Scabs on sheath, ticks or mites?

I rinsed Sam down today and also did a tick check. When I checked his 'private regions' I noticed he had quite alot of black stuff on the outsides. Figuring it was dirt, I took the hose to it, only to find out it was dried, scabby blood.

I also noticed an abundence of little, round, bug-things. Baby ticks? Mites? I rinsed it well. I also noticed these around a large tick on his face.


Any tick prevention suggestions? Should I put a Vasaline or similar jelly on tick happy regions, such as the folds under the front legs, sheath area, between the back legs?

I've seen that before due to something called "buffalo gnats." I would wash it with betadine and then smear it with Swat (vaseline like fly stuff) liberally.