Seemingly small and harmless ticks annually bring a lot of problems to people and animals. To date, there are more than 50 thousand varieties.

Some of them are absolutely safe, while others are carriers of deadly diseases. That is why they should be feared. Representatives of the ixodid group are the most dangerous to humans.

Where are ticks found

There are ticks everywhere. You can't hide from them even in the harsh Antarctica. They also thrive in cold climates. This is one of the oldest species of arachnids that have existed on earth since time immemorial. Their adaptability is amazing. But still there are places where ticks like to be most of all, and there are also those where there is little chance of meeting them.

The tick is a secretive and insidious creature. They do not like to breed in open areas. Therefore, the most favorite place is tall grass and forests. In places where the grass is below 7 cm, they are extremely rare.

Places where you can meet ticks with almost a hundred percent probability: forests, meadows, river banks, shrubs, vegetable gardens and orchards.

The time of their activation is late spring and summer. They prefer warm but humid weather. They don't like heat. Therefore, walking through the forest after the rain is the most dangerous.

Activity

seasonal peak

The most active period for ticks is summer. But they begin to appear already in April and calmly attack until October. During these periods, you need to be extremely careful. But do not relax in the winter either. Although the chance to pick up a tick in winter is very scanty, there have been such cases. Especially in areas where winters are mild and warm enough.

In colder periods, a person is more or less protected by clothing. But animals in this case are defenseless. Therefore, after each walk, inspect your pet be sure. If you bring a tick into the house, it can get to you. In warm conditions, he will come to life and begin to look for food. Therefore, you are at risk. Be sure to inspect clothes and everything that you bring into the house: berries, flowers or mushrooms.

House ticks

Some types of ticks take root well at home. Although they are not as dangerous as the same taiga or encephalitic tick, they can still bring a lot of inconvenience. The most common household inhabitants are dust mites. They are also called linen or bed linen. These comrades often live in your house, but you don’t even notice them, since they do no harm. They are so small in size that they can only be seen under a microscope.

But for people with allergies, they can cause the development of more serious diseases. Therefore, all places where dust accumulates must be cleaned especially carefully.

Another home inhabitant is the spider mite. It settles on plants and is absolutely harmless to humans. But the plant itself kills, so you need to get rid of them. Another habitat for ticks is human skin. Yes, yes, right there. This species is able to live under your skin for years and you will not even guess about its presence. But during the period of weakening of the immune system, they climb deeper, which leads to skin diseases. And another variation of the existence on the face of a person is an eyelash mite.

Tick ​​Protection

There are several different types of protection. It all depends on how often you are in places of their accumulation. If you rarely get out into nature, then simple repellents are enough. They are non-toxic and suitable for children and adults. But their service life is not so long, so you need to periodically spray more.

If you're a frequent visitor to the woods or walking through a field on your way home, then you might want to consider getting vaccinated. You don’t have to constantly spend money on protective equipment, and it’s much calmer. If you still went to the forest without means of protection, then wear closed clothing. First of all, take care of your head and neck. After returning home, be sure to inspect your clothing and yourself for ticks. Repellents are also suitable to protect the animal. But if the animal can go on a walk for a few days, then the validity period will expire before they return. In this case, drops on the withers or a collar will help.

If nevertheless it happened that this bloodsucker got to you - the main thing is not to panic. You can not crush the tick, so the poison will quickly enter the body. Nothing to treat the wound! No oil, alcohol, kerosene or anything else. All this only exacerbates the situation. You need to get to the nearest first-aid post, while carefully taking care of the bitten tick. He shouldn't get hurt.

If this is not possible, then you should get it yourself. Again, the tick must survive. Therefore, use tweezers or something similar. Grab it firmly, you need to carefully turn it clockwise. It is important not to separate the body from the head. After that, plant the tick in a jar and take it to a research laboratory where it will be tested for viral diseases.
Ticks are not so formidable if you know how to deal with them. Try not to forget about this threat and buy protective equipment in a timely manner and then you will not be afraid of them.

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, and new groups also appear. Therefore, they belong to the most diverse families of arthropods that have ever lived on our planet.

Why are arthropod bites dangerous?

Tick-borne encephalitis;

Tick-borne typhus;

Tularemia;

Q fever;

relapsing tick-borne typhus;

Ehrlichiosis;

Hemorrhagic fever.

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

When mites appear

The beginning of the activity of adults is observed when the soil warms up to 5-7 degrees Celsius, basically this period falls at 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

When the prey approaches, the ticks assume a waiting position: since the organs of smell are located on the front paws, they stretch 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

When bitten, ticks inject an anesthetic. Therefore, the victim may not even feel that she was attacked.

Having found a place to feed, the mites cut through the skin with their proboscises and, having reached the blood vessels, begin to suck blood. The first portion of saliva, which glues the mouthparts to the skin, and the teeth on the proboscis directed backwards help to securely gain a foothold in the chosen position.

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 a hundred times greater than it was before suction.

What should I do if bitten by a tick?

If you decide to spend your vacation in Hawaii, Bermuda or Antarctica, you can not read this article. There are no ticks there. Are you going to the Austrian Alps, would you like to admire the views of the medieval castles of the Czech Republic, or maybe you dream of wandering in the forests of Bavaria? Before you buy a coveted tour, consider getting vaccinated against encephalitis.

Geography of distribution of ticks

Since the old word of mouth, are you sure that only dragonflies and butterflies live abroad, and that any infectious creature lives in the vicinity of Tambov? Imagine - everything is exactly the opposite. Ticks in Western Europe are apparently invisible. Not without reason, almost all residents of Alpine Austria and Northern Germany are vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis - and still, the number of sick Austrians is traditionally second only to the number of sick Russians.

Are you taken aback and thinking about a trip to the States or Canada? The nature there is amazing. But there are plenty of ticks too. Only in the Western Hemisphere do they infect not with tick-borne encephalitis, but with Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease). And this infection rages completely uncontrollably from California to the Labrador Peninsula. Better to go back to old Europe.

In the Czech Republic, where the flow of Russian tourists is growing at a frantic pace, a small national nightmare is generally going on. Once, even the wife of the president herself was bitten by a tick and fell ill with Lyme borreliosis. You understand, the first lady did not grazed goats in the wilds and did not mow hay barefoot. So the possibility of contracting encephalitis or Lyme disease in civilized Europe is greater than ever. The peak of the epidemic of these diseases occurs in June; the share of tick-borne encephalitis annually accounts for 800-1000 cases, the share of Lyme borreliosis - more than four thousand.

South Bohemia, according to epidemiologists, is traditionally the main focus of encephalitis in Europe. Most ticks are found in České Budějovice, Český Krumlov and in the Vltava valley. There are many infectious creatures in Sumava. Some individuals even crawl into the mountains. In Western Bohemia, ticks preferred Pilsen and its environs, and in the north of the country they settled near the cities of Usti nad Labem and Liberec. There is a great risk of catching an infection in the Jezerskie Mountains, near the Czech Oak and even in the Lidovye Sady in Liberec itself. In North Moravia, infected arthropods are found within their usual habitats - near the town of Sternberg and Bouzov Castle.

Are you going to Golden Prague? Beware anyway: the valley of the Berounka River, south of Prague, is infested with ticks. They captured the surroundings of the castles of Karlstejn and Konopiste, beloved by tourists. There are a lot of ticks around Beroun, near the castles of Tochnik and Zabrak. In Prague itself, you can meet them, in the town of Tochna, in the south of the Czech capital. In addition, last year the infection was first registered in the Mikhel forest in the Krc region.

In other Prague districts, you can not be afraid of encephalitis, but it is quite possible to catch Lyme borreliosis right in the city center, because. carriers of this infection can be found in parks.

Great Europe, but nowhere to relax

If you keep dragging your finger across the map in search of beautiful natural landscapes, your fingernail rested on your native Far East. The views there are truly fantastic! As well as in nearby Siberia, in the Urals and in the Volga region. But all these regions are completely dotted with ticks that carry both encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis. Moreover, local encephalitis is considered very severe: the disease is often complicated by severe disability, there are also fatal outcomes.

We approached the center of Russia. Ticks, of course, are also found here, but not often - a Muscovite has much more chances to get under the wheels of a car. The situation is calmer only in the Vladimir province, and in any case, it cannot be compared with the dangerous Austria or the Czech Republic.

But the closer to the northwestern border of Russia, the more ticks become. The Pskov, Leningrad and Novgorod regions are already starting to spoil the mood with their tick-borne statistics, and Karelia is even alarming.

But the Swedes do not rely on birds and are regularly vaccinated. In fairness and because of the love for ancient castles, it must be admitted that there are also areas where there are almost no ticks. This is the Iberian Peninsula - Spain, Portugal, and the south of France.

On the footboard of the last carriage

All of the above is scary, but for many, spending the whole vacation in the country is even scarier. So, it is worth remembering the Russian proverb: "Ask for salvation, and feed yourself."

For starters, the bad news: you need to start vaccinating at the end of autumn, and not half an hour before leaving for the airport. Vaccination consists of three stages. The first injection is done in late autumn, then at the end of the year and for complete reliability - in the spring, but not less than two weeks before sending to the alpine meadow.

Fortunately, especially for those who are not overly concerned about their health, it is possible faster. The first injection is given one and a half months before the trip, and the second one two weeks before.

If you do not meet these deadlines, then take comfort in the fact that there are many like you. Two weeks before leaving on vacation, get one vaccination - and if you are still destined to get sick, encephalitis will not go away in a severe form.

You shouldn't play Russian roulette anyway. Call pharmacies and buy anti-mite gamma globulin (3 ml per person) and a syringe. If you find a sucked tick on yourself, give an injection no later than three days after the bite. The risk of infection still remains, but is significantly reduced. Yes, we almost forgot: after vaccination, you can’t drink alcohol for a month, and after gamma globulin for two weeks.

Do you think that's it? You are wrong. Vaccination and gamma globulin only against encephalitis, but there is still a danger of contracting borreliosis. There are no vaccinations against it yet, and they are treated with antibiotics, which ones, and according to what scheme, the doctor will say.

We will not give ourselves an inch

Fortunately, ticks are not tigers or snakes, they do not rush at passers-by. They lie in wait for their prey, usually in bushes and tall grass. Teenage ticks also carry the infection. They are difficult to see, but one of them is enough for the virus to start “working”.

Epidemiologists recommend going for a walk in the woods only in high shoes and in a suit made of plain and light-colored fabric - it is easier to spot a tick on it. It is better if the clothes cover the body as much as possible: long sleeves, long trousers tucked into shoes. You should not delve into tall grass unnecessarily, and wallow on lawns in gardens and parks. The collar, cuffs, bootlegs are best treated with special aerosols that repel ticks.

Adult ticks bite to the chest, children even in the head. The bite is imperceptible, only after a few hours there is itching of the skin. By this time, the tick increases in size and is clearly visible. Delete it right away! But take your time, you won’t throw it off with a snap of your finger.

There is the most effective and easiest way: thickly lubricate the tick with either Vaseline or another ointment, blocking the access of air to it. Choking, the tick will crawl out by itself. Alas, this method is suitable only in the first couple of hours after suction. If several hours have passed, and the tick has had time to thoroughly take root, it will simply suffocate, guaranteeing you at least a skin disease.

And the last thing: pay attention not only to yourself, but also to your four-legged friends. After a run in the park, your beloved dog is able to bring home more than a dozen ticks, which then safely crawl onto other family members. Which we do not wish for you.

It seemed to you that there are more and more ticks every year? You didn't think so! Three years ago, 410,000 victims applied to the medical organizations of the country about tick bites, the year before last - 440,000; and in the past - 530 thousand people. How many didn't apply? Two million? Three?

About 2000-3700 people are infected by these arachnids with tick-borne encephalitis every year, 25-37 of them die. A little? Do not rush to breathe a sigh of relief. Cases of infection with Lyme disease (borreliosis) are detected up to 9900 per year, and this disease is not always detected. In total, ixodid ticks carry 300 species of pathogens (at least three viral, 22 bacterial and several protozoal infections are transmitted to humans) and infect ticks with them, according to some sources, every twentieth donor.

Why is the number of ticks growing so rapidly; is it possible to destroy them completely, how to protect yourself from ticks, what to do after a bite, why it is dangerous not to go to the laboratory, where the situation is the worst and how to process a summer cottage - Lenta.ru was looking for answers to all these questions.

Like raisins from compote

“In May, we brought a horse from Rzhev,” Petr Kamenchenko, deputy editor-in-chief of Lenta.ru, tells about his personal experience with ticks. - In the Staritsky district of the Tver region, I still have a house from my grandfather. Bought a nice 11 month old foal. He raised his mane, and there is horror! Hundreds of sucked ticks look like raisins from the day before yesterday's compote! We called the familiar horsemen - they say it’s the same everywhere and no repellents help, only comb out and choose with your hands ... We decided to go to a neighboring village to visit, dressed according to science: everything was bright, everything was tucked in, laced up, sprayed with chemicals ... We passed through an abandoned field , I look, and the child has seven pieces running up his jeans, shook it off. Thirty meters later - five more pieces ... I spent all my childhood in these places and then - in the 1970s - 1980s - I only heard stories about ticks. And now something unreal is going on!

Here's another example. My friend bought a Boerboel puppy and took him to a dacha near Moscow in early June, where he left him with his old mother until the next weekend. Run freely. And when he returned, the inner sides of the dog's ear suspensions were covered with clusters of sucked mites so that there was no free space left. The dog will not go to the country anymore.

Personally, on weekends I walk my dog ​​in Serebryany Bor park in Moscow. Despite the anti-tick collar and the treatment of the dog with a special spray, after each walk I remove from him about five running ticks and a couple of attached ones.

What happened? After all, fifteen years ago in Moscow and the surrounding regions, ixodid, or, as they are often called by the people, encephalitic, ticks were exotic, and no one heard about their bites in the city at all. And what is happening in the Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Vologda, Kirov, Perm, Sverdlovsk regions, the Komi-Permyatsk Autonomous Okrug, the Republic of Mari El, the Udmurt Republic - historically abounding in ticks? Not to mention the Tomsk region - the absolute champion in the number of ticks and diseases transmitted by them? The answer is hell.

In the Tomsk region, ticks attacked people twice as often 20 years ago than anywhere else in Russia (a thousand people with Lyme disease in 1996), but this year the number of attacks has at least tripled. According to the Rospotrebnadzor of the Tomsk region, on May 4, 2016, 1902 people came to the points of seroprophylaxis with complaints of a tick bite. For comparison, on the same day - May 4, but a year earlier - only 610 bitten people turned to the same medical institutions. And this is not a record. On May 20, 2016, 4,203 victims of ticks turned to Tomsk prevention centers. Can you imagine what happens to dogs and horses there?

DDT

The exact cause of the tick invasion is unknown to scientists. Two working versions of the test did not survive. According to experts, the decrease in the intensity of agriculture and the corresponding interruption of the regular application of mineral fertilizers to the ecosystem, as well as the ban on burning last year's grass in fields and around settlements, did not affect the increase in the population of ixodid ticks.

At a certain temperature and humidity, malicious insects show such endurance and the will to win that even "strangers" from horror films never dreamed of. An adult tick can live in an active state and without food for more than nine months. Although the standard life cycle of ixodid is at least two years, in the absence of food or heat, mites enter diapause and can remain viable for up to seven or even 10 years. Eggs and adults are able to survive both drought and winter frosts.

More than 200 species of wild animals, birds, livestock, domestic animals and, much less often, humans serve as donors for creatures in Russia. Under conditions of diapause, ticks are practically invulnerable to special anti-tick poisons (acaricides).

Studying ticks is not easy. Under laboratory conditions, they exhibit a normally uncharacteristic lethargy, depriving the plausibility of studies on the effect of exposure to protective equipment. Attempts to create specialized bacterial preparations that destroy tick larvae ended in failure. The female tick, sucking blood, lays thousands of eggs, each of which, if it manages to pass the stages of larva and nymph, can turn into an adult.

The only poison that can stop a tick on an area or country scale is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, better known as dust or DDT. 30 years ago, the drug was banned in most countries of the world, as it decomposes very poorly and accumulates in plants and organisms.

Perhaps it was the refusal to treat the natural breeding grounds of ixodid ticks with DDT that led to their current invasion.

Curious fact. In South Africa, DDT was banned later than other countries - in 1996. After that, the incidence of malaria immediately increased by 6.5 times. In 2001, South Africa lifted its DDT ban, choosing the lesser of two evils.

Image: Research Institute of Disinfectology of Rospotrebnadzor

What is dangerous bloodsucker

The most common disease transmitted through tick bites is borreliosis, or Lyme disease. In half of the cases, the bite site turns red, the spot expands, reaching a significant size in diameter. In some cases, borreliosis is initially asymptomatic or disguises itself as other diseases, for which it is called invisible. In the later stages, the disease leads to damage to the joints, heart and nervous system. Borreliosis does not apply to pets.

The most terrible tick-borne infections for humans are encephalitis (over the past year, the incidence in Russia has increased by 16 percent) and Crimean hemorrhagic fever (139 cases per year).

Well, our best friends - dogs, if they are small, old or weakened - easily die from babesiosis (piroplasmosis), which destroys red blood cells. Unfortunately, there are no statistics on dogs killed by ticks.

All tick-borne infections are treated in the early stages, but the only way to prevent borreliosis is to avoid biting the tick.

Where the tick feasts

Ticks love deciduous and mixed forests with thick, moderately moist litter. In dry coniferous forests, they are found ten times less often. There are none in the swamps.

They begin to attack at 4-5 degrees Celsius, in the second decade of April, and reach the peak of activity in the first half of June. In autumn, a second peak of activity is observed in some species.

“Contrary to popular belief, ticks do not fall from trees and do not jump,” says Olga Germant, senior researcher at the Disinfectology Research Institute of Rospotrebnadzor. “They hunt from the grass or from the bushes. Both larvae, and nymphs, and adults hunt, but mainly the latter stick to a person. The tick climbs onto a blade of grass, clings to it with three pairs of paws, and raises its front paws up, as if praying. At the tips of the front paws there is a whole mechanism for capturing the victim: a set of hooks and suction cups. In choosing a host, ticks are not picky at all. They react to heat. Having moved to a potential donor, ticks crawl up and try to find a secluded place. Until the moment of suction, about 30 minutes pass - this is the head start that is given to a person in order to remove the tick. In hazardous areas, it is necessary to constantly make mutual and independent inspections.

The seized tick should never be crushed by hand. It is necessary to put the tick in a glass container and deliver it to the nearest laboratory for the study of ticks, where the arthropod will be checked for encephalitis, borrelia, and so on. It is best to deliver the tick alive.

How to be saved

Ixodid ticks are only conditionally afraid of repellent repellents. If you still use repellents, you need to make sure that they contain at least 25-30 percent diethyltoluamide (DEET). But ticks are very afraid of special poisons - acaricides. The difficulty is that applying acaricides to the skin is strictly prohibited. They are sprayed on clothing, outside living quarters. Be sure to follow the method of application and the safety measures indicated on the label.

You can also purchase special clothing already treated with an acaricidal composition. Clothing should be light and plain so that the tick is visible on it. If you are going to a tick activity area, trousers should be tucked into socks, a shirt should be zipped and tucked into trousers, cuffs should be close to the wrists. Ticks cannot bite through clothing. Proper, acaricidal-treated clothing gives a 100% guarantee against a tick bite.

If ticks have appeared in your summer cottage, they can be treated with a special compound, and they will disappear for a month and a half. It is necessary either to order professional treatment of the territory with acaricides, or to carry out such treatment yourself. The Research Institute of Disinfectology recommends such products as Alpicid, Breeze 25% e. k.", "Gardex Extreme" (Gardex Extreme), "Concentrate to protect the territory from ticks", "MEDILIS-cyper", "Kleschevit super" and "Cifox". The method of processing is indicated on the insert label (on the website of the FBUN Research Institute of Disinfectology of Rospotrebnadzor, full information is provided on all means allowed for use for this purpose).

The vaccine exists only for tick-borne viral encephalitis and tularemia.

Weak, but still a consolation can be the fact that not only Russia suffers from ixodid ticks and the diseases they carry. This problem is extremely serious in Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic, China, the USA and many other countries.

There are more than 35,000 species of ticks, most of which live in areas with abundant vegetation and forests. - Vegetated areas, fields, and forests, areas with high humidity and plants that can retain water.

Adults usually sit on tall grass:

• adults - grass above 1.5 m;
• nymphs - in the grass at least a meter high;
• larvae - no higher than 30 cm.

But still, are there mites on the trees? Not! Many are mistaken in thinking that ticks are located on the branches of trees and, if the opportunity arises, they jump onto a passing victim. Their habitat is tall grass, fallen leaves and dense thickets.

Are there ticks in the pine forest

Therefore, before resting, you should take care of protection, use special means, clothes should be as closed as possible, and after a walk, you should carefully examine the skin for the presence of bites.

Where in Russia there are no ticks

The risk of meeting ticks in Russia is small in the following areas where:

• there is no grass and shrubs;
• lack of undergrowth;
• abundance of lichens and moss in the territory;
• rocky terrain;
• mountain slopes;
• rocky area.

It is worth noting that insects are almost never found on rocky areas, since it is difficult for them to gain a foothold on a slippery surface. Rest in such places will be comfortable and safest.

Where are the most ticks

Ticks in the forest are one of the most common options, such areas have high humidity, there is a lot of foliage, tall grass and clearings around.

These are carriers of especially dangerous pathogens: hemorrhagic fever, Lyme disease and encephalitis. often found in the Krasnodar Territory, Moscow and the Moscow region. It is possible to become infected with hemorrhagic fever in the Caucasus, in the Volgograd and Rostov regions. The encephalitic tick has been seen in the Far East, the Volga region, Karelia, and Northwestern Russia. In the East, ticks are more common in Vladivostok.

With a high risk of ticks, control services should treat such areas with special means. At the same time, it is not always possible to completely get rid of insects, therefore, when traveling to the safest city at first glance, you should be careful and take safety measures. The danger lies not in the bite itself, but in the pathogens that they can transmit from an infected animal.

In large cities, according to statistics, ticks with an encephalitis pathogen are practically not found.

In such urban areas, bloodsucking insects are found along the sidewalks, the risk of being bitten in this case is as high as in an open field. In such areas, there is no special control of ticks, since the cities have small budgets, which are not enough to include measures to control dangerous insects.

In cities with a population of over 500 thousand people, dangerous areas are treated with anti-tick agents at the peak time of the year. Increasingly, cases of bites are recorded in large cities, in the suburbs and outskirts, and fishermen and summer residents also suffer.

Which countries do not have ticks at all

In order to protect yourself and your loved ones when choosing a vacation spot, you need to know in advance in which places and countries ticks live.