Since I pulled two ticks off the dog I thought it was time for this. It's a short essay I wrote for a writing class I took at the local Community College. The instructor thought I sounded a bit like Erma Bombeck. Hope you readers enjoy it!
The Good Tick
What?
Are we talking about tick, or tic, as defined by Webster’s as an involuntary movement?
Are we talking about the opposite of tock, as in a clock work?
Are we, gasp, talking about that scourge of bugs (well, really arachnids) that suck peoples’ blood and give them diseases?
Yep, THAT’S the tick we’re talking about. The blood sucker! That little, round, eight-legged creature that seems to find it’s way under our clothing when we wander about the great outdoors. That disgusting animal that attaches to the dog, and blows up as big as a pencil eraser. That little, fat, pinhead that looks like a seed, but moves! So how could I possibly talk about the “good tick”?
Have you ever seen a chigger? They’re also known as “no-seeums”. They are also in the arachnid family, although much smaller than the smallest tick. You can literally not see them, except under a microscope. They are not known for carrying diseases. Chiggers do not have the notoriety that ticks do, but they cause many people much more pain than the average tick.
Chiggers like warm weather, tall grass, and the folds of skin in your ankle area, your waist, groin, any area they can get a toe hold, or rather a mouth hold. Like ticks, they grab hold of your skin and attach themselves so they can suck blood, except they are not sucking your blood. They emit a saliva that attacks your skin cells, and that is what helps them feed . The saliva path hardens into what is called a stylostome which acts as a feeding tube for the chigger. The longer the chigger feeds, the bigger the stylostome becomes. Most chiggers are removed from your body by changing your clothes, taking baths, or just brushing your hands over your clothing. Chiggers can also be avoided by using some insect repellants, or sulfur compounds, which are available at your local pharmacy.
The stylostome remains after the chigger has left your body. This is what causes the infernal itching, not the chigger itself. The stylostome will eventually be absorbed by your body, but this can take from a week to ten days. This can seem an eternity when you are itching and scratching and itching and scratching.
So what’s so good about ticks? Generally, you can see them! This means you can get rid of them before they cause any harm. Yes, they can embed themselves in your skin, but it can take up to 24 hours for the tick to sufficiently attach itself and cause harm. The majority of ticks do not even carry any diseases. Of course it only takes one bad tick to bite you, but your chances of getting ill are much less with due diligence after you come out of a tick-infested area. This is all good.
Those nasty “no-seeums” will be there up to 10 days, causing you discomfort! This is not good.
The Good Tick
What?
Are we talking about tick, or tic, as defined by Webster’s as an involuntary movement?
Are we talking about the opposite of tock, as in a clock work?
Are we, gasp, talking about that scourge of bugs (well, really arachnids) that suck peoples’ blood and give them diseases?
Yep, THAT’S the tick we’re talking about. The blood sucker! That little, round, eight-legged creature that seems to find it’s way under our clothing when we wander about the great outdoors. That disgusting animal that attaches to the dog, and blows up as big as a pencil eraser. That little, fat, pinhead that looks like a seed, but moves! So how could I possibly talk about the “good tick”?
Have you ever seen a chigger? They’re also known as “no-seeums”. They are also in the arachnid family, although much smaller than the smallest tick. You can literally not see them, except under a microscope. They are not known for carrying diseases. Chiggers do not have the notoriety that ticks do, but they cause many people much more pain than the average tick.
Chiggers like warm weather, tall grass, and the folds of skin in your ankle area, your waist, groin, any area they can get a toe hold, or rather a mouth hold. Like ticks, they grab hold of your skin and attach themselves so they can suck blood, except they are not sucking your blood. They emit a saliva that attacks your skin cells, and that is what helps them feed . The saliva path hardens into what is called a stylostome which acts as a feeding tube for the chigger. The longer the chigger feeds, the bigger the stylostome becomes. Most chiggers are removed from your body by changing your clothes, taking baths, or just brushing your hands over your clothing. Chiggers can also be avoided by using some insect repellants, or sulfur compounds, which are available at your local pharmacy.
The stylostome remains after the chigger has left your body. This is what causes the infernal itching, not the chigger itself. The stylostome will eventually be absorbed by your body, but this can take from a week to ten days. This can seem an eternity when you are itching and scratching and itching and scratching.
So what’s so good about ticks? Generally, you can see them! This means you can get rid of them before they cause any harm. Yes, they can embed themselves in your skin, but it can take up to 24 hours for the tick to sufficiently attach itself and cause harm. The majority of ticks do not even carry any diseases. Of course it only takes one bad tick to bite you, but your chances of getting ill are much less with due diligence after you come out of a tick-infested area. This is all good.
Those nasty “no-seeums” will be there up to 10 days, causing you discomfort! This is not good.
No comments:
Post a Comment