"Happily, the bugs need to eat only once a month or less, he said. 'It's not so bad. You can hardly feel it.' A few days later at his home, Mr. Ecker demonstrated, tipping a vial of bugs onto his forearm, which the critters latched on to like hungry newborns, their bodies quickly swelling with blood." It gets grosser-so you may stop reading here or come and soldier bravely on with us.