I watched this video (found via Outside magazine) with a kind of train-wreck horror.

Ticks are on the increase, as are instances of tick-borne diseases.

It takes several hours for a tick to transmit infection, even after they’ve latched on. (Lyme disease is thought to take up to six hours.) So be vigilant, and scan for ticks, on you and your loved ones, and your little ones, and your fur babies, every day.

Using a pair of pointed tweezers and pulling firmly but slowly is the best method of removal. Don’t crush it between your fingers – that may expose you to diseases they carry. Instead, flush the tick down the drain, drown it in alcohol or gasoline, bind it up in tape or burn it. Or fling it far away.

But my twitchy bike-riding style that began when I first read about tick season in April has backed off a little, since watching this video. So watch, with horror, and enjoy.