Mini Monster

This phenomenally teeny tick is the nymph stage of a deer tick - it's about the size of a poppy seed: 1-1.5 millimeters, which is 0.06 of an inch! Here it is, magnified and zoomed in for your viewing pleasure!

Little monster! How does such a miniscule beast pack such a punch? I had 4 of them embedded in my skin, and would likely not have noticed them had it not been for the extreme itching their bite caused. I kept looking to see what was irritating my hands, and couldn't find anything that explained it, until I eventually focused in close enough to notice what looked like a speck of pepper between my fingers, and another, and another ...

My G.P. prescribed a once-off dose of prophylactic doxycycline to hopefully head-off Lyme disease, but oh dear! Two days later, I found yet another one embedded in my skin. Apparently the antibiotic is in my system for 72 hours, so another dose shouldn't be necessary. Just got to watch and monitor the bite site and symptoms. 

It's the price I pay for spending time on land and not on the water in my kayak!