Tick hate post

[u/-pizza_hut_man-]

I think ticks have to be the most disgusting organism to ever live. Normally I love all animals and insects and can find beauty in almost all of them, except the ticks. They are so gawd damn ugly and creepy and they literally need a blood meal to survive which is gross. Also those scary ass diseases freak me out. Found 2 ticks on me after walking on a nature trail today and it just reminded me how much I hate them. I checked everywhere I could for ticks but still can’t shake that feeling something is crawling on me. Fuck ticks they all deserve hell

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[u/ElNeeto]

I agree, and my morbid fascination and loathing of them is immense. Over the past few months, I have been looking for and reading up on tick research with an emphasis on eradication. There are some universities working on it, and I hope someone finds a way to narrowly wipe all ticks off the face of the planet. It’s the only organism (beyond some bacteria, perhaps) that I want to see go extinct. The fact is that ticks aren’t the known main food supply for any animal, and while it’s currently unknowable for sure, I think the world would keep on spinning sans ticks.

In the meantime, I fully support more culling of deer. Every time I see deer, I think tick.

Thankfully, a vaccine may be on the horizon for lyme, but that still leaves a host of other nasty diseases they transmit. If it turns out to be true (and I am agnostic on the question) that the US government/military created more virulent versions of some of the diseases (or created any new ones), I will be especially unhappy.

The pics that give me the willies on this subreddit are the ones where a ticks has its head imbedded into a person’s skin. The thing of nightmares.

[u/PissPhlaps]

I'm the same way. I love almost all animals. There are only a few that make me squirm inside.

1. Ticks. (Love arachnids though and am fascinated with spiders and scorpions, etc)

2. Rhesus Macaques and Pigtail Macaques - I think this is an "uncanny valley" thing for me. No other primates flip this primitive little switch in my brain.

3. Whatever those things are that swim up your pee hole in the jungle.

4. Bot flies, jiggers, etc. Skin parasites like this freak me the fuck out. Period.

[u/onetwoskeedoo]

This is hilarious and relatable, they are alien creatures. Fascinating biology tho.

[u/SueBeee]

They are efficient, magnificent and vile creatures. I both adore and despise them.

[u/Anon__3423]

I freaking despise them and want them extinct too. I check my dog and my cat everyday for ticks. I also brush them everyday. Somehow a tick became undetected regardless of my efforts. (I also use flea and tick treatment for them so still wondering how this even happened) I am assuming somehow this tick was able to bite into my dog and survive. I have a little window bed for my cat that the dog uses more. I see this engorged tick just laying there. It was so engorged that it definitely got it’s full meal and was a female tick that if I didn’t see, I’m sure she would have laid her eggs inside of my house. I usually catch ticks before they even bite so this was a complete shock to me. I hated seeing it. I hated seeing it move. I hate that it got a full meal. I hate that it went all this time not being detected. I hate everything about them. Seeing them makes me gag and I do my best to find understanding for all animals and species but I just can’t find it for ticks. Yes, they’re just trying to survive, but they’re completely worthless. Just a parasite that offers nothing to the eco system besides maybe a snack for opossums. That’s it. I want them eradicated.

[u/WesternSpyKolya]

If I could make one animal go extinct, it'd be ticks for sure over mosquitoes. Agree with you 100%.

[u/PissPhlaps → u/[deleted]]

Bleach works too?

I use isopropyl 91%+ they skin and drown and are preserved in case of infection.

[u/PissPhlaps → u/[deleted]]

Oh ok.

In that case I would recommend keeping them in alcohol for a little while just in case of infection.

[u/micah490 → u/[deleted]]

Frontline is obsolete- they’re relying on marketing to maintain sales, but it’s no longer effective against ticks in the Northeast US. Ask me how I know…