eeeww is right!! I don't think I could have kept myself calm enough to take a picture!

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  25. Uck! I too HATE ticks and what use are they???? Who knows, pestilence to man and beast. Ugly little buggers, they give me the creeps! (now i will probably have tick nightmares! like i do when i find one on ME!) The photos are amazing, that's the closest I want to be to a tick face,eeeewwwww is right! LOL
    I smash them with a rock on the road when I get them off the dogs, cat, horse, donkey! I can't believe that my horse and donkey get them??? I don't remember having ticks on my other horse??? maybe I missed them.
    ~Jane and Gilly~

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  26. Ewwww! I hate ticks. I'll never forget when I found one on the back of my 3 year olds neck. YUCK!

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  27. WOW... THAT'S WILD about the ticks.. Thanks for posting this - I like to see what them buggers look like.Do they have a face? i saw one or something. LOL.. I hope my Bell girl never get's a tick.. YUCK! aND THAT'S such a guy thing to want to SMASH it!

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  28. At least if you smash them, you know they are most definately DEAD! They are very common up here, so
    I am not grossed out by them.. we have two different kinds..one is the size of a pin head and one the size of about 10 pinheads..well Chickens and Turkeys will eat them..we use Pro spot on Chance..but he still picks up a few..great photos! :)

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I love all your comments, thank you!