BELCHERTOWN, Mass.
(CBS) ― There's another summer health threat
on the rise in Massachusetts and other states with tick populations --
Lyme disease.
Lyme Disease is spread by ticks, and it can be debilitating. Tiny ticks
are barely noticeable to humans. But they survive by sucking blood.
Wayland police Officer Mark Wilkens, like many, was bit by a tick and now
has Lyme diseases.
"I ached and broke out in sweats," he said. "It was just under my vest --
the bulls eye -- the typical identifier that you have Lyme disease.
There's no real cure for it. It's just one of those things."
Because of a wet winter, Massachusetts is bracing for a bad tick season.
"There are just more ticks out there, and I think we are going to have a
bumper crop of ticks this year," said Department of Public Health
epidemiologist Dr. Alfred Demaria.
One woman has discovered a weapon that gets rid of the bugs by eating
them.
"They've dropped off dramatically to the point where we no longer put flea
and tick powder on the dog," said Karen Tetrault, who owns a farm with two
llamas, a dog and a yard that used to be filled with ticks.
Tetrault is using guinea fowl -- an African bird that is a bit bigger than
a chicken and has a very healthy appetite for all kinds of bugs, and worms
-- to rid her yard of ticks.
"They see things that you and I wouldn't see," Tetrault explained. "Their
eyesight is very good. They see even tiny things. They just take steps and
as they go they gobble things up, and they do that everyday."
She has even trained them to come running when she rings a bell.
Otherwise, they roam not far from their coupe, and all day long peck away
at the tick population.
They even warn when a stranger is approaching.
"They will even let you know when the mailman is coming down or a
salesman, or a mother-in-law."
So, they eat lots of ticks, they'll warn when an intruder comes near and
they'll give fresh eggs. So what's the drawback?
Well there's one thing.
They're loud -- really loud.
"They talk a lot and when they do you can hear them," Tetrault said.
On Tetrault's 10 acres the noise isn't a problem. But she knows these
birds may not be for everyone, especially for those who have nearby
neighbors.
"If there's a concern about the noise, if everyone understood the benefits
of them, maybe they would hear voices instead of noise," she said.
Guinea fowl breeders say the birds are inexpensive and low-maintenance.
But you do have to make sure they have shelter and food and plenty of room
to roam.(© MMVIII,
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