The tick-fever capital is right here in North Carolina.
Ticks are one-way travelers.
If you don't believe it, drop one on a sheet of paper, turn the paper on edge, and watch the little sucker head for the top. Then turn the paper upside down and watch it reverse direction. They climb slowly, chomp down slowly and, most important, release slowly. And yes, the head can do the job all by itself. But you obviously don't want to run that risk.