Land and creepy crawlies: Ticks

It's a horrible picture, but here ya go:
The number of ticks is astronomical this year!

Info on these little creepy-crawlies:
 These guys are durable. I had a live tick crawling on clothes as they came out of the dryer. If you find a tick on you, get it off of you before it attaches....and smash it's head with something flat and sturdy against something flat and hard! (some people will say to burn it), but I say kill it at earliest opportunity.

 There are hard ticks and soft ticks. The hard ticks tend to attach and feed for hours to days. Disease transmission usually occurs near the end of a meal, as the tick becomes full of blood. It may take hours before a hard tick transmits pathogens. Soft ticks usually feed for less than one hour. Disease transmission can occur in less than a minute with soft ticks. The bite of some of these soft ticks produces intensely painful reactions.

 How to prevent them (in theory):
 1.Avoid grassy areas and shrubs where ticks populations may be high and where they reside, waiting to grab a ride on a potential host.
2. Wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be easily seen, and brush them off.
3. Tuck pants into boots or socks to avoid ticks crawling up loose pant legs.
4. Apply insect repellant and use the brands designed to repel ticks. Avoid use of DEET-containing repellents on children. 
5. Promptly check yourself, others, and pets if exposed to areas where ticks are likely to be located.

**And remember to protect the animals!