Re: Another solution offered on deer (Letters, Aug. 3)
What scares me the most is not the deer, but the ticks they may carry. Ticks carry lyme disease. I am worried about lyme disease and the related 11 co-infections.
Several years ago the News featured an article and photo of Peggy M. who got lyme disease from a tick in her garden in Oak Bay. I have two close friends who have Lyme disease and neither will work again.
Ticks hide in damp mulches. They die quickly in sunny and dry environments. To protect yourself, construct physical barriers to discourage deer from entering your yard, remove leaf litter, clear tall grasses, keep the ground under bird feeders clean, stack wood in dry areas, and keep playground equipment, decks and patios away from yard edges and trees.
After gardening, check your body for ticks. They can be as small as the head of a pin.
Diane MacRae
Oak Bay