TICKS: How can something so small have such an 
unsettling way of getting under your skin - we'll tell you 
how on Passport to Texas.						
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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife 

Anyone who enjoys the outdoors has probably had a run-
in with a tick. 

[Muscic - Frank Sinatra, "I've Got You Under My Skin"]

Under your skin is where this denizen of field and forest 
embeds its mouth parts to dine ... and the meal is on you ... 
actually it is you. 

Ticks are after blood ... but corpuscle cuisine is too thick 
for them to consume easily. To thin his meal, the tick 
secretes saliva into the puncture wound ... which is not 
only disgusting, but potentially dangerous.. because this 
arthropod harbors bacteria in its gut.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease are two 
possible outcomes of tick bites. Your first line of defense 
is a good offense. Wearing long sleeved shirts and long 
pants with the cuffs tucked into your socks is a start. And 
donning light colored clothing allows you to spot ticks 
more quickly. Oh, and don't forget insect repellents.

Always use the buddy system to check your body during 
and after outdoor excursions -- and don't be modest - the 
ticks aren't. 

[Music -- Right Said Fred, "I'm Too Sexy"]

Get over yourself, already. You can find everything you 
need to know about ticks and tick-borne diseases at 
ticktexas.org.

That's our show for today ... For Texas Parks and 
Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti