4 ms·

> to mention what natural predators ticks might have. Lazy to duckduckgo it: What are those predators ?

by wiz21c 3y ago

sva_ 3y ago
It is often said that having chicken in the garden will decrease the tick population in that area. I personally am not convinced that this is due to the chicken eating them though - it is more likely due to the fact that the garden will be fenced keeping wild animals away (who spread them.) Chicken are also very territorial, so that adds to it.
- bell-cot 3y ago
  Guess: That will depend on the breed of chicken. "Optimized" modern breeds (high weight/low cost/fast-to-market) may be lacking in aptitudes (such as bug eating) which industrial-scale agriculture doesn't value.
  - gexla 3y ago
    But these chickens (such as broilers) are "in the house" rather than "in the garden." It may be worth having free range chickens for pest control and other purposes.
    - jliptzin 3y ago
      Do chicken eat stink bugs?
      - Loughla 3y ago
        Chicken eat literally everything.
  - InSteady 3y ago
    Nah, I've seen these optimized breeds wader around, they will scratch and peck their outdoor enclosures nearly bare looking for bugs to eat. They are still chickens at the end of the day, as long as they are healthy enough to move around. It's kind of like thinking modern breeds of cow would lose the ability to eat grass or pigs to forage. That stuff is hard-wired pretty deep because it is at the very core of survival.
- InSteady 3y ago
  Chickens will eat insects voraciously if given the opportunity. They are programmed to wander around all day stabbing their beaks at anything that moves or looks like it might be able to move.
mpreda 3y ago
Guineafowl : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guineafowl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guineafowl
bell-cot 3y ago
True, in one sense. My main objection is to the tone. Especially in this story - which alludes to the new ticks draining entire cows of their blood. Yet fails to mention "DEET can be pretty effective" or "check your skin after spending time outdoors" basics. It's hardly specific to this article, or to this topic - but there's a "you are helpless" tone to a great deal of modern journalism. It's almost as if they wanted everyone cowering in fear inside their houses, and spending all of their time clicking on yet more articles on the web...
- Loughla 3y ago
  Yes, popular media and journalism wants you afraid. It makes them more money when you're afraid, and reading/watching them to find out what to panic about next. This is not a conspiracy. It's a feedback loop. Write a panic article, people read it and get scared, people read more panic articles to be informed about new threats. Rinse. Repeat. I hate it so very much. And one of the main things I hate is that this panicky nonsense has led the entire US into being rounded, padded, and soft for kids today. Not that they need to suffer, by any means, but they do need unstructured time away from competition, and away from the prying eyes of their parents. But because media and news has convinced everyone to be terrified of everything all the time, this is the way of it. In other news, I'm shaking my fist at a cloud in my front yard.
- melagonster 3y ago
  the scientist in this article mentioned they don't have good way to reduce number of ticks. maybe they focus on the condition that industry need help.
- sidewndr46 3y ago
  If I had $2 for every time I heard a news story about how some kind of honey bee variant was going to wipe out the US as we know it, I could go ahead and retire. Keep in mind I stopped watching TV around 17 years of age. Now in my mid 30s, I know exactly 0 individuals who have ever had an issue with bee swarms of any kind. Meanwhile I grew up in an area with what is known as "RIFA", a variety of ant imported to North America. Despite being immensely painful and aggressive the consensus is to avoid them when possible and to use ant killer if need be to remove them from areas near the house. No one reports on the fact that native ants in many areas have been completely extirpated by this invasive species.
darkerside 3y ago
Opossums are one

> to mention what natural predators ticks might have. Lazy to duckduckgo it: What are those predators ?

by wiz21c 3y ago

> to mention what natural predators ticks might have. Lazy to duckduckgo it: What are those predators ?

sva_ 3y ago

It is often said that having chicken in the garden will decrease the tick population in that area. I personally am not convinced that this is due to the chicken eating them though - it is more likely due to the fact that the garden will be fenced keeping wild animals away (who spread them.) Chicken are also very territorial, so that adds to it.

bell-cot 3y ago
Guess: That will depend on the breed of chicken. "Optimized" modern breeds (high weight/low cost/fast-to-market) may be lacking in aptitudes (such as bug eating) which industrial-scale agriculture doesn't value.
- gexla 3y ago
  But these chickens (such as broilers) are "in the house" rather than "in the garden." It may be worth having free range chickens for pest control and other purposes.
  - jliptzin 3y ago
    Do chicken eat stink bugs?
    - Loughla 3y ago
      Chicken eat literally everything.
- InSteady 3y ago
  Nah, I've seen these optimized breeds wader around, they will scratch and peck their outdoor enclosures nearly bare looking for bugs to eat. They are still chickens at the end of the day, as long as they are healthy enough to move around. It's kind of like thinking modern breeds of cow would lose the ability to eat grass or pigs to forage. That stuff is hard-wired pretty deep because it is at the very core of survival.
InSteady 3y ago
Chickens will eat insects voraciously if given the opportunity. They are programmed to wander around all day stabbing their beaks at anything that moves or looks like it might be able to move.

mpreda 3y ago

Guineafowl : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guineafowl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guineafowl

bell-cot 3y ago

True, in one sense. My main objection is to the tone. Especially in this story - which alludes to the new ticks draining entire cows of their blood. Yet fails to mention "DEET can be pretty effective" or "check your skin after spending time outdoors" basics. It's hardly specific to this article, or to this topic - but there's a "you are helpless" tone to a great deal of modern journalism. It's almost as if they wanted everyone cowering in fear inside their houses, and spending all of their time clicking on yet more articles on the web...

Loughla 3y ago
Yes, popular media and journalism wants you afraid. It makes them more money when you're afraid, and reading/watching them to find out what to panic about next. This is not a conspiracy. It's a feedback loop. Write a panic article, people read it and get scared, people read more panic articles to be informed about new threats. Rinse. Repeat. I hate it so very much. And one of the main things I hate is that this panicky nonsense has led the entire US into being rounded, padded, and soft for kids today. Not that they need to suffer, by any means, but they do need unstructured time away from competition, and away from the prying eyes of their parents. But because media and news has convinced everyone to be terrified of everything all the time, this is the way of it. In other news, I'm shaking my fist at a cloud in my front yard.
melagonster 3y ago
the scientist in this article mentioned they don't have good way to reduce number of ticks. maybe they focus on the condition that industry need help.
sidewndr46 3y ago
If I had $2 for every time I heard a news story about how some kind of honey bee variant was going to wipe out the US as we know it, I could go ahead and retire. Keep in mind I stopped watching TV around 17 years of age. Now in my mid 30s, I know exactly 0 individuals who have ever had an issue with bee swarms of any kind. Meanwhile I grew up in an area with what is known as "RIFA", a variety of ant imported to North America. Despite being immensely painful and aggressive the consensus is to avoid them when possible and to use ant killer if need be to remove them from areas near the house. No one reports on the fact that native ants in many areas have been completely extirpated by this invasive species.

darkerside 3y ago

Opossums are one