'Coons on the roof

Never heard that possums eat ticks. Here in rural Texas hill country, we used to have lots of possums, raccoons, turkeys and ticks - lots of ticks.

When you walked under live oak trees, ticks dropping from trees that missed you sounded like light rainfall when they landed on the leaves on the ground. The grasses were full of “seed ticks” that would cover your legs as they worked their way up your body. We would have to rub down with kerosene or alcohol to help kill them or get them off when we got home and started personal tick removal. Then the house plant trade accidentally imported fire ants.

Fire ants are a tremendous nuisance. All ground nesting bird populations have suffered, as well as other wildlife. When an animal is born, it’s a race between the baby being able to get up and the fire ants. The fire ants only saving grace is...they eat ticks! Lots of them.

Now, I can be in the pasture all day and maybe get one tick. Prior to fire ants, I would have been covered with them.