Science Says Possums Are The Best Way To Protect Against Lyme Disease, Since They Eat Thousands Of Ticks A Week
Opossums are actually HELPING the areas they live in!
They can be some of the scarriest, ugliest (but oddly cute) little critters out there, but we may want to slam on the breaks the next time we see one.
Turns out, these little beasts might actually be beneficial to keep around.
A study out of Syracuse University shows that opossums help keep the tick population down, which is great news, especially if you live in the south where ticks can be found in abundance.
Ticks can carry Lyme disease, which can affect the joints, the nervous system, and the heart. In short, you don’t want to get this disease.
Opossums like to eat ticks. They like them so much, that they can clear several acres of ticks in the matter of a week.
The ticks are attracted to the possum, who then gobble them up. That means far less ticks that can be found hunting for humans or pets to feed on.
Other rodents also feed on ticks, but not like the super-eating machine, the possum.
In other words, we WANT the possum living in our backyards!
