Recently, more and more people complain about tick bites. And it’s good if the attack of this arthropod did without consequences. But it often happens that a person becomes infected with a serious illness, so ticks are treated with caution. And if you suddenly happen to become a victim of these insects, you need to urgently consult a doctor. It is important to know the habitats of ticks, as well as ways to protect against them.
Bloodsuckers in nature
In the world fauna there are at least 40 thousand species of ticks, among which there are poorly studied ones, and new groups also appear. Therefore, they belong to the most diverse families of arthropods that have ever lived on our planet.
In nature, they eat soil fungi, plant remains and small arthropods. Some of the ticks have adapted to feed on the blood of animals. They are called parasites. The most famous of them are ixodid, numbering 680 species. There are habitats for ticks of the ixodid group on all continents, including Antarctica.
What are dangerous arthropod bites
Ixodes species parasites are carriers of pathogens of human diseases:
- tick-borne encephalitis;
- tick-borne typhus;
- tularemia;
- tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease);
- Q fever;
- relapsing tick fever;
- ehrlichiosis;
- hemorrhagic fever.
Among the carriers of these diseases, two types of ticks are of particular epidemiological importance: taiga and European forest. They are giants among the variety of types.
When ticks appear
The beginning of the activity of adults is observed when the soil warms up to 5-7 degrees Celsius, basically this period falls on the beginning or middle of April, depending on the weather. The number of ticks begins to increase rapidly and reaches a maximum by the end of May, remaining high until the middle - end of June. Again, depending on weather conditions. Reserve nutrients are depleted by that time, and mites begin to die out abruptly. But still, some individuals can be found even until the end of September.
How ticks attack
Parasite lie in wait for their prey, being on the grass or sitting on branches or sticks sticking up. Having information about what habitats ticks prefer, you can avoid their attacks. They are not very mobile and cover a distance not exceeding 10 meters in their entire life.
When the prey is approaching, the ticks take a waiting posture: as on the front legsolfactory organs are located, then they pull them out and drive them from side to side, determining the direction of the smell source. At the moment when a person or animal passes by, bloodsuckers spread their front legs, equipped with claws and suckers, and cling to the victim.
What happens after the attack
After having a "host", the parasites are looking for the most sensitive place. This can sometimes take up to 40 minutes. Therefore, even if the tick is already on a person, it can be detected and removed before suction. Getting on clothes, arthropods begin to look for access to the body, for which they crawl into pockets and seams. As for humans, usually ticks prefer to be localized in the scalp, near the auricles, on the neck, in the armpits, on the chest, back and in the groin. Animals are most often bitten in the neck or head area, where it is difficult to reach them with teeth.
When bitten, ticks inject an anesthetic. Therefore, the victim may not even feel that he was attacked.
Finding a place to feed, ticks cut through the skin with their proboscises and, reaching the blood vessels, begin to suck blood. The first saliva that sticks the mouthparts to the skin, and the proboscis's backward-facing teeth help secure it in place.
Females absorb blood for about 6 days, while males need much less time to feed. At the same time, the volume of ticks increases to the size of the phalanx of the little finger, and the weight becomes one hundredtimes more than it was before suction.
What to do if bitten by a tick?
If you find a parasite stuck on your body, you must first go to the hospital. The sooner this is done, the less likely it is to get tick-borne encephalitis. If it is not possible to see a doctor immediately after the bite, then you need to remove the bitten bloodsucker yourself.
It is strictly forbidden to squeeze out the tick, because if it breaks, the infection will quickly penetrate into the blood, and the disease in this case cannot be avoided. There are several ways to remove the parasite. The most effective is to take a thread and tie a knot as close as possible to the proboscis of the bloodsucker, then slowly pull the tick up with rotational movements. You can not do this abruptly, as the head may come off and remain under the skin. If this happens, it is necessary to treat the bite site with alcohol and remove the head with a sterile needle, like a splinter.
After the tick has been removed, the wound must be treated with alcohol or iodine. And put the parasite in a jar and take it to the laboratory for microscopic diagnostics. Important: it must be delivered to its destination alive so that specialists can examine it.
Tick bite prevention
To avoid the attack of parasites, you need to follow simple recommendations when going to the forest and other possible habitats of ticks. Clothing should be light-colored, as it is easiest to see parasites on it. Long sleeves and a hood (or headpiece) are required. You can not wear shorts and expose parts of the body, pants must be tucked into socks. Shoes must also be closed.
Every 10-15 minutes you need to inspect clothes. After the typical habitats of ticks have been abandoned, a thorough check for the presence of parasites on the body should be carried out. Shake out clothes on the street, carefully comb out the hair, examine the neck, armpits, auricles and inguinal region. It is these places that are most suitable for sucking bloodsuckers, because the skin there is thin and delicate.
Tick habitats in the world
Parasites that carry encephalitis are common throughout almost the entire territory of Eurasia, but most of them are in its southern part, covered with forests. Ticks love moisture, because of this, their number is highest in well-moistened places. It can be deciduous forests or mixed. As well as moderately shaded areas, moist or with dense grass.
Also, parasites are found in forest ravines, edges, on the banks of forest streams or on grassy forest paths. The most popular habitats for ticks are forest paths, along the sides of which grass overgrowth stretches. It is not worth hoping that meadows and river valleys were left without these parasites. There are also plenty of them.
There is a misconception that encephalitic ticks can attack from trees, such as birches. We have already discussed its habitats, we will not repeat. Yes, parasites are also found in birch forests, but they cannot jump. Getting on a person, the tick crawls up the clothes, and most oftenit is already found on the head. Therefore, it seems that he fell from above.
Finally, let's discuss where in our country this parasite most often "hunts". The habitats of ticks in Russia are the European part, Siberia and the Far East. The percentage of encephalitic individuals in different regions is different. So, for example, in the European part of them, only a few percent of the entire population of ticks were recorded.
