Rebel Road
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Rebel Road
Summer Supernatural Safety | The Tick Conspiracy Part 7
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It is our FINAL Summer Supernatural Safety episode, and we are switching things up with the tick conspiracy and some tick knowledge, and practical tips for keeping the devils little helpers off yourself and your loved ones!
Thanks for listening and remember to stay on the path, beware of murky water and grab your whistle!
See you for season TWO next time! Woo!
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Hello everyone, are you enjoying your summer? Uh, have you gone into the woods? Uh, we are wrapping up our supernatural summer safety series, and I've gotta say, Mary has found some crazy things and jammed them into this series. But today, folks, today, it's not for the faint of heart. Uh, we are chatting about the ickest of all icks, and that's ticks.
SPEAKER_01Ticks are gross. I absolutely dislike them. And if you are new here, you may be wondering why ticks are even making it onto our podcast. Sure, if you're in the woods or you know, even not in the woods, knowing about how to keep safe from ticks is good common knowledge to have. But what if I told you our government could have potentially weaponized ticks on purpose?
SPEAKER_00Would we be surprised? I mean, our government, are you sure we're talking about the same thing here, Mary?
SPEAKER_01I know. They would never ever do that, right? Or would they?
SPEAKER_00In the early 1970s, a bizarre medical crisis invaded the idyllic woodsy town of Old Lime, Connecticut. Children and adults were suddenly collapsing from mysterious, excruciating joint pain, profound fatigue, and erratic neurological issues. Doctors repeatedly dismissed it, diagnosing the children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that is rarely infectious and almost never occurs in geographic clusters. Polly Murray, a local mother whose own family had been suffering for years, refused to accept the doctor's brush-offs. Armed with a notebook and a fierce maternal instinct, she became the community's unofficial medical scribe. She walked door to door, meticulously cataloging her neighbors' symptoms, tracking dates, and mapping out the exact locations of the outbreaks.
SPEAKER_01When she looked out across the water from the Connecticut shoreline, she could see it. Plum Island, a restricted 840-acre federal government island, sitting just a few miles away in the Long Island Sound. Local rumors whispered of open-air germ testing, virus leaks, and animal experiments. Polly eventually compiled enough meticulous data to force the Connecticut Department of Health and Yale University researchers to investigate, directly leading to the official discovery of Lyme disease in 1975. Yet the official narrative maintained that it was purely natural, accidental spillover from local wildlife. Decades later, the baton was passed to Chris Newby, a professional science writer. While vacationing on Martha's vineyard, Newby and her husband were bitten by ticks, plunging them into a devastating years-long battle with a debilitating, hard-to-diagnose illness. Driven by her own agony and a burning need for answers, Newby began investigating why the medical establishment was so hostile towards chronic lying patients and why the disease had exploded so aggressively.
SPEAKER_00Her investigation took a dramatic turn when she managed to interview Dr. Willie Bergdorfer shortly before his death in 2014. Bergdorfer was the legendary Swiss American scientist credited with discovering the spiral-shaped bacteria that causes Lyme disease in 1981. During their interviews, Bergdorfer dropped a bombshell. He hadn't just discovered the microbe, he had spent the Cold War working as a top secret bioweapons specialist for the U.S. military. Bergdorfer granted Newby access to his private laboratory notebooks, letters, and archives. Sifting through the dusty documents, Newbie uncovered a chilling history. The U.S. military ran an aggressive vector-borne bioweapons program. Scientists, including Bergdorfer, were literally stuffing ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes with combinations of deadly pathogens to cause maximum disability and confusion on the battlefield. Plum Island operated a high-security tick hatchery and conducted open-air testing of animal pathogens. Newby's research highlighted that the epicenter of the modern Lyme epidemic formed a perfect geographic circle around the Long Island Sound, with Plum Island sitting directly in the center.
SPEAKER_01Documents suggested Verdorfer had discovered a second strange pathogen, a Ricketchal bacteria he called the Swiss Agent, mixing inside the ticks of Long Island, but he was allegedly ordered to keep it out of his official reports, leaving a major blind spot in how Lyme disease is treated. Newbie's disclosure forced the story out of the realm of internet folklore and straight into the halls of power. Citing her book, members of the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment ordering the Department of Defense to officially investigate whether the military had weaponized ticks and accidentally released them between 1950 and 1975.
SPEAKER_00Well, Mary, I'm certain this was all just an accident. No way would our government use bioweapons against their own people. I mean, I know. No way. You know, just because they wanted to use the plague fleas in Cuba, or when in 1950 you remembered the Operation Sea Spray, the US Navy spent six days spraying this bacteria into the air off the coast of San Francisco. And I just visited there recently and learned all about this. The resulting bacteria cloud, it covered the entire city. And while the military believed the bacteria was harmless, the local hospitals reported a surge in rare urinary tract infections. And even one of their patients, Edward Nevin, he died.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's it's terrible what they've done. But don't forget, there's more. In 1966, Army scientists smashed light bulbs filled with bacteria onto the tracks of the New York City subway system. They used the trains, natural wind currents to map how quickly a biological agent could spread through millions of commuting citizens. How about that one?
SPEAKER_00Or how in 1965, just a year earlier, they did the same thing in airports. There were special operation agents that covertly released that same bacteria throughout Washington's national airport to test real-world civilian exposure. Right.
SPEAKER_01And how chilling is that word? Real world civilian exposure. And these are just recently declassified things that we know about. And these are things that used to be in the conspiracy shadows, but uh they've been proven absolutely correct. And as far as engineer testing with pathogens, I mean they tested citizens, prisoners, the mentally challenged, and they did this all in the most unethical of ways.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, completely unethical. Again, in the 40s and 50s, there were researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now they were funded by the federal government. Um they fed radioactive isotopes to young institutionalized boys at the Walter E. Fernald State School. Now, these children, they were told that they were joining a science club, but were instead used to study how the body absorbs nutrients from cereal. Now, when those boys, who you know, of course became men, when they found out, they sued the government and they won. Now it was in January 1998, a federal court finalized a $1.85 million settlement for approximately 30 of the surviving victims. And then in 1995, uh President Bill Clinton he issued a formal apology on behalf of the federal government for the Atomic Energy Commission's role in sponsoring that radiation study. And MIT expressed deep regret over the total lack of informed consent. Though they settled out of court to avoid further litigation costs.
SPEAKER_01I mean, and we could just go on and on with these little facts, and they are facts, that the government has performed all this stuff on its citizens. And sadly, I think we've established a baseline that yes, the government has been known to mess with its people. So it is highly possible, Haley, I would say that our tick situation has been made worse by genetics and bioweapon tinkering. What do you think?
SPEAKER_00We have no proof really, but you mentioned the conspiracy community. And in the conspiracy community, huge speculation of Bill Gates and what most people know of now, the Alpha Gauss syndrome. There's not a lot of good things that we can say about Bill Gates. Uh, he's really has become a monster in everyone's eyes, and that he won't stop and until he's decimated the global population to whatever he feels correct, which is weird in my mind because he's a tech guy, right? I, you know, you just couldn't put it past the possibility of engineering ticks and releasing them into rural America. I mean, he's part of that being in rural America and having been impacted by ticks and having a tick-borne disease. I could probably go on a rabbit hole just in this episode alone.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Tics are actually serious. I mean, kind of they're no big deal. But then at the same time, actually, they're kind of getting to be a big deal. And you're right, Ali, there is no proof that he is using ticks as bioweapons. And in fact, if you go to Google, which we know so many people do, and I wish they'd stopped doing that, and the fact checkers, they will pop up and say, Oh no, he is not doing that. But like I said, to find the truth on the internet, sometimes you gotta come in it backwards and sideways and upside down. So if you look at DARPA, which is the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, and then look into insect allies, and then go a little bit further and look at the Gates Foundation, you will find that they all link and they're all involved in those type of programs. But Gates, we do know he's messing with mosquitoes, so a mosquito isn't really that far off from a tick. All three of those are blood suckers. Two mosquitoes and ticks.
SPEAKER_00No, I meant three. Yeah, I know where you're going with it. But remember, too, what do we say? It's only a conspiracy until it's proven true. So I'm not gonna say I don't disagree, but let's get back to the ticks at hand. In March of 2026, there was a TikTok video uh that went viral, and the video claimed this woman claimed that she spoke directly with farmers in the Midwest, and specifically Missouri, and they were supposedly finding boxes of ticks dumped on their property, and they were just bursting. The these areas were just bursting with out-of-control tick population, so it's no wonder that this TikTok video took off.
SPEAKER_01Now, fact checkers claim that when pushed, she backed off and said it was a lie. She never spoke to farmers, but I have seen videos of boxes of ticks found in fields and the woods by the people. I have seen these video clips, and I really don't think anyone's out there collecting just hundreds and thousands of baby ticks or real tics and putting them into these boxes and then setting them in a field and saying, hey, look what I found, just to make some crazy video. I'm just gonna say that's a nope from me. I don't believe anyone's doing that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, again, we can't confirm that this is happening uh unless any of our listeners, if you have found a box of ticks, please email us. We want to hear it from you. Um, but I'm inclined to not put it past the powers in charge. Now, with Lyme and now Alpha Gal, uh, what else could they inject into these tiny little nightmares?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm gonna rebuke that thought and possible situation right now. We just don't have time for anything else going on in this world. We do not need another mysterious tick disease.
SPEAKER_00Uh, we don't need anything else right now. We're all just trying to survive. But let's talk some safety. What can we do to keep ourselves tick-free? I I think maybe it's common sense for you, Mary, and for myself, because we grew up in these rural areas. But people who maybe didn't and they're visiting, let's let's cover some safety tips. My favorite, number one at the top of the list is just don't go outside. So, uh, but seriously, you know, if you do, be mindful of the ticks. Tall grass, wooded area, ticks really can even be in your backyard. I get my yard sprayed for those. So what do we do? Let's go down some of those, Mary.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Well, my favorite is to get yourself some chickens or some guinea hens if you can have them. A single free-range chicken. That's just one. She can eat an average of 80 to 300 ticks per day. And in heavily infested areas, individual chickens have been documented eating up to 331 ticks in a single hour of active foraging. So, I mean, come on, everybody, go get yourself some chickens. That's just one chicken. So imagine if you had a small flock of them running around. That is the best tick control in your house on your property that you can possibly have, and they're super fun to watch. And I gotta say, we don't generally have a tick problem where we live because I got my girls. But check your local laws and see if you can get a chicken or six or you know, 20 chicken mass.
SPEAKER_00Mary, can you put a chicken on a leash and take it with you while you're hiking? Maybe this is a new life hack.
SPEAKER_01I would love that, but I don't think so. Not normally. I mean, there's that Seinfeld episode when Kramer's got little Jerry on the leash. So it can be done, but I don't think it's typical. But that would be sweet. I think you should try it. Send me some pictures.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Well I'll post some. I'll post some on our social media. I think that would be great. Lovely. All right. Well, everyone, if you are in the woods by choice, by choice, you definitely want to follow some of these tips to uh obviously stay tick and critter free. If you're cringy about chemicals, turn the volume down for a minute. But we're gonna tell everyone get you some clothes, treat it with that permethrin, then seal all the gaps in your clothes. So tuck your shirt into your pants and tuck your pant legs directly into your high socks. This really forces ticks to crawl up the outside of your clothes where you can spot them easier rather than kind of sliding underneath to reach your skin. And I don't know, Mary, I'm starting to itch.
SPEAKER_01I'm let me just demystify a few things here. Ticks don't hang in the trees and drop on you. That's just a myth. Ticks aren't climbing up trees, they don't jump and they don't fly, they wait on the tall grass and low brushes and they latch onto passing hosts. They use a strategy that's called questing. So they climb onto low vegetation, so grass and shrubs or taller grass, they stretch out their front legs and they just kind of hang there with their arms outstretched, and they wait to latch onto a passing host, meaning your lower body requires the strongest defensive barriers. And just a fun, more horrifying fact ticks use specialized sensory organs to detect humans by sensing carbon dioxide, body heat, moisture, and odors like lactic acid. So, unless you're dead, a tick's always gonna find you.
SPEAKER_00All right, you know, earlier, Mary, I mentioned that I have had a tick-borne illness in the past. So again, this is why I'm just not going in the woods, but a little more serious this time, more safety tips. Here's one to think about put on white, tan, or some sort of maybe a light gray clothing. Because if you think about it, of course, this seems like common sense, but maybe not for everybody. Ticks are dark brown or black, and that makes them significantly easier to spot before they ever reach your skin. That's the goal. And I guess that is why jungle people always seem to wear that same tan outfit. You know, you think about that. That's smart. Let's be smart, friends. Everybody go get a jungle outfit. But tick bites, they are no joke. Use a tick repellent. Uh, you know, go to the section at uh Dick's Sporting Goods, your local sporting goods store, they'll have those bottles that have the different tick repellents. Look for those. I think the main thing is DEET, like a 20%. Now, again, if you're against the chemicals, turn the volume down. But for our no-chemical friends, use oil of lemon, eucalyptus, and even a cedar.
SPEAKER_01I use the oils and they work, they really do, but they don't last so long. So you have to be mindful and reapply them. Now, we mentioned earlier, or I mentioned earlier, how they latch on. So for our favorite hiking rule that you would say that we've talked about so far, stay on the path. It's usually clear and not close to grasses and bushes. We don't want to go near those thick rhodendrums, remember? And so they won't have those tiny assassins with arms outstretched waiting to hit your ride if you stay on the middle of that path. Don't sit in the grass or on the logs because they're tiny and they're waiting for you. They're just gonna get there right there on your bum. Bring a little foldable chair with you, and another one, which is an easy one, if you can remember, bring a lint roller and roll your clothing before you get back into your cars or into your tents. And you're gonna pick up the tiniest of ticks by doing this. And I don't know if you've ever had one, but those seed ticks, those are absolutely nightmare fuel.
SPEAKER_00Man, the seed ticks are horrible. I will never forget my kids being small and going outside and playing and coming back with hundreds of seed ticks. You know, so and sometimes you don't even know you have one until days later. Like they're just so small. And sometimes those seed ticks can be translucent. I mean, they're it's just really scary. Yeah. And so to be safe from any potential risk from ticks, you want to remove them as soon as possible. It's the ticks that are left attached on your body for more than 24 hours that transmit the diseases. So be vigilant. And once you're out of the woods and you're back home, decontaminate yourself. And your pets. We're snuggling up with our pets all the time and they're outside. So that's something you got to think about as well. But when you've been out and you get back home, take off all of your clothes and just toss them straight into the dryer on the highest heat for at least 15 minutes. And this will kill the ticks. You can't just quickly wash it. They will survive the wash. You have to blast them with the heat. Jump into the shower. Try to shower at least an hour or two after you've been hiking. And that will help to wash off any of the loose ticks that maybe haven't attached yet. You don't want any wandering around your body looking for the best place to attach while you're sleeping.
SPEAKER_01Oh gosh, that's the worst. And remember, Haley mentioned it, but do a tick check on your pets. Check their ears, around their eyes, their joints, their bellies, even those gum lines, and then do a tick check on yourself or your partners. Have them do a tick check on you. Use a mirror to inspect the warm hidden zones that takes target, you know, the back of your knees, your groin area, your armpits, inside your belly button, and around your waistline, and then deep in your hairline.
SPEAKER_00I'm gonna tell you, I don't think I've cringed so badly in a while when you said inside the belly button.
SPEAKER_01I think it's warm and moist and right there. You know what?
SPEAKER_00I had a chick attached to the bottom of my toe once, and actually was excruciatingly painful. But the belly button might top that. I just died a little right there. Um maybe if we ever go Bigfoot hunting, let's go in the winter, Mary. Sure. I mean, I'm all for the winter.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Well, I told everyone this was a crazy episode. So you did all this and a tick got through. Lord Jesus help us. Let's what's the steps next to removing the ticks, Mary?
SPEAKER_01Don't panic, even though we're all dying in a little inside when we find one. But make sure you add a good pair of tweezers to your medical kit. And then you want to get as close to your skin's surface or whoever's surface that's got the tick as physically possible. Grasp that tick firmly right by its mouth parts, not its bloated adamant. You got to get up there by the head and pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist it, don't jerk it, don't wiggle that tick. Twisting it or jerking it can break that mouth parts bit off the head and leaves that embedded in your skin like a splinter. So disgusting. If the mouth parts do break off and stay in the skin, you can try to lift them out gently with the tweezers, but if you cannot remove them easily, leave them alone and let the skin heal. Your body will eventually push them out naturally like a splinter. So thoroughly then wash the bite site, your hands and the tweezers with rubbing alcohol or an iodine scrub and plenty of soap and warm water. Then you want to kill the tick by submerging it either in alcohol or placing it in a sealed bag or container, wrapping it in tape, or my favorite and preferred method, flushing it down the toilet. Bye-bye tick. And if you live in a high-risk area that has Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever, you can place that tick in a sealed bag, especially if you discovered it after 24 hours on your body, and write the date and the time and the location of the bite on the bag. And if you get sick later, you can actually take that tick to the doctor and they can test the tick to find out exactly what you were exposed to. So just want to keep an eye on any tick bite that you have for the next 30 days, and you're gonna seek immediate medical attention if you develop any of the following warning sides: a rash, especially that bullseyed pattern that most people get freaked out by, a sudden fever or chills within the next few days, severe body aches or joint pains, unexplained fatigues or headaches. If you're vigilant, you can avoid these tick bites and you can remove them before they're able to do anything potentially harmful to you. You just want to be safe and smart.
SPEAKER_00Well, there you have it, friends. This concludes our summer supernatural safety tip series. And while ticks aren't supernatural, are we sure they aren't little spawns of the devil? And what do you think? Did the government devise a way to turn them into a bioweapon and release them into our country accidentally or as an experiment? We can't wait to be back with a full-length episode in two weeks as we kick off season two of the Rebel Road Podcast. So excited for that. As always, if you loved this episode, found it fun and helpful, or even if you didn't, will you please share it with at least one person and hit that follow button. Keep it weird, friends, and if it all gets too weird, just pull it back to Jesus. And don't forget, tuck your pants into your socks. We don't want ticks crawling into our belly buttons. Bye. Bye.
