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by Tharkun 2969 days ago
I got lyme disease after my first and only (as far as I know) tick bite. A round of antibiotics seems to have killed it, though I am still noticeably more tired than before the infection (anacdata, could just be because I'm getting older and under a lot of stress).

I reported where and when the infection took place on a local website which tracks these things. I informed the city council (considering this happened in a very busy public park) and I was pretty much told that nothing would be done. More green spaces would help. Keeping certain animals (like chickens) might also help. Killing the fuckers outright is another possibility, but I have to admit to being relucant about spraying toxic crap in public parks.
4 comments
wilsonnb 2969 days ago
Encouraging a local opossum population, if they live in your area, would help. They eat a lot of ticks. Allegedly they eat 90% of the ticks that they encounter, which can be up to 5000 per opossum in a season.
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nonbel 2969 days ago
>"up to 5000 per opossum in a season"

It looks like a single tick may produce 500 - 15,000 ticks per "ovipostion" (egg-laying session).

LABORATORY STUDIES ON THE OVIPOSITION, EGG-SIZES AND SHAPES AND EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT OF DERMACENTOR VA RIA BILlS, RHIPICEPHALUS SANGUINEUS AND AMBLYOMMA MACULATUM http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/cbgp/acarologia/export_pdf.p...

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wilsonnb 2969 days ago
We're going to need a lot of opossums then!

I'd be curious to know how long the average life span of each tick is. I wonder exactly how many opossums I would need per square foot to ensure that my yard is 99.99% tick free.

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EODjugornot 2969 days ago
I really hope you beat it. I know a couple different people that got it and it can be miserable. If you get it under control it's expensive, and if you cant afford it it's pretty much torture. Good luck!
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peterhadlaw 2969 days ago
I too often feel fatigued but wonder what part of that is just lifestyle / age etc vs any lasting effects.

The levels of exhaustion before I knew what I had and was treated, were insane. Often asked myself how I could be so tired.

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mobilefriendly 2969 days ago
They need to clear mice and mice habitat.
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