Ixodid ticks (Ixodidae) are one of the most famous families of the subclass Acari. They are found on all continents and live within almost all identified natural and climatic zones. Ixodids live even outside the Arctic Circle, which indicates their high adaptability and ability to survive in extreme conditions.

The greatest species diversity of ticks is characteristic, first of all, of forests of the tropics and subtropics (due to the relatively high level of humidity, complex layered composition of vegetation and the richness of possible hosts).

We will talk further about where exactly and in what months of the year the risk of encountering ticks is greatest...

Where are ixodid ticks found?

Ticks concentrate where there are the necessary microclimatic indicators and where their potential hosts live. Within the main natural zones, these bloodsuckers are distributed mosaically, and can often form massive concentrations of numbers.

It is worth keeping in mind that ticks migrate only slightly in the horizontal direction - they take a wait-and-see attitude and resort to active pursuit only in exceptional cases.

In the photo below, the bird's mites around the eyes are clearly visible:

Thus, the main habitats of ticks are:

• forest paths;
• well-warmed and moistened forest edges and forest clearings;
• pastures;
• parks and squares in cities, lawns;
• vegetable gardens, gardens in the country, which are often visited by pets and people.

Therefore, this group of species has developed special adaptations to counteract the harmful effects of the environment. These counteractions are expressed in the choice of habitats, and here two groups of ticks are distinguished:

• pasture bloodsuckers;
• burrowing bloodsuckers.

Pasture and burrow bloodsuckers

In search of better microclimatic conditions, some species of ticks took a simplified path and settled in the burrows of their hosts, where it is always warm enough, humid and there is food. Other species have adapted to life in forests and open spaces.

On a note

On a note

When there is a lack of water in the body, ticks descend to moist substrates and absorb moisture throughout their bodies.

A common misconception is that ticks fall from trees and shrubs. In reality, they do not climb trees, but are found exclusively in the herbaceous layer. Therefore, the greatest danger is posed by lush, tall grass in places where animals and people frequently move.

As for burrow ticks, they live almost exclusively in the burrows and nests of their owners, and for this reason they usually do not pose a danger to humans. This includes, first of all, Argasid mites; similar species are less common among Ixodids.

The life cycles of ticks are quite complex, which is associated with the characteristics of metamorphosis and the need to find and change hosts. At the same time, the life activity of the same species differs significantly within different natural zones, and directly depends on the microclimatic parameters of the habitat. The rhythms of life cycles depend entirely on the seasonal dynamics of abiotic factors, such as daylight hours, humidity, temperature, etc.

On a note

The most primitive are continuous cycles, in which synchronization with seasonal rhythms is minimized. This type of ontogenesis is typical for species living in warm and humid tropical climates or in burrows of animals and birds, where fluctuations in microclimatic parameters are insignificant.

The most complex cycles are characteristic of ticks, which require special adaptations to survive unfavorable environmental conditions (primarily winter temperatures).

The longest and most complex development cycles are characteristic of the European taiga and forest ticks, the ranges of which have shifted far to the north, much further than the ranges of other species. Normally, for the full development of each stage of ontogenesis, it takes about 1 year, so the minimum period of development from egg to adult is 3 years, and the maximum is 6 years.

Adults, mostly adult and hungry females, attack large mammals and humans in April-May, with the peak of aggressiveness occurring in the second ten days of May. At this time, they wait for their prey in tall grass in pastures, near ponds, forest paths, in parks and squares in cities.

On a note

Often the eggs are attached to grassy vegetation, or less often the female lays them directly on the fur of animals - then the hatched larvae will not need to look for a feeder.

The eggs laid in the summer hatch into larvae that feed on small rodents and birds. They are tiny in size and have only 3 pairs of limbs, so they are sometimes confused with insects.

The photo below shows tick larvae:

After feeding, the larvae look for a place to overwinter: they mainly choose leaf litter and depressions in the bark of trees. There, in a state of diapause, small bloodsuckers wait out the winter. If the larva does not have time to feed before the onset of cold weather, it dies.

Sometimes the larvae manage to molt into nymphs before winter, but often molting also occurs only after exiting diapause. Each molt is accompanied by blood sucking.

Tick ​​nymphs differ from larvae in their larger size and the presence of another (fourth) pair of legs. They are able to feed on larger animals such as dogs, cats, foxes, and hares.

In the spring and summer-autumn period of the 3rd year from the beginning of the life cycle, adult individuals appear. They begin to feed immediately, or go into diapause again. The female needs nutrition primarily for the maturation of her eggs, so it is extremely important that mating occurs before feeding. Males either do not feed at all, or feed for a very short time, since they perform only the function of inseminators.

The most widespread and widespread in Russia and the CIS countries, the common forest (dog) and taiga ticks carry a number of pathogens of extremely dangerous human diseases, such as:

• various forms of tick-borne encephalitis;
• tick-borne typhus;
• Lyme disease (borreliosis);
• tularemia and some others.

On a note

The tick infects its host already during suction, when it injects saliva under the skin containing the causative agents of a particular infection. Moreover, the longer the tick is on the body, the greater the likelihood of getting sick.

Symptoms of the disease do not appear immediately: the incubation period can last up to one month. In the case of tick-borne encephalitis, the development of the disease can occur in different ways, but there are also common symptoms: more often there is a sharp increase in temperature, muscle pain and headaches. In the case of tick-borne borreliosis, a characteristic sign of infection is the appearance of the so-called migratory ring erythema - concentric rings of reddish, brown or yellow color form on the skin near the wound left after a tick bite (an example is shown in the photo below).

Prevention measures: how to protect yourself from the negative consequences of contact with ticks

On a note

Be that as it may, you should not relax either, since only correct and timely measures will minimize the likelihood of undesirable consequences.

First you need to remove the tick. This is easy to do yourself, using, for example, tweezers or special devices for removing ticks.

After removing the tick, the wound must be disinfected (can be treated with alcohol, brilliant green, iodine or hydrogen peroxide). It is recommended to wash your hands thoroughly with soap. The extracted tick should be taken for analysis to make sure it is not infected, and if necessary, take appropriate measures (for example, emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis consists of injections of gamma globulins).

There are two types of mites found in the apartment: subcutaneous and dust mites; ixodid mites may also be found, but only if they were brought in by people or animals themselves.

Subcutaneous mites are very small and cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they can cause great trouble to their owners by living in the skin, causing various allergies and skin irritations.

Also in a person’s apartment live dust mites, which feed on microscopic particles of dead human skin, which crumble in large quantities onto the floor.

Ixodid ticks are quite rare guests in apartments, since they live in forests and fields, and when they find their victim, they immediately stick to the skin and try to quickly pull them out and destroy them.

Why are house ticks dangerous?

The largest number of ticks is found near the bed where a person sleeps; they live on pillows, blankets, chairs, in carpets and dusty corners of the room. Ticks can migrate with air currents from one room to another, either by being on your clothing, body or belongings. Mites can also live on dusty cabinets, on bookshelves, in baskets with dirty laundry. Since ticks feed on particles of dead human skin, they have enough food to eat, especially considering that the skin of a young person is completely renewed in a month.

Subcutaneous mites live in the upper layers of the epidermis, but when the immune system is weakened, they can penetrate deeper and cause skin diseases.
The photo shows the consequences of a subcutaneous mite.

As we said at the beginning of the article, it is impossible to see ticks, since their size does not exceed 0.2 mm. To find out the number of dust mites in your room, you should collect the dust and send it for microscopic analysis.

How to fight ticks

Special preparations for killing ticks

Where do ticks live? How do they attack humans?

Ticks are inhabitants of the forest. They live in the forest floor formed by fallen leaves and grass. The thicker the layer of litter, the better it warms up (but does not dry out), the more favorable the conditions for the development and life of ticks. They are found, as a rule, in small-leaved and deciduous-coniferous forests, in which birch, aspen, gray alder, bird cherry, rowan, willow, as well as pine and spruce grow. Such forests are sufficiently lighted, and the forest floor warms up well. In coniferous-deciduous forests with a significant predominance of spruce or pine and a relatively small content of deciduous trees, ticks are found in smaller numbers. They can be found in thickets of willow and gray alder located along forest roads, ditches, and fields.

Ticks are moisture-loving, and therefore their numbers are greatest in well-moistened places. Ticks prefer moderately shaded and moist deciduous and mixed forests with dense grass and undergrowth; there are many of them in thickets of willow trees along river banks and on forest edges.
Tick ​​activity begins in April and continues until October. Peak tick activity is May and June.
There is an opinion among many people that ticks jump from trees - this is not true. The tick cannot jump, and to hunt its prey the tick does not climb higher than 1 meter, although after clinging to the victim the tick crawls upward and is often removed on the shoulders or head, hence the false impression that the tick fell from above.
The tick waits for its victim with its legs spread in different directions, sitting on a blade of grass or on a low bush. The tick can sit like this for days until the victim passes by. That is why ticks concentrate on forest paths and paths covered with grass along the roadsides. There are many times more of them here than in the surrounding forest. Ticks are attracted to the smell of animals and people who constantly use these paths.
Ticks most often reach us by clinging to shoes, the bottom of trousers, when we walk through the forest, fields, etc.
The best weather for ticks is dry, sunny, and warm. On cold days, with frost or rain, the tick is passive, it hides in the forest floor and waits out the bad weather

To prevent small mammals (wood mice, voles, shrews, etc.) - feeders of ticks in the early stages of development - from settling on your site, carefully remove food waste and avoid cluttering the area.

Pets (cats, dogs, etc.) that live in the country often visit adjacent areas of the forest and are attacked by ticks. They should be regularly inspected and all attached ticks should be removed, since those individuals that become engorged with blood and fall off in the forest will give birth to a new generation of ticks in a year.

Depending on weather conditions, all phases of the life cycle of ticks make daily and seasonal vertical migrations from the forest floor to herbaceous plants. Ticks hide from the bright sun and rain by descending into the forest floor, or, if they remain on plants, crawl to its shady part.

On plants, the mite is positioned in such a way that the front pair of limbs can freely stretch forward when a potential host approaches. This is the so-called waiting pose. Along with vertical pincers, small horizontal movements are also characteristic. Thus, according to the observations of Yu. S. Balashov, in the coniferous-deciduous taiga in southern Primorye, marked ticks moved for a month at a distance of up to 5 m from the place of their release.

In nature, ticks are distributed unevenly: there are always more of them where there are many birds and mammals. They concentrate along forest roads and animal trails, which serve as migration routes for animals. Knowing that ticks accumulate near forest roads and trails, in piles of dead wood, on fallen trees, take precautions. When walking through such areas of the forest, especially in the spring, when ticks are most aggressive after wintering, inspect yourself more often and remove clinging ticks, preventing them from being sucked on. However, we should not forget that ticks can be found in any small-leaved forests.

Periods of tick activity

Ticks, inhabitants of the temperate climate zone, are characterized by spring-summer-autumn activity. In the conditions of the Urals, taiga and European forest ticks become active in early spring. With the onset of stable positive air temperatures (+3° and above), ticks can be found in the first thawed patches, on last year's grass, heaps of brushwood and dead wood. In the third ten days of April, and in some years already at the end of the first ten days, active individuals appear. The taiga tick is active until the end of June, sometimes found singly in July.

The most dangerous "tick" months in our conditions are the end of April-July. During this period, it is necessary for everyone who visits the forest or works there to observe personal preventive measures and prevent ticks from attacking and sucking on them.

How do mites develop?

Ixodid ticks have a complex development cycle, including four phases: egg, larva, nymph, adult (female and male). During all active phases of development, ticks (larva, nymph, female) feed on blood only once in their life, but absorb large amounts of it. So, the weight of a hungry female is 3-4 mg, and a well-fed one from 40 to 500, on average 160-350 mg.

Well-fed females, leaving the host-feeder, first fall to the surface of the soil litter or soil, and then crawl into its thickness, under dead wood, stones, roots, cracks, where their further development takes place. Depending on the air temperature and weather conditions, they begin to lay eggs after 2-3 weeks. The number of eggs is large, up to 3000, but more often 2000. The number of eggs is directly dependent on the volume of blood consumed: more well-fed individuals lay the largest number of eggs.

From the eggs laid by the female in the same year, and sometimes the next, small light yellowish larvae hatch, which are similar to adults, but have three pairs of limbs. They sit in a dense bunch and do not spread out. Only in the spring do they become active and attack small animals (wood mice, voles, shrews, etc.).

The larvae suck blood for 3-4 days, then fall off and hide in the thickness of the forest litter. The development of well-fed larvae lasts from two months to a year. Complex processes occur in their body. They moult and turn into nymphs. The latter are slightly larger and darker than the larvae, and have four pairs of legs. For further development, the nymph must attack some animal and suck on blood. These can be hares, hedgehogs, squirrels, water voles, hazel grouse and other animals. Nymphs suck blood for 3-4 days, after which they fall off and hide in the thickness of the forest floor, under dead wood, in soil microcavities, and there they turn into adult ticks - females and males. The development of well-fed nymphs lasts from two to three months to a year. Like larvae, they can overwinter in hungry and well-fed states.

Adult ticks, as a rule, do not leave their shelters, but remain hungry for the winter. In the spring, in the first thawed patches, on last year’s grass, you can find active females and males. Males are found on animals in a non-attached or even sucked state, but there are no reliable cases of blood in their stomach.

Females attack cattle, less often dogs, sheep, pigs, goats, cats, and among wild animals they feed on moose, wolves, foxes, hares, etc.

Once on the human body or the fur of an animal, the tick searches for a suitable place for suction, which sometimes takes a lot of time (one hour or more). In humans, ticks most often attach themselves to the neck, chest, armpits, and groin folds. Special attention must be paid to these places during inspections.

Both types of ticks develop according to the three-host type: larva, nymph, and adult feed on different hosts and leave them after satiation. The duration of development depends on how quickly a host can be found. Since it sometimes takes a lot of time to search for and wait for them, only one phase has time to complete development during the year.

The entire life cycle, from eggs of one generation to eggs of another generation, lasts at least three years. These periods depend on air temperature, the nature of the forest landscape, the presence of feeders, and weather conditions. At the northern border of distribution, the life cycle of ticks lengthens significantly: for taiga ticks from 3 to 5 years, and for European forest ticks from 3 to 6 years. This is due to the presence of periods of developmental delay in winter, as a result of which molting, egg laying and hatching of larvae are suspended. In winter, ticks are inactive.

An important epidemiological feature of ixodid ticks is their exceptional individual longevity. In laboratory conditions at low temperatures, female European forest ticks lived for 27 months, and female taiga ticks lived for 1.5-2 years. And some southern species in the laboratory of E. N. Pavlovsky lived for more than 11 years, maintaining viability.

Tick ​​development cycle:
1 - first host-feeder, 2 - well-fed female, 3 - eggs, 4 - hungry larvae, 5 - second owner, 6 - well-fed larvae, 7 - hungry nymph, 8 - third owner, 9 - well-fed nymphs, 10 - female and male tick.

Ways of infection with tick-borne encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis is an acute viral disease primarily affecting the nervous system. The most significant changes occur in the brain. That is why the disease is called “encephalitis” (encephalon in Greek means brain), and the ending “itis” means the development of an inflammatory process.

Humans are infected with encephalitis through the bite of pasture ixodid ticks. The disease has a clearly defined seasonality, which is due to the spring-summer activity of vectors.

If a tick infected with the tick-borne encephalitis virus has attached itself to a person, the first signs of the disease appear within 7-14 days from the moment of attachment. I am worried about headaches in the frontotemporal region, lethargy, weakness, mild pain in the lower back, arms, and sometimes in the legs. In acute cases, the disease begins suddenly, with a sharp increase in temperature to 39-40°. Redness of the skin and visible mucous membranes is often observed. Meningeal symptoms occur as the meninges become irritated and the neck and arm muscles become stiff.

The disease occurs with high fever for 5-8 days. In the case of a severe course of the disease, on the 2-3rd day, signs of focal damage to the nervous system are detected - weakness in the muscles of the arms and neck, a crawling sensation and numbness in them. Subsequently, these muscles become thin and “lose weight.” Some patients experience seizures, blurred vision and hearing.

Partial or complete restoration of muscle function develops slowly over 3-5 years. With deep disorders, the restoration of motor function in patients occurs insufficiently, and they remain disabled for life.

Any person who is temporarily or permanently in places where tick-borne encephalitis is registered can become ill. Most often, people whose profession is related to working in the forest get sick - workers of timber industry enterprises, forestry enterprises, chemical forestry enterprises, geologists, surveyors, biologists, and signalmen. Cases of the disease have also been reported among fishermen and hunters. The incidence of tick-borne encephalitis among tourists and people vacationing in the forest has increased noticeably. There are known cases of ticks being carried into rooms with bouquets of flowers. They can move from the clothes of one person to the clothes of another who has returned from the forest. Sometimes ticks crawl from cows to milkmaids during milking. But in all cases, infection occurs only with the participation of a tick infected with the encephalitis virus.

There is another route of infection - drinking raw milk from goats that graze in places where there are a lot of ticks.

You can get tick-borne encephalitis if you try to crush ticks with your fingers, the skin of which has microcuts or cracks.

Susceptibility to tick-borne encephalitis varies from person to person. In natural foci of tick-borne encephalitis, local residents get sick much less often than newly arrived people. Long-term residence in a natural focus is accompanied by the emergence of immunity (immunity) to the disease in people. This is due to the fact that local residents often visit forest areas - in order to collect medicinal herbs, early berries, prepare brooms, fishing, etc. and are often exposed to ticks. With such repeated, albeit short-term, suctions, small doses of the virus can enter the human blood, which do not cause disease, but contribute to the formation of antibodies to this virus in the blood. The accumulation of antibodies ensures a decrease in susceptibility to encephalitis. If such people become infected, the disease occurs in a mild form, without severe complications, and after recovery, the body develops immunity to encephalitis, which lasts for a long time, fifteen years or more, and sometimes for life.

All age groups are susceptible to tick-borne encephalitis, but children, especially schoolchildren, are more often affected.

The duration of blood sucking is of great importance. The earlier a tick is detected and removed, the less virus enters the human body.

Is it possible to protect yourself from tick-borne encephalitis?

Prevention of the disease consists of providing anti-tick protection to humans and increasing the body’s resistance to the pathogen. Anti-tick protection methods are divided into individual and collective.

Personal protective equipment.

When visiting the forest, it is necessary to strictly observe conditions that prevent ticks from crawling and penetrating under clothing. For this purpose, you need to wear special protective clothing - a jacket with a hood and trousers made of thick fabric. You can turn ordinary clothing into protective clothing if you button the collar and cuffs tightly, tuck the shirt into trousers, and the trousers into boots or socks, and put a hood over your head. But it is difficult to work in such a suit in hot weather. And yet, where it is absolutely necessary, such clothes must be worn.

During the day, it is necessary to conduct thorough self- and mutual examinations every 1-2 hours. This measure is simple, reliable and accessible to everyone. During examination, special attention should be paid to the hairy parts of the body, skin folds, ears, armpits and inguinal cavities. When returning home, you need to carefully examine all the folds and seams of your clothing, as ticks may crawl into them without having time to attach themselves. And only after making sure that there are no ticks can you go indoors. It is better to leave the suit and boots outside the living space. It is recommended to change your underwear at home, and take off what you have removed from the living rooms to the balcony, into the barn, or fill it with warm water and wash it. It's nice to take a shower. These simple and effective measures are available to everyone.

Well, if, despite taking precautions, the tick still sticks, how can you remove it along with the head? To do this, you need to lubricate the tick and the area of ​​skin around it with cream, Vaseline, vegetable oil, any fat, and after 30-60 seconds, tilting the tick to the back side, grab it close to the skin with tweezers (you can use two fingers - thumb and forefinger) and quickly, pull out with a sharp movement. The fat closes the breathing holes - and the tick relaxes the muscles of the proboscis for some time. It can be painlessly removed along with the head, which is very important, since the remaining part of the tick’s body can cause an inflammatory process.

But the most reliable method of removing a tick is to go to the emergency room of a medical institution.

All ticks found on the body, not attached and removed from the skin, must be destroyed: they are placed in any disinfectant solution (Lysol, kerosene, alcohol, etc.) or burned.

Never crush ticks with your hands! Splashes of the cavity fluid and salivary glands of the tick can get on the mucous membranes of the mouth, nasal cavity, small wounds on the skin of the hands and cause tick-borne encephalitis. After removing the tick, wash your hands thoroughly.

Following these simple and accessible techniques will help you reliably protect yourself from tick-borne encephalitis.

Along with protective clothing, there are special deterrent chemicals called repellents. Reftamid Taezhny, Raptor, DEET, etc. have proven themselves well. To protect a person from blood-sucking arthropods, repellents are applied to open areas of the skin - face, neck, hands.

Recently, another, more convenient and safer method has been increasingly used - impregnating clothing and head coverings with repellents. On clothing, the drugs retain their repellent properties much longer than when applied to the skin. However, it should be remembered that negative reactions of individuals to repellent odors do occur. Some of them irritate the integument, mucous membranes and cause other side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to use repellents strictly following the rules for their use.

Collective anti-tick measures

Collective anti-tick safety measures include the destruction of ticks over large areas to protect large populations. For this purpose, insectoacaricides are sprayed to destroy ticks in natural foci. Indications for treatment are a high number of ticks, registration of cases of tick-borne encephalitis and a high degree of contact of the population with the forest in a particular area.

However, processing forest areas is only the first step towards improving the health of the territory. A more important measure should be considered the creation of park-type forests around populated areas, free from ticks. For this purpose, in forest areas located near cities and towns, it is necessary to carry out thinning, clearing of dead wood, windbreaks and stumps, under which small mammals that feed ticks can live. The grass must be mowed regularly. Such cuttings should be carried out in the areas of sanatoriums, houses and recreation centers, pioneer and sports camps, in areas of future construction sites, etc.

Proper use of pastures is of great importance for the improvement of the areas adjacent to populated areas. It is known that if different pastures are used for grazing at intervals of 1-2 years, the number of ticks drops sharply.

The main hosts of female ticks near rural settlements are domestic animals. A hungry female remains viable for one to two years. If during this period she fails to get enough blood, she is doomed to death.

Knowing the peculiarities of the existence and survival of ticks at all phases of development, it is possible to rationally plan the use of pastures and thereby reduce the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis in a particular area, without using chemical means of tick control.

The organization of protection against ticks for pets is also of certain importance. It is known that the largest number of ticks ready to fall off livestock is observed on the 7-10th day after the start of grazing, so manual collection and destruction of ticks should be organized using the above methods. Ticks must be collected before animals are put out to pasture.

The fight against ticks with the help of their enemies, the so-called biological control of disease vectors, is very promising.

The parasite lays several dozen very small eggs in the body of female ticks, from which its larvae develop. The latter feed on the internal contents of their tick host, leaving only the integument. It was found that parasites infect mainly females and less often nymphs. Each tick individual develops 30-50 adult parasitic insects. Thus, in the Khabarovsk Territory, the natural infestation of ticks by parasites is about 15 percent.

In the fight against ticks, ground beetles and ants, which readily eat them, can be used.

Ticks also die en masse from various pathogenic fungi.

All of these living organisms play the role of biological regulators of the natural abundance of disease vectors in natural foci.

Specific prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is vaccination. Our scientists have created a wonderful vaccine - a drug prepared from killed tick-borne encephalitis virus. It was first used in 1939. In the early 60s, a new tissue vaccine was obtained, highly effective and painless. Vaccinations with this drug are done from October to March-April, before the onset of warm weather and the appearance of active ticks in nature.

The full course of vaccination consists of four vaccinations: three are given in the fall, the fourth in the spring. In subsequent years, a one-time revaccination is carried out for four years to maintain immunity to tick-borne encephalitis, and then a break is taken.

Work continues to create a more highly effective and easy-to-use live vaccine. However, vaccination does not completely guarantee a person’s protection from the disease. Therefore, it is necessary to observe all anti-tick protection measures.

Passive immunization is used if a tick has attached itself to a person. This is achieved by administering anti-encephalitis gamma globulin. The body receives ready-made antibodies in the form of immune serum from the blood of an animal or person. The effectiveness of gamma globulin administration is also high if it is administered in the first two to three days after tick bite (if there are no medical contraindications).

Anyone who finds a tick attached to their body should go to the nearest medical center. It is very important that persons to whom ticks are attached are under medical supervision for 10-14 days. It should be remembered that compliance with all measures of protection against ticks will help prevent a person from becoming infected with tick-borne encephalitis, even if he is forced to visit places unfavorable for this disease.

Considering the epidemiological features of the disease with tick-borne encephalitis, human infection largely depends on the person himself. Its behavior in a natural focus can prevent infection or, conversely, contribute to infection. It is always necessary to remember that it is easier to prevent a disease than to cure it and restore a person’s health. The most accessible and cheapest method of protecting people from tick-borne encephalitis is personal prevention.

This is what a regular tick looks like when it has drunk blood

The tick looks small, reaching 3–4 mm in length, but if the female has drunk blood, its size increases to 10 mm, and the color also changes to light gray. Females lay about 17,000 eggs in the ground, but due to complex ontogeny, only a few pairs of insects survive. The larvae feed with the help of terrestrial animals such as mustelids and rodents. Adult males are several times smaller than the female.

Area

Not everyone knows where ticks live. In the meantime, this is very important, since this is the only way to completely protect yourself from their bites.
Ticks often live in dense thickets and forests with dead wood. Unfortunately, insects live not only in forests. With the loss of agriculture in Russia, many lands fell into loss, stagnation and completely ceased to be cultivated. Tick ​​habitat has increased significantly. In such places, insects accumulate in double mode and usually such dangerous areas are located close to human habitation.

Ticks mainly live:

• ditches and nearby sections of roads;
• abandoned fields;
• forest shelterbelts;
• forest park urban area.

Not many residents of our country know where insects live, which is why cases of tick bites spread with the onset of the warm months of spring and summer.

Human activity does not reduce the spread of insects. Ticks are common in parks, cleared areas and around homes, but they often prefer secluded areas out of direct sunlight. Insects have spread throughout the city, and the number of infected city residents is increasing over time. The habitat of ticks is tall grass, not forest, which is why this pest is not found on mowed lawns.

Activity

Ticks overwinter under leaves or under snow. Males die before winter, while females wait out the winter and lay eggs in the spring with the first thaw, then die.

The growth process of an individual lasts about 7-8 months. During this time, the males manage to live and die by the onset of winter. Ticks do not always hibernate; if winter comes early, some individuals do not have time to reprogram and fall asleep.

The first insect bites occur when the earth has time to warm up by 5-7 degrees, usually this period occurs in April-May. The peak of bites from these pests is the end of May - mid-June. Subsequently, the number of infected people decreases, insects cease to be active due to the heat. The second peak of activity occurs at the end of August and September, but canines usually attack at this time.

Insect attack

Everyone believes that ticks jump on their prey and are immediately absorbed into its skin. Actually this is not true. Few people know how insects attack. They do not tend to jump, but they wait for their prey on a tree branch or low plant. Ticks in the garden and in any other place sit on the tip of a branch or blade of grass, their hind legs are located on the branch, and their front legs are spread out in anticipation of the victim. At the slightest movement, the insect clings to something that passed next to them, this could be clothing or a hair on the body of a person or animal. Ticks do not tend to run several kilometers in search of prey. They are used to waiting; if they fail to attach themselves to the victim, they crawl out onto the same blade of grass and wait for up to several weeks.

Apartment or dust individuals

Ticks live not only in spacious plantations and fields, but also in apartments and private houses. In this case, these individuals are called dust.

Ticks in an apartment are a common phenomenon, but not everyone knows that these pests have settled in their home, causing allergic reactions and other diseases. The habitat of ticks in the house is dust collections, which include:

• mattresses and pillows;
• corners;
• carpets, especially terry;
• Stuffed Toys;
• clothes, usually winter, that have been lying in the closet for a long time.

Ticks live almost everywhere and it is impossible to completely get rid of domestic ticks. To reduce their number, just follow a few simple rules of hygiene and cleaning:

1. Carry out wet cleaning with saline solution at least 1-2 times a week.
2. Change mattresses and pillows every 5–7 years.
3. Beat and wash carpets.
4. Ventilate your apartment or house.
5. Knock out soft toys.

The habitat of ticks is very diverse; these pests are found in forests, fields, lawns and even in apartments. It is quite difficult to protect yourself from them, but it is possible if you follow simple rules of hygiene and hiking.

If you are afraid of ticks, do not go into the forest. Unfortunately it's true. Everyone has encountered this small, nasty arachnid creature at least once in their life. Even those of us who do not suffer from acarophobia and are not afraid of small insects are openly afraid of ticks. The fact is that some representatives of this type of arthropod can be carriers of diseases dangerous to humans. We will try to find out where ticks live and what threat they can pose to people in this article.

Tick ​​habitats, distribution range of different species

Ticks are small arachnid creatures, reaching a length of no more than 0.5 cm. They live on almost all continents and in different climatic zones. They belong to the class Arachnids, subclass - Arthropods, numbering more than 50 thousand species, which differ in their lifestyle and feeding patterns. Most ticks prefer damp forests, grassy clearings and shrubs. But there are also those who live in residential premises with people. These are the so-called saprophytes, or dust mites, which live in house dust and feed on dead epidermal cells. Some species live under human skin and in hair follicles.

Endemic territories of the Russian Federation for the spread of tick-borne encephalitis

It is important to know! Scientists have developed vaccines against viral encephalitis, but there are still no vaccines against such dangerous diseases as borreliosis and Crimean hemorrhagic fever.

Habitats of ixodid ticks, periods of their activity

• well-warmed slopes, densely overgrown with grass and low bushes;
• forest edges and adjacent glades;
• places covered with ferns in the shade of trees;
• banks of rivers, lakes and streams.

Ticks do not rise to a height of more than 1–1.5 m, despite the popular belief that they fall onto their victims from trees. The main danger is posed by low bushes and dense grass stands.

Ticks love damp places, for example, near forest streams, where animals often come

Maximum activity of ticks occurs in April-May, that is, during mating and egg laying. By mid-July it decreases and then resumes again in the period from August to September, but with less force. In the cold season, individuals that can harm humans are practically never found.

Ticks living in nature

What they eat depends on the lifestyle of ticks and their biological characteristics.

Ixodid ticks

There are many types of ixodid ticks. They are common in both tropical rainforests and desert areas. They feed on the blood of vertebrates: mammals, reptiles and birds.

For humans in our latitudes, the two most dangerous species are the European forest tick and the taiga tick. The first is widespread in Europe (except for its northernmost part), North Africa and the European part of the Russian Federation. lives in the middle and southern zones of the taiga.

These two species are the main distributors of such dangerous diseases as viral tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis (Lyme disease), and hemorrhagic fever. It is most likely to get Lyme disease due to tick bites in the Moscow region, Moscow, and Krasnodar region. In the Rostov and Volgograd regions, in the Caucasus region of Russia, there is a risk of contracting hemorrhagic fever. The situation with the spread of viral encephalitis is no better. This is the Northwestern District of the Russian Federation, Karelia, the Volga region, many regions of the Central District, and the entire Far East. In the easternmost part of the country, Vladivostok occupies a leading position.

It has been established that this species of arthropod is dangerous at almost all stages of its development. Nymphs and larvae look for a host after they are born. The larva waits for prey on the ground. As a rule, these are small rodents. The nymph prefers larger animals.

Life cycle of ticks: larva, nymph, male and female (from left to right)

The taiga tick is a spreader of viral tick-borne encephalitis

Demodex, or ironweed

Scientists have not established exactly how this subcutaneous mite spreads among people. There is an opinion that with close contact, common use of personal hygiene products and cosmetics, the disease passes from a sick person to a healthy one. It is worth noting that outwardly a carrier of demodex can be absolutely healthy.

There are two types of demodex, one of which lives in the hair follicles, and the other in the sebaceous glands.

Scabies mite

It is also called scabies itch. It is the cause of such an unpleasant disease as scabies. It spreads from a sick person to a healthy person after close physical contact (handshaking, skin-to-skin touching, intimacy). Animals do not get human scabies, but they can be carriers of it.

In a similar way, the female scabies mite makes passages in the subcutaneous tissues of the body and lays eggs

House ticks

Dust mites

The ideal conditions for their residence and active reproduction are darkness and warm, humid air (relative humidity more than 70% at 23–25 °C). Favorite habitats for dust mites are carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture and toys. Especially many representatives of the species are found in a vacuum cleaner, namely in a dust bag.

Dust mites are completely invisible to human eyes, but are found in almost every home

Video: The habitat of dust mites and how to combat them

Bed mite

It lives in pillows, duvets, mattresses - for a comfortable stay, such a mite needs down and feathers, so it is important to clean bedding at least once every few years.

House ticks can pose a danger to humans, as they often provoke allergic reactions and asthma attacks.

The good old tradition of drying down and feather pillows has proven to be very effective in the fight against bed mites