Ticks habitat. Encephalitic tick: habitats

Recently, more often people complain about tick bites. And it is good if the attack of this arthropod has done without consequences. But often it happens that a person becomes infected with a serious illness, so they are treated with caution. And if suddenly it happened 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 them from them.

Bloodsuckers in nature

In the world fauna there are at least 40 thousand species of ticks, among which poorly studied, and new groups also appear. Therefore, they are referred to the most diverse families of arthropods ever inhabiting our planet.

In nature, they consume soil fungi, plant remnants and small arthropods. Some of the mites have adapted to eat the blood of animals. They are called parasites. The most famous of them are Ixodes, numbering 680 species. The habitats of the ticks of the ixod group are found on all continents, including Antarctica.

What are the bites of arthropods

Parasites of ixodid species are carriers of pathogens of human diseases:

- tick-borne encephalitis;

- typhus tick-borne typhus;

- Tularemia;

- tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease) ;

- ku-fever;

- recurrent tick-borne typhus;

- erlichiosis;

Hemorrhagic fever.

Among the carriers of these diseases, two species of ticks are of special epidemiological importance : taiga and European forest. They are giants among the whole variety of types.

When ticks appear

The beginning of adult activity is observed when the soil warms up to 5-7 degrees Celsius, mainly 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 mid-late June. Again, depending on weather conditions. The reserve nutrients are exhausted by that time, and the mites start to die out dramatically. But still some individuals can meet even before the end of September.

How Mites Attack

Parasites lie in wait for their prey, being on the grass or sitting on branches or sticks sticking up. Having information about which habitats mites prefer, one can avoid their attacks. They are not very mobile and for the whole life they cover a distance not exceeding 10 meters.

When the extraction approaches, the mites take a waiting attitude: since the front legs have olfactory organs, they pull them out and drive them from side to side, determining the direction of the source of the smell. At the moment when a person or animal passes by, the bloodsuckers spread their front legs, equipped with claws and suckers, and cling to the victim.

What happens after the attack

Having acquired a "master", parasites seek the most sensitive place. This sometimes takes up to 40 minutes. Therefore, even if the tick is already on the person, it can be found and removed before sucking. Getting on clothes, arthropods start to search for access to a body, for what they creep into pockets and seams. As for a person, usually mites prefer to be localized in the scalp, near the auricles, in the neck, in the armpits, on the chest, back and in the groin. Animals often bite in the neck or head, where it is difficult to get teeth.

When the tick is bitten, an anesthetic is injected. Therefore, the victim may not even feel that it was attacked.

Finding a place for food, the mites cut through the skin with their proboscis and, after reaching the blood vessels, begin to suck blood. The first portion of saliva, which glues the oral organs to the skin, and the back teeth on the proboscis help securely fixate at the chosen position.

Female individuals absorb blood for about 6 days, while males need much less time to feed. In this case, the mite size increases to the size of the phalanx of the little finger, and the weight becomes a hundred times greater than it was before sucking.

What should I do if bitten by a tick?

If a parasite is found on its body, it is first necessary to go to the hospital. The earlier this is done, the less likely it is to get tick-borne encephalitis. If there is no possibility to consult a doctor right after the bite, you need to remove the bloodsucker.

It is strictly forbidden to squeeze out the tick, because when it ruptures, the infection quickly penetrates into the blood, and the disease in this case can not be avoided. There are several ways to extract a parasite. The most effective is to take the thread and tie the knot as close as possible to the proboscis of the bloodsucker, then slowly rotate the mite upward. You can not do this abruptly, because the head can come off and stay under the skin. If this happens, it is necessary to treat the bite site with alcohol and a sterile needle to remove the head, as a splinter.

After the tick was removed, the wound should be treated with alcohol or iodine. And put the parasite in a jar and take it to the laboratory for microscopic diagnosis. It is important: to the destination, he must be delivered alive, so that specialists can examine it.

Prevention of tick bites

To avoid attacks of parasites, one should follow simple recommendations when going to the forest and other possible habitats of ticks. Clothing should be light, as it is easiest to see parasites on it. Long sleeves and hood (or headdress) are required. You can not wear shorts and strip off parts of the body, you have to put your pants in socks. Shoes must also be closed.

Every 10-15 minutes you need to inspect your clothes. After the typical habitats of ticks have been abandoned, a thorough check should be carried out for the presence of parasites on the body. Clothes to shake out on the street, hair scrupulously comb out, examine the neck, armpits, ears and groin area. These places are most suitable for sucking bloodsuckers, because the skin there is thin and delicate.

Migratory habitats in the world

Parasites that carry encephalitis are common throughout the whole territory of Eurasia, but most of all in the southern part of it, covered with forest. Ticks love moisture, because of this, their quantity is highest in well-moistened places. It can be deciduous forest or mixed. And also moderately shaded areas, moistened or with a thick herbage.

Parasites also occur in forest ravines, fringes, on the banks of forest streams or on grass-covered forest paths. The most popular habitats for ticks are forest paths, along the sides of which stretches the grass. It is not to be hoped that the meadows and valleys of the rivers were left without these parasites. There are plenty of them there too.

There is a misconception that trees, such as birch, can be attacked by an encephalitis mite. We have already discussed its habitats, we will not repeat it. Yes, parasites are found in birch forests, but they do not know how to jump. Getting on the person, the mite creeps upwards on clothes, and more often it is found out already on a head. Therefore, it seems that he fell from above.

Finally, we will discuss where in our country this " parasite " often "trades" . The habitats of ticks in Russia are the European part, Siberia and the Far East. The percentage of encephalitis in different regions differs. For example, in the European part of them, only a few percent of the total population of ticks are recorded.