Stuff You Missed in History Class: Behind the Scenes Minis – Ticks and Spiders

Hosts: Tracy V. Wilson & Holly Frey
Episode Date: October 3, 2025

Overview

This "Behind the Scenes Minis" episode follows Holly and Tracy as they chat informally about personal connections and anecdotes surrounding the week’s main topics: eponymous diseases, particularly those transmitted by ticks (like Lyme disease, West Nile virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever) and, later, Halloween-adjacent conversation about spiders. The hosts share their own stories, practical experiences, and humorous moments, while also reflecting on public health, disease prevention, and their affection (or lack thereof) for insects and arachnids.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Connections to Tick-Borne Diseases

• Tracy shares that her selections for the main episode (Lyme disease, West Nile virus, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) were inadvertently personal:
  • Grew up in NC (high rates of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), now lives in MA (Lyme prevalent), and deals with yearly reports of West Nile virus.
  • “I wound up choosing three that are personally relevant to me because I grew up in North Carolina, one of the states where Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is the most prevalent. I now live in Massachusetts where there’s a lot of Lyme disease.” (03:00)
• Monitoring West Nile Virus:
  • Discusses how health departments test birds as a surveillance method before major human outbreaks are detected.
• The Lyme, CT Connection:
  • Tracy recounts how her research into Lyme led her to realize the area where it was first studied is familiar—she has friends living in East Haddam, CT—and a misadventure with GPS in that area fed into her imagining it as an epicenter for tick exposure.
  • “I was like, you know what road I’ve been on that seems like a road where people could have gotten a lot of Lyme disease? That road.” (04:50)

2. Disease Anecdotes & ‘Disease Hilarity’

• West Nile Virus, Close to Home
  • Holly shares that a mutual friend contracted West Nile, discovering only after a lengthy bout of illness, and that the only prescribed treatment was fluids and rest (05:54).
    • Quote: “She finally showed up at craft night... and was like, apparently I just have West Nile, and there’s nothing they can do for it.” (06:20) — Holly
• Personal Reputation and Tick Reactions
  • Holly became known as her husband's "prissy city wife" after panicking over a tick during a family visit, which became an enduring family joke (07:00).
    • “That is how I came to be known as Brian’s prissy city wife.” (07:19) — Holly
    • Tracy's take: “Not gonna tick off you… is very reasonable to me.” (07:40)

3. Childhood Experiences with Tick-Related Illness

• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever:
  • Tracy’s mother was vigilant about tracking tick bites, noting them on a calendar as a smart way to monitor for symptoms, which Tracy only appreciated later in life.
    • “Whenever she pulled a tick off of one of us, she would write the date on the calendar... which is incredibly smart.” (08:28) — Tracy
  • Recalls a drum corps roommate contracting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and needing to drop out for treatment (09:25).

4. Disease Prevention Strategies

• Sun Protection & Insect Barriers:
  • Tracy prefers wearing sun-protective clothing instead of sunscreen; as a bonus, it also fends off ticks and mosquitoes (09:48).
  • Holly layers up in multiple clothes to mow the lawn despite the heat, prioritizing bite prevention over comfort (10:24).
• Bug Nets & Outdoor Gear:
  • Tracy uses a bug net when hiking if conditions warrant (10:45).

5. Lyme Vaccine & Clinical Research

• Clinical Trial Participation:
  • Tracy attempted to join a Lyme vaccine clinical trial, but logistics prevented her from participating.
    • “I signed up to be part of that trial… and eventually they did not wind up doing that. So I did not wind up being part of that study.” (11:23–12:04)
  • She’s optimistic even for partial vaccine efficacy, emphasizing the value of combining multiple preventive measures.

6. The Grim Reality for Early Researchers

• The hosts reflect on how many early researchers of vector-borne diseases became sick and often died due to lack of treatment (12:58).
  • “So many people who were researching these vector borne diseases before there were treatments for them, got the diseases and died.” (12:57) — Tracy

7. Silly Interludes: Pop Culture, Travel, and Spiders

• Star Wars Mozzie Easter Egg:
  • Holly reveals that in "The Force Awakens," three mosquito-like aliens are officially named the "Dengue Sisters." (13:46)
• Travel Medicine & Nerd Credentials:
  • Tracy recounts a pre-Morocco doctor visit where her knowledge of leishmaniasis surprised the doctor, leading to a joke:
    • “Doctor, have you heard of nerds? It’s a very common condition. You might want to look into it.” (15:32) — Holly

8. Spider Season & Home Dynamics

• Halloween, Spiders, and Home Life:
  • Holly relishes the increase in Joro spiders around her home (good for Halloween vibes!), names the ones near her window, and notes her cat’s shared fascination (24:00).
    • “It’s like they pre-decorated for me.” (24:18) — Holly
  • Tracy fondly recalls the “elegant” spiders in her former Atlanta yard and shares a black widow anecdote where her offhand joke became reality (31:08).
    • “I picked it up, and it was full of leafy debris kind of spider webby looking stuff. And I was like, oh, this is like a great place for a black widow spider. Ha ha ha. And I dumped it out… and there was a black widow spider.” (31:08) — Tracy
  • Both try to spare spiders when pest management is necessary, and Holly jokes about being “the crazy spider lady” to service workers (33:06).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “That is how I came to be known as Brian’s prissy city wife.” (07:19) — Holly
• “Whenever she pulled a tick off of one of us, she would write the date on the calendar... which is incredibly smart.” (08:28) — Tracy
• “Even if it were a 75% effective vaccine, that’s actually pretty good... People think about the 25% but not so much about the 75%.” (12:19) — Tracy
• “Didn’t you know there’s a reference to dengue fever in Star Wars?... They are officially the dengue sisters.” (13:39) — Holly
• “Doctor, have you heard of nerds? It’s a very common condition. You might want to look into it.” (15:32) — Holly
• “It’s like they pre-decorated for me.” (24:18) — Holly
• “I picked [the planter] up, and it was full of...spider webby looking stuff. And I was like, oh, this is like a great place for a black widow spider...and there was a black widow spider.” (31:08) — Tracy

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–02:35 — Ads and intros (skipped in summary)
• 02:46 — Episode proper starts, hosts greet
• 02:50–04:50 — Tracy on personal connections to eponymous tick-borne diseases and local disease occurrence
• 05:38–07:30 — Holly’s “disease hilarity” stories: West Nile close to home, family jokes
• 07:48–09:45 — Tracy recalls childhood tick vigilance, drum corps incident
• 09:48–11:16 — Sun protective clothing and bug defense strategies
• 11:16–12:36 — Lyme vaccine clinical trials & prevention
• 12:36–13:34 — The risks for early researchers of disease
• 13:34–15:41 — Lighter notes: Star Wars “Dengue Sisters”; travel medicine & being a “disease nerd”
• 23:26–25:24 — Spider talk: Halloween, Joro spiders, naming yard spiders, family/cat antics
• 29:53–31:18 — Tracy and Holly discuss Atlanta-area spiders, black widows, household pest management
• 33:06–33:41 — Holly stakes out “crazy spider lady” status, wraps up with spider appreciation as Halloween joy

Tone & Style

• Chatty and personal, filled with humor and gentle self-deprecation
• Warm, supportive, and encouraging of disease prevention without alarmism
• Affectionate toward spiders, with playful asides for listeners who might not share that fondness

Conclusion

This behind-the-scenes mini episode gives fans a relatable and insightful look into daily realities around tick-borne diseases and disease prevention, blended with affection for spiders and the joys of autumn. It balances practical advice, public health perspectives, and lighthearted diversions—perfectly encapsulating the open, nerd-positive tone the podcast is known for.