The 'snake' in this paradise is of course Ixodes ricinus, more commonly known as the Castor Bean Tick or European Tick, an infamous vector for Lyme Disease and other highly unpleasant illnesses. The recent very mild winters in this area of Norway have lead to a massive surge in the number of young ticks (nymphs). Unfed, these creatures are very small, just about 1-1.5 mm, so easily escapes detection before they reach the gorged stage and grow to 3-4 times their initial size. Gorged adults can be many times bigger than that, but we haven't seen these for years now.
Ruth and I spend up to an hour every day very carefully examining each other for any tick signs. Must be done under conditions of complete nudity of course, so as such not very unpleasant. However, statistics so far is appalling. We remove on an average 2 tick nymphs from each every day and no day on this island has been without any ticks at all. Hopefully the very early removal of those darned bloodsuckers prevent us getting all sorts of tickborne diseases. I still am not fully recovered from my last bout of borrelia infection, back in 2009.
(archive shot, but it's the correct stage)
