Virginia, USA. The entire visual field here is about 3mm, so they are incredibly small. Note this one has been on the slide for a few days and has turned darker. I’m pretty sure this is a larval Amblyomma americanum, the lone star tick.
I picked out what I could and scrubbed with rubbing alcohol, then soap, but I still have dozens of itchy welts. It’s rare that they carry disease at this stage, but I got some doxycycline to be on the safe side. I had permethrin on my shoes and pants but not my gloves, so live and learn.
Yep, alpha gal allergy. I hope that misses me. I don’t eat red meat but I might, I don’t know, take a capsule with a gelatin coating or something. Apparently it can be that severe.