Spring is the best time of the season of the year. It's not too hot, it's not too cold, and you can be comfortable walking around in a T-shirt and shorts. Plus, it gives us the chance to get outside on a regular basis and do all the outdoor things we like to do, which for me is finding the nearest golf course and playing 18 holes. However, like with everything, there are cons that come with the pros. In this case, it means the return of bugs. While I understand some insects are beneficial and a necessary part of the overall ecosystem, like bees for example, there are others that seem to serve no useful purpose other than being a nuisance. As I imagine you've figured out by now, I'm talking about ticks.

All I can think of when I think about ticks is how they carry diseases that can make us really sick. For example, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. But to be fair to the little bloodsuckers, I Googled, "Are ticks beneficial in any way" to see if there are any benefits to their existence. There are a few according to Tick Safety. They serve as food for birds and other animals, scientists use them to tell how the ecosystem is doing in general, they provide the diversity of life since they carry various microorganisms and bacteria, and they help to keep animal populations in check. That's all well and good, but I still don't want them in my yard, or anywhere on my body.

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Tick with its head sticking in human skin, red blotches indicate an infection
Smileus
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A Simple, yet Brilliant, Way to Stop Ticks From Crawling Up Your Legs

As we find ourselves spending more time outdoors during the spring and summer months enjoying our favorite recreational activities or doing yard work, it's important to have a plan in place to stop ticks looking for a free meal from crawling on us. I imagine most of us hose ourselves down with bug spray, but that requires reapplication every so often, and once you get focused on whatever it is you're doing, it's easy to forget to reapply. That's why I think this idea an Evansville, Indiana woman shared is so brilliant.

Laura Ambrose posted a photo recently showing a friend of her daughter wearing a shoe with a sock and jeans. But it's what she has wrapped around the bottom of her pant leg that's the focus. She took some tape and wrapped it around the bottom of her pant leg and part of her exposed sock just above the ankle with the sticky side facing out. Stuck to the tape are over 15 ticks that were looking for something to eat, but got stuck to the tape instead.

I asked Laura if she would mind me sharing the photo here, but since it was of her daughter's friend, she opted instead to send me the pictures below of her own leg with the tape hack. She told me she was outside for less than two minutes and already had five ticks stuck to the tape, a few of which are hard to see because they were tiny.

Laura Ambrose
Laura Ambrose
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Laura Ambrose
Laura Ambrose
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Laura Ambrose
Laura Ambrose
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While Laura used what appears to be painter's tape, I imagine any type of tape will work, specifically something with enough adhesive on it to catch the little buggers, but not so much you can't tear it off your leg, like duct tape for example (it fixes everything, right?). Once you're finished doing whatever it was you were doing outside, simply remove the tape and throw it away. You may want to soak the tape in a cup or bowl of rubbing alcohol first since it is proven to kill ticks.

While this hack definitely seems to work, it's not 100% foolproof, so even if you give this a try, be sure to check yourself for ticks before heading inside to make sure one didn't sneak past your defenses.

Thanks again to Laura for letting me share this simple trick and her photos.

[Sources: Tick Safety / The Hiking Authority]

7 Invasive Insects in Indiana You Should Kill Immediately If You See Them

In an effort to inform the public on the types of invasive species that are known to be found in their state, the USDA offers a "Pest Tracker" on their website, where you simply click the name of your state from the drop-down menu provided to see pictures of the different insects and weeds, along with descriptions of the type of plant life they target and the damage they can do if they're not dealt with.

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