Interesting and informative facts about ticks

Ticks are not the most fascinating object of study. Interest in them is caused by fear for the health of people and animals. But scientists are people of a special mentality, they are enthusiastically studying everything and everyone on the planet. There is a whole section of zoology that studies ticks. It is called acarology. Number of species the most numerous group of the arachnid class exceeded 50 thousand. This and other interesting facts about ticks will help to form their own opinion about these animals.

Ticks: common features and differences of family members

Due to the small size and external similarity of ticks, they are mistakenly classified as insects. In fact, they belong to the class of arachnids. Their body has a solid structure without separation into the chest and abdomen. The main difference between the species is the number of limbs, insects have 3 pairs of legs. How many feet does a tick have? He has 8 legs or 4 pairs.

Ticks (Acari) are an arthropod type. Like other representatives of the group, they have a chitin-containing cuticle (body membrane). The main feature of this type is paired limbs, consisting of several segments.
By the method of nutrition, representatives of the Acari family can be divided into several groups:

• Parasites are individuals that feed on excreta and host tissues. These include the blood-sucking Ixodidae (ixodic) species.
• Saprophages - eat organic residues. Most representatives of this group live in soil and forest litter, for example, shell-mites.
• Phytophages are creatures that live and feed on plants. They are often pests, a vivid example is the spider mite.
• Predators are individuals that prey on prey. What do predatory mites eat? In their diet, small insects, worms, nematodes and their own relatives. People grow and use phytoseyulus and amblyseius to destroy pests of arachnid predators.

Tick ​​classification

All members of the family, depending on the characteristics, were divided into several groups:

Acarimorphic ticks

The superorder of arachnids includes about 30 thousand species. Their characteristic feature is the ability to increase the number of body segments throughout life. This property is rare in nature. Among the acrimorphic group, there are many species that parasitize humans, mammals and plants. Representatives of the genus Demodex cause inflammation of the sebaceous glands and hair cuticles in humans. Spider mites and gall mites are agricultural pests. Species Acarapis woodi parasitizes on bees.

Parasitomorphic ticks

This group has more than 12 thousand species, divided into three orders: Ixodida, Holothyrida, Mesostigmata. The first detachment is ixodid ticks, which are carriers of encephalitis and other dangerous diseases. These are parasites that feed on blood. The second group - large individuals up to 7 mm, living in forest litter. They are common in Australia, on the islands of the Pacific Ocean, in South America.The third detachment is representatives of small species, some of which parasitize on birds, mammals and insects. Others are free-living, including predators.

Hay mites

Telling everything about ticks, you can not miss the hayfields. Members of this family are distinguished by relatively large sizes of 1-2 mm and long, thin legs. Their habitat is forest and field. Representatives of the species are predators, in some cases they feed on plant pollen and fungal spores.

Tick ​​Life Cycle

Arachnids, regardless of the species, follow the same path of development: egg, larva, nymph, and imago. How long does a tick live? Their life expectancy is from several months to two years. Most families grow and die quickly. Livers among the representatives of the genus Acari are armored and ixodid ticks. Blood-sucking parasites in the absence of nutrition and adverse conditions can permanently slow down all body processes.

Diapause occurs in winter at any stage of development of ixodic species. In summer, at high temperature and lack of moisture, they also freeze. Cases were recorded when an adult tick was in a state of diapause up to 8 years.

Arachnids - part of nature

Each link in the ecological system has its own function. Ticks millions inhabit the earth, water, plants and living organisms. They are an integral part of the natural balance. Like other representatives of the fauna, arachnids are part of the food chain. What is the role of ticks in nature and human life? Soil species process organic matter in the ground. Through the efforts of small arthropods, fertile humus appears. As food for reptiles, birds and insects, ticks contribute to the survival of these species.

Arachnids eat spores of fungi, algae and bacterial plaque. Predators reduce the number of insects, nematodes, and worms. This feature makes them medical orderlies. Infection of animals with various diseases is a kind of natural way to control their numbers.

Families that are harmful to humans are those that live on crops, grain and flour, and dairy products. Ectoparasites of domestic animals and birds also belong to harmful species. Of the total number of existing groups of ticks, only a small part carries a direct threat to human life and health. These are ixodic and Argas species. It is necessary to dwell in more detail on where these ticks live, how to breed and eat.

Bloodsucking species

Ixodic or encephalitis tick - the most dangerous species for humans. These parasites are found everywhere, even in Antarctica, where he lives on penguins. Ixodides are rather large individuals - female 3-4 mm, male 2-2.5 mm. On the back of the imago there is a dense shield, in the male it covers the entire back, and in the female only one third. The color of the head, legs and body is dark, from brown to black. When saturated with blood, the female significantly increases in size (up to 100 times) and changes color to gray.

Reproduction of ticks is peculiar. Males fertilize females that feed on the body of animals. Bloodsuckers are the record holders for the number of eggs laid. One female leaves in the ground up to 17 thousand eggs. It is good that only a small part of the offspring survive. After birth, the larva eats once, choosing a rodent as a host. After molting, she becomes a nymph. To turn into an imago (adult), you need one more diet. In total, ixodid ticks suck blood three times in their lifetime. Most species change owners, the last is a large animal or person.

Attention. In Russia, the most dangerous are two types of bloodsucking - taiga and a dog tick.

Argas species - the body of adults 3-30 mm in size, it is flat oval in shape. In a hungry individual, the color is gray; after feeding, it becomes lilac. Argas parasites live on birds, cats, bite a person. Their saliva is extremely toxic.Mexicans compare Ornithodorus coriaceus bites with a rattlesnake attack.

What diseases do ticks carry?

After a parasite bite, several dangerous viral and infectious diseases can be infected:

• tick-borne encephalitis virus;
• tularemia;
• Lyme disease or borreliosis;
• relapsing fever;
• Marseille fever;
• monocytic ehrlichiosis.

Attention. The risk of contracting one of the diseases that parasites carry increases with the amount of saliva brought to the site of the bite. It is necessary to conduct a thorough examination of the body after visiting the forest and meadow. If the bloodsucker is removed in the first hours, the probability of the virus entering the blood is minimal.

How to bite a tick

A bite feature is the simultaneous administration of active painkillers, so the victim does not feel it. Ixodides do not bite right away, they can look for a convenient place for up to two hours. On the human body, the parasite prefers:

• the area behind the ears;
• neck
• groin and armpits;
• scalp;
• lower back.

A special adolescent outgrowth with a hypostome, which has sharp hooks directed backwards, helps to gain a firm hold on the chosen place. This structure makes it difficult to remove the parasite. With the help of acute chelicera bloodsucker immerses the head in the skin. Its saliva acts as an analgesic and anticoagulant. You can remove the tick from a person with tweezers, a loop of thread or a device purchased at a pharmacy. The main rule is to remove it completely, avoiding leaving the head under the skin. The bite site must be disinfected with alcohol or chlorhexidine.

Attention. The number of people infected with encephalitis is 2-6% bitten by the ixodid species.

Where do ticks live?

The habitat of nymphs, larvae and adults is forest litter, grass, or a low shrub. They climb to the top of the plants, waiting for a new host. The parasite smells a person at a distance of 10 m.

How to protect yourself from parasites

As a preventative measure, vaccination against encephalitis and the use of repellents are proposed. When visiting the forest, it is advisable to choose the right clothes. She should hide her arms and legs, preferably a hat. The period of parasite activity is the end of spring and the beginning of summer. The second wave begins with a decrease in temperature in August-September. At this time, you should be considerate of yourself and your pets.

Tip. Choose light clothing for hiking, it is easier to notice brown ticks on it.

Why are ticks dangerous?

In addition to blood-sucking species, which are distributors of deadly diseases, there are many ticks that cause trouble. They are a source of irritation and allergies in people and pets. Some are hardly applied to gardens, fields, and settle on indoor plants. Among the species that exist next to people:

• Gas - parasitize on birds and rodents, cause significant damage to poultry farms. Cause feather loss in chickens.
• Scabies - a microscopic parasite that provokes the occurrence of intractable skin disease.
• Ear - settle in the ears of pets - cats and dogs. They cause severe inflammation, itching and scratching. Acaricidal treatment is required.
• Subcutaneous or demodicos are present in limited quantities on the skin of most people. With pathological spread, itching and redness are caused. Size 0.2 mm.
• Dusty or bed - a microscopic inhabitant of house dust provokes allergies their excrement.
• Spider web - a phytophage in the arachnid family, feeds on plant sap. It is a carrier of disease and rot.
• Flour - damages stocks of granaries, clogs flour with its waste. It provokes the spread of mold.

Where do ticks come from in apartments? They get into houses with dust, on people's clothes, animal hair. Favorable conditions in enclosed spaces and an abundance of food lead to their spread.

Ways to fight

Special means have been developed for the destruction of ectoparasites and plant pests.Representatives of the class of arachnids have a weak effect on insecticides designed for insects. Tick ​​control is carried out by acaricidal and insectoacaride agents.

One way to kill parasites is to wash in hot water. At what temperature do ticks die? It is enough to place them in an environment with a temperature above 40⁰or better 60⁰. Wash with a maximum of 90-95⁰ with a 100% guarantee, it will relieve dust, scabies, demodectic and other types of mites.

Exposure to freezing temperatures is also detrimental to them. Even being in a state of winter diapause, ticks die in snowy winters. Items that cannot be cooked can be frozen.

Natural enemies

Vector carriers of dangerous diseases have many natural enemies. Birds eating insects are not averse to eating arachnids. Also, frogs and lizards eat them with pleasure. The natural enemies of ticks are red forest ants and ground beetles. In the natural ecosystem, ants control the dynamics of an increase in the number of bloodsucking. Formic acid is detrimental to ticks. Beetles of ground beetle are predators of polyphages; they prey on small insects, but also eat arthropods with pleasure.

Arachnids - similarities and differences

The class of arachnids includes spiders, ticks and scorpions. All these creatures have a similar structure and are mainly inhabitants of land. What is the difference between ticks and spiders? There are a lot of differences between representatives of this class. First of all, this is the structure of the body. In spiders, two sections are clearly separated - the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Ticks do not have such a border; their body is whole. All spiders are predators, among ticks there are many species that feed on organic debris or living plants.

Similar is the fluctuation in size. Both groups have representatives that are invisible to the naked eye with a body length of 0.3 mm. They have the same number of limbs - 4 pairs of walking legs. They have spikes and suction cups to hold on the body of the owner. Both species are armed with claw-shaped processes - chelicerae. Most arachnids are covered in chitinous shell. Their respiratory organ is the trachea, only small species breathe the whole body.

And a few more facts:

• The smallest tick of 0.08 mm in size is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
• In the absence of food, the argus species is engaged in omovampirism - it sucks blood from the fed individual.
• The control of the number of ixodid ticks is carried out using hedgehogs. Animals cannot get rid of the parasite on their own. Observers calculate how many parasites cling to a hedgehog in an hour.