were mentioned, we should definitely flag up these annoying (and potentially dangerous) pests...With the warm sunshine recently, everyone should be on the watch out for ticks. These are small spider-like invertebrates, which live off of warm blood. This website seems an excellent place to mention them, as they can be VERY bad news and can cause extremely unpleasant (and dangerous) problems. Anyone trampling around in woods, or rides where deer may be living, should periodically do spot-checks on their clothing and remove any ticks they find. You may be surprised just how many you can find. If these are not removed from clothing, they can easily walk up and onto your skin (especially around the waistband or your back) and latch on. They don't have to be very big to be a problem either, some are tiny! Some species of tick can spread Lyme's Disease - a serious health problem if it isn't treated early.
As a family, during a butterfly trip to wooded areas, we periodically have "tick-stops", where we check each other's clothes quickly, but carefully for ticks. We ALWAYS check family members thoroughly when we get home. I know it sounds scaremongering, but it really IS worth doing. I know more than one person who has been infected with Lyme's Disease, and it ISN'T nice.
One sign is the classic red "bullseye" mark around a bite mark... the central red area, surrounded by another red ring. A visit to the doctor if such symptoms arise a few days after a trip may be wise. If you actually find a tick attached to your skin, you must be careful how you remove it, as they have barbed mouthparts which look a bit like a "christmas tree", which can easily break off. The "saliva" of these ticks contains tiny worm-like bacteria, which cause the disease, so everyone should be aware of this. If you do remove a tick, it is worth saving it (in a small escape-proof container), in case a reaction occurs. If necessary, the species of tick can then be ascertained - useful in diagnosis.
Trev
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... fishing shot sizes were named according to the game shot convention. The only difference being that a fishing shot has a slot in for attaching it to the line... and is nowadays NOT made from lead (which was deemed dangerous to swans and therefore banned way back in the 1980's). Lead poisoning of swans is still being blamed on "angler's lead shot"... wrong! 
