This Steve Kuchera story in the Duluth News Tribune warns us that even though northern Minnesota is experiencing a prolonged winter we should still expect a horrifying onset of blood-sucking ticks, mosquitoes and ishy-squishy forest tent caterpillars.

These creatures are built for winter. They just sit there, preparing for it to get warm. They can wait. They don’t care. They will suck your blood, in due time. The tick abides.

I’m going to recommend you click through to the DNT site just to see the graphic depicting a tick wearing a six-sleeved bathrobe opening an empty refrigerator where it had hoped to find blood. Or don’t. Because what I just said is exactly what it is.