Amazing facts about ticks: 11 truths about "bloodsuckers" that are hard to believe

Ticks are a huge group of diverse organisms, blood-sucking parasites, their size can reach up to 0,5 cm in length. They belong to the class of arachnids, type - arthropods. If you count the number of limbs, then the tick will have four pairs of them. While insects have three. This is the main feature that distinguishes the class of insects from arachnids, to which ticks belong. They don't fly, they don't jump from trees. They lie in wait for their prey on blades of grass and twigs of shrubs, at a height of no more than half a meter. On the front pair of legs, he has important sensory organs and strong claws with which he clings to the victim.

Ticks are found almost everywhere. They are found on plants, in soil, in sea and fresh water, in food, in the nests of birds and mammals, in house dust and on human skin. There are those who feed on the blood of penguins in Antarctica. And also those who have adapted to life in the cracks of the rocks beyond the Arctic Circle. Many of them can only be seen with a microscope. Although most ticks do not pose a threat to human health, some of them carry dangerous infections. The most famous is the ixodid tick species.

Dust mites are constant companions of humans. They are found in mattresses, pillows and linen, carpets and house dust. They feed on dead particles of human skin, dandruff. Can cause severe allergic reactions and asthma attacks in humans, as well as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis. Every third child suffering from bronchial asthma suffers from an allergy to the dust in which these microscopic parasites live. A soft toy and a feather pillow can cause choking attacks. Bronchial asthma and other allergic conditions are caused not by the mites themselves, but by their enzymes in the excrement. Allergens are present indoors throughout the year, but the symptoms of the disease appear especially in autumn, during wet weather. Thorough cleaning of the apartment, getting rid of carpets, replacing the mattress and pillows with new ones every seven years, will reduce the frequency of attacks.

There are 50 thousand species of ticks in the world, and every year scientists discover new ones. The greatest danger to humans is ixodid, which feed on blood and are carriers of dangerous diseases. These are the largest ticks. They parasitize on living beings or suck their blood. Their saliva has an anesthetic effect. Therefore, the bite often goes unnoticed. Such small creatures are of concern, because these arthropods carry a whole list of dangerous diseases, some of which can have serious consequences. The most formidable is tick-borne encephalitis. This viral disease with damage to the nervous system, is acute. The disease does not appear immediately. After being bitten by an infected parasite, a dangerous virus enters the bloodstream, it affects the central nervous system, including the brain. It begins with fever, intoxication, severe weakness, nausea and vomiting, the course resembles SARS. If the patient survives, then most likely he remains disabled. The risk of getting sick with tick-borne infections exists even with a slight suction of a tick. Preventive measures should be carefully observed. But fortunately, there is an effective and affordable vaccine that protects against this infection.

There are several types of blood-sucking parasites. They are very different in their bloodthirsty habits and principles in life. These are ixodid and dermacentors. Their only meaning of life is to drink blood and leave their microscopic and bloodthirsty offspring on Earth. The most striking example of greed from the world of wildlife is a female tick. After all, she will not unhook from the victim on her own, even in a few days. Whereas the male eats up already in six hours. The female is much larger than the male. This difference in size is dictated by the need of nature. Fertilization of the female of this type of tick occurs at the moment when she is on the victim and sucks blood. To do this, the male finds the female in advance, long before her feast, and attaches himself to the abdomen from below, while she runs with her companion to her desired goal. Blood-sucking parasites are very prolific. After mating with several females, the male dies. Before laying eggs, the female needs to feed on blood. In a short time, the female is able to lay several thousand eggs. After the larvae appear, they need a host on which they will feed for several days, and then they will move to the soil and turn into nymphs. Interestingly, in order to turn into adult ticks, they again need a host to feed. All ticks are saprophages, that is, they feed on the dead remains of humans, animals, or vice versa, they can suck blood. They are also characterized by omovampirism, this is when a hungry individual of a tick attacks its well-fed fellow and sucks out blood already sucked from him.

Bloodsuckers are able to live without food for about two years. They can survive in extremely high temperatures as well as in vacuum conditions. They are not afraid of frost either. The most powerful on the planet are shell mites, they are able to lift a weight that exceeds their own. They easily survive after washing in hot water with powder. The life expectancy of arthropods is different, some live only three days, others more than four years. A lot of advice on how to protect yourself from a bite and other harm from ticks is very doubtful, since they are very tenacious and hardy. Frequent treatments with synthetic poisons lead to the rapid emergence of resistant pest races. Many summer residents have long used water with ash to protect their garden from ticks. At the first sign of danger, the parasite pretends to be dead and folds its legs. Ticks obviously do not like ash, it discourages them from biting. It sticks to the paws and body, and makes it difficult for them to breathe. But she does not kill them, but only scares them away. In the absence of proper chemistry, campfire ash can be used as a prophylaxis against parasite bites, but there is no full hope for it.

Although a person is biased towards ticks, the latter provide tangible assistance in various industries. For example, small arachnids - saprophages, process organic matter, thereby increasing soil fertility. And in agriculture, this is one of the priority tasks. And ticks - predators are used to exterminate parasites, pests of agriculture, for example, spider mites. They happily eat eggs, larvae and adults. They are found by the presence of cobwebs on the leaves. They are also able to clean plants affected by spores of parasitic fungi. If, for the purpose of prevention, this hunter is planted in greenhouses, then this will restrain the reproduction of the spider mite, and the treatment with chemicals will disappear by itself.

Most ticks lay eggs, but there are also viviparous ones. Among the representatives of gamasid mites there are such species. The female, after fertilization, bears only one egg, and when it matures, she dies. The offspring hibernates in the body of the mother, with the advent of spring, the process is completely completed and a larva already appears, experiencing hunger and wanting to get free. To do this, she gnaws her way through the mother's body, feeding and developing.

The parasite has a very developed gnawing and sucking apparatus. With the help of symmetrical hooks on the proboscis and the adhesive substance that the tick produces after being bitten, it clings very tightly to the host. During sucking, blood enters its multi-chamber intestine, due to which the individual increases many times in size. A well-fed tick weighs up to 200 times more than a hungry one.

Ticks are endangered by birds and lizards. Enemies for them and toads, dragonflies, spiders, bugs and ground beetles. But the biggest threat to bloodsuckers is ants. Even formic acid leads to death. An interesting fact - where there are numerous anthills, there are no ticks. Ants live by smells, with the help of them they find their way home, determine their own or someone else's. As soon as a stranger enters the anthill zone, the ants become active and begin to attack. Even the ability to pretend to be dead and a hard shell are not able to help them. Ants bite off and tear off their limbs, bend their abdomens towards their prey and secrete acid, which is deadly for the parasite. Then they dismember him and drag him to his dwelling. A special ant delicacy is the laid eggs of the tick and the blood-fed adult. Ticks are excellent food for ants and their young.