Moose tick (Lipoptena cervi) is the common name for the deer bloodsucker. Females and males feed mainly on the blood of artiodactyls of the Deer family. In rare cases, it parasitizes on foxes, wild boars, cattle, dogs, birds, etc. It has nothing to do with true ticks. People are attacked only when the population size greatly exceeds the usual number. The cycle of development in man does not find completion. The distribution area is large, including Siberia and the countries of Scandinavia.
The size of an adult insect is about 3.5 mm. The moose tick is distinguished by covers of a brownish color, dense, leathery, shiny. The photos presented in the article demonstrate a strong flattening of the body and head. It has 8 eyes, of which 2 are very large, complex and 3 pairs are simple. Antennae, deeply located in the frontal cavities, almost do not extend beyond the head. The oral apparatus works according to the piercing-sucking type. Legs with thickened thighs and asymmetrical claws. The wings are developed, dense, transparent, with veins. The abdomen is elastic, the oviduct can greatly increase during "pregnancy".
Different live birth mite elk. The female lays a prepupa up to 4mm. It hardens into a puparium, falls to the ground and waits for the right weather conditions to turn into a chrysalis. The birth of the next one occurs after a decent period of time, which is required for its maturation in the female's oviduct, since they act in turn. The transition of the chrysalis to the winged form occurs from the end of summer to October.
Moose tick flies no matter. Prey lies in wait, sitting on the grass, trees or shrubs. Attacks only during the day. Attracts their smell and warmth of the future owner. Once on it, the insect drops its wings, breaking them off at the base, burrows into the wool and starts eating. The moose tick can feed up to 20 times a day, sucking out a total of about 2 mg of blood.
After 20 days of nutrition, a metamorphosis occurs: the integuments darken, the head retracts, the muscles of the wings die off, sexual difference appears, mating begins. Up to 1000 parasites can live on one host. They live in pairs, males cling tightly to females. The birth of the first puparia occurs 17 days after copulation, it turns out that a winged individual needs a month to start breeding its own kind. A female with good nutrition can give birth to up to 30 prepupae, from October to March. The moose tick in its wingless form is active all winter, i.e., for about six months, then it dies.
With a large number of parasites, the animal experiences anxiety, blood loss leads to exhaustion. At the site of the bites, redness, papules are formed. Their greatest accumulation is along the back and on the neck, i.e., in those places where the woollonger. Excrement pollution increases skin inflammation. Moose tick is a carrier of many diseases. Studies have shown that more than a quarter of the winged deer bloodsuckers had spirochetes.
People react differently to moose tick bites. Some develop itchy, mosquito-like redness that goes away within a week. Others, who are immunosuppressed, develop blisters, crusts, even eczema, which can take months to heal.
