Mosquitoes may be the most deadly animal on earth, but ticks are giving them a good run. As if Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever aren’t bad enough, there is now a tick bite that can make us allergic to red meat. This may be every vegetarian’s dream, yet it’s no joke to hunters who love the taste of venison that’s totally wild and natural.
Protect Yourself
I’ll get to the particulars of this new, fast-spreading disease in a moment, but first want to review the basics of tick protection. First, don’t think that you must venture deep into the tall-and-uncut to contract ticks. They live in our daily outdoor environment and thrive in back yards, gardens, and small suburban lots.
Deet works on your skin and will repel mosquitoes and ticks depending upon the strength of the formula. Most commercial applications such as “Off” have a dosage of 25% or less. You can buy strengths up to 100 percent, yet that dosage is so powerful that it can dissolve the finish on a bow or rifle. Personally, I try never to exceed a 50 percent dilution.
Spray Your Clothing
Permethrin is the most effective chemical to use on clothing and one dose can last for a week or more. Before going outside, spray your pants and shoes with the chemical that often comes in aerosol form. If you will be outdoors hiking or camping, you may want to hang your outer clothes and spray them. Once done, allow the garments to dry in the outdoors with plenty of ventilation. It’s also a good idea to spray backpacks, sleeping bags, and tents to provide a barrier against the invasive bugs.
This post from The Outdoor Hub tells the gruesome details about this tick-transmitted disease, including a brief video:
A bad tick year just got a whole lot worse after hearing that a particular tick, whose bite makes people allergic to meat, is spreading.
The lone star tick (earning its name from the distinct white marking on its back) carries a sugar molecule called alpha-1, 3-galactose, or Alpha-Gal for short, which basically scrambles people’s immune systems, making them forever allergic to meat.
How is this strange phenomenon happening?
