{"id":22078,"date":"2022-08-31T09:08:25","date_gmt":"2022-08-31T13:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=22078"},"modified":"2022-08-31T09:08:58","modified_gmt":"2022-08-31T13:08:58","slug":"episode-631-barney-dwan-2-ticks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=22078","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 631 BARNEY DWAN 2…TICKS,"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 631    BARNEY DWAN 2\u2026TICKS<\/p>\n

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alan skeoch<\/div>\n
Aug. 30, 2022<\/div>\n

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My real danger was neither bulls nor boars.  The real danger was those tiny, almost invisible, creatures called ticks.<\/div>\n
Some cattle herds were infested with the blood sucking bastards.  I firmly remember one cow in particular whose<\/div>\n
nose was covered in ticks.  I think Barney drew that to my attention but not sure.  I do remember, however, stripping<\/div>\n
each night and searching my body for ticks.  And I found a few.  But never had a tick fully engorged with of my blood.  That may<\/div>\n
have happened  since a fully blood bloated tick releases its pincer grip and drops off to begin its search for a mate<\/div>\n
and the tick life cycle  I have recently discovered that ticks can clone themselves if they cannot find a mate.<\/div>\n
Now that is something to worry about.  I did worry about ticks but only had a few on my body none of which<\/div>\n
were carrying other pathogens such as Llyme disease.   Lyme disease was unknown in Ireland in 1960.<\/div>\n

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Imgine this cow\u2019s nose peppered with a tick infestation\u2026small at first and then blood boated.<\/div>\n

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I remember the prevalence of ticks on the noses of cattle in some but not<\/div>\n
all of the Irish farm fields.   Ticks are not nice.  They are tiny blood sucking little cratures<\/div>\n
that are almost invisible.  They become ugly blood filled little greyish balls hanging tight<\/div>\n
to animal and human flesh.  Recently I searched the internet for a picture of these<\/div>\n
little bastards but failed to find anything that compared to what I saw of those Irish cattle<\/div>\n
in 1960l.  <\/div>\n

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\"An\"Canine<\/div>\n

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We hired people to help get me through gorse hedges and over Irish stone fences but no<\/div>\n
one was hired to check our bodies for ticks.  That was personal.  Each night I checked for<\/div>\n
ticks and did find a few which were carefully removed using tweezers where the little bastards<\/div>\n
head had bitten and latched onto me.  <\/div>\n

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My Irish employees must have done the same  They all wore long pants and long sleeved<\/div>\n
shirts which gave some protection from ticks. Initially I thought it strange that local people did<\/div>\n
not wear short pants and short sleeved shirts in Irish summertime.  Was it fear of ticks?<\/div>\n
No idea.  Never asked.  In 1960 Irish ticks did not carry Lyme disease.  Today lyme disease<\/div>\n
is rampant all over the world.<\/div>\n

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In 2019 a North Carolina farmer found one of his bulls dead in a field.  All of its<\/div>\n
blood had been sucked out of its body by ticks and examiners of he corpse noted <\/div>\n
the infestation of ticks was so large that some were climbing up their rubber<\/div>\n
boots.   Now that is hard to imagine but true, noted by veterinarians.<\/div>\n

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Did ticks get on my legs via my rubber boots?  They seem to have grasped me as I<\/div>\n
brushed by long grass or was busy getting through the Gorse hidges.  I don\u2019t remember<\/div>\n
Barney being worried about ticks.  In 1960 The Irish ticks were like mosquitoes\u2026pests<\/div>\n
that were just a normal part of doing business in farm fields.<\/div>\n

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TICKS IN CANADA TODAY<\/div>\n

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DATELINE SEPT. 2022<\/div>\n

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\u201cJack, your are being transferred to Fort Wainright, Alberta for deeper training.\u201d<\/div>\n
(Jackson Skeoch is recent Basic Training gradate in the Canadian Army, based in Alberta)<\/div>\n
\u201cYes, starting September\u2026looking forward to it.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThat might involve a lot of outdoor activities..\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLots of that, Grandpa\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHas anyone mentioned ticks?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cStrange that you should mention that.  Yes, we are to be cautious \u201c<\/div>\n

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My Irish experience in 1960, including Barney\u2019s comment about a cow we met whose nose<\/div>\n
was cluttered with  ticks has always made me a little concerned when wading through farm fields<\/div>\n
No big danger in 1960 but by 2012 Lyme disease was carried by black legged ticks.  Even in<\/div>\n
1960, however, I was cautious, perhaps more because the blood filled ticks are so ugly.<\/div>\n
.Presently my caution  heightened when my good friend ROBERT ROOT picked up Lyme Desease<\/div>\n
when walking on a hiking trail near Hamilton.   Bob Root did not know he had been bitten.<\/div>\n
He came down with a serious case of Lyme disease. Desperate situation followed.<\/div>\n

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Overview on Ticks<\/h2>\n

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Ticks are small spider-like animals (arachnids) that bite to fasten themselves onto the skin and feed on blood.<\/p>\n

Ticks are most active during the spring, summer and fall seasons and can be active when the temperatures are above 4 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n

In addition to ticks that live in Alberta year-round, migrating birds bring ticks from warmer areas into Alberta during the spring.<\/p>\n

Alberta is home to many species of ticks. Most tick species in Alberta do not carry Borrelia burgdorferi<\/em>, the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in people. However, there is evidence that tick species capable of carrying the bacteria are expanding their range in Canada.<\/p>\n

Visit Health Canada for more information on risk areas for Lyme disease in Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Protect yourself from ticks<\/h2>\n

While most ticks do not cause serious health problems, it is important to protect yourself, your family and even your pets from tick bites. It is also important to remove attached ticks immediately in order to avoid potential infection or diseases that can be transmitted from the bite. Some tips to prevent tick bites include:<\/p>\n


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