How long do ticks live without food: how hardy are dangerous bloodsuckers in a hunger strike
In spring or summer, while in a forest, park or meadow where there is tall grass, you can be attacked by a tick, a dangerous bloodsucker that digs into the skin and can be a carrier of dangerous diseases. On clothes or a person's body, it can be brought into a house or apartment. It is important to know how long the forest tick lives, how to detect it and how to get rid of it.
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Who are ticks and why are they dangerous
Ticks are dangerous parasites that feed on the blood of animals and humans. They belong to the arachnid family, as they, like spiders, have 4 pairs of legs. Ticks have perfectly adapted to the conditions of life in nature. Bloodsuckers can stay on their host for up to 15 days and drink blood.
They are firmly attached to the skin, in their saliva there is an anesthetic that, after a bite, enters the wound, and the person does not feel pain. But with saliva, an infection can enter the wound and develop a dangerous disease. Therefore, being in nature, you need to take precautions. Ticks are carriers of Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis.
Life cycle of a tick
Ticks, like other insects, go through 4 life phases: egg, larva, nymph, adult. At each stage of development, the tick feeds once and then moves on to the next stage of development.
Larvae and nymphs
Adult
Female and male ticks differ in size and color.
How long do ticks live on average
In nature, under favorable conditions, adequate nutrition, the tick lives for about two years. But if the tick fails to find a source of food during the season, then it can overwinter and wait for the next season, which will be more favorable than the previous one.
In fact, a tick can live 5-6 years.
But not all individuals are able to survive in natural conditions, they can die at any stage of development. There are other factors influencing his life.
Scientists conducted experiments in the laboratory, a tick fed with blood can live for about 10 years without additional nutrition.
Factors affecting tick life expectancy
The life span of ticks depends on several factors: the environment where they live, the amount of food and how quickly it is detected if it has bitten a person.
Habitat
In nature, ticks live in grass bedding, but they need a source of food to reproduce, as mating occurs when the female is fed with blood. After she lays her eggs, she dies.
In the woods
In the absence of a power source, the vital activity of ticks slows down. Without food, they can live for several years, waiting for the opportunity to feed on blood and produce offspring.. As soon as an animal or a person appears, they come to life and dig into the victim. All life processes are resumed.
A lot of important fact that affects the life of ticks in the forest is air temperature and humidity. They wake up after winter at zero temperature and at +10 degrees actively begin to look for a source of food. But in summer, in hot and dry weather, when the temperature rises to +30 degrees and above, they die.
In the apartment
A tick can get into an apartment on clothes after a walk, or it can be brought in by a dog or cat living in an apartment. After the fed female comes off the owner, even if she lays eggs, offspring will not appear from them, the situation in the apartment is not favorable for their development. But in the conditions of an apartment, she can live 8-9 months if she does not find a new source of food and does not fall into nature.
Access to food and air
In the absence of nutrition, the life processes of ticks slow down, they are able to fall into suspended animation for a while.
Having fed once, the tick can live long enough, waiting for the next victim to appear. In nature, this period can last from 3 to 5 years.
Ticks feed on blood, but the duration of its life is affected by air temperature and humidity.
After being bitten, ticks remain on the animal for several months, they can move around the victim and feed. Some types of ticks can be on the victim for up to several years.
Ticks can live on the body of the victim for several years, changing the host. Males attach and feed on blood for 3 days, but die after mating, females, depending on size, feed for 3-15 days.
It is known that only some types of microbes can do without oxygen, all other living beings need air to live. Ticks die without air after 2 days.
Maximum lifespan by species
The lifespan of ticks depends on the species. Adults are very hardy, but tick larvae can live long enough without food.
How to protect yourself from ticks
When going for a walk in spring or autumn, it is important to take care of protective clothing and tick repellent. Usually they sit on the grass or branches and wait for the victim. They are especially attracted to light-colored clothes. A few basic rules on how to protect yourself from tick attacks:
- For a walk in nature, it is worth taking care of a hat and tight-fitting clothes and shoes.
- After the hike, carefully inspect things and clothes so as not to bring ticks into the home. Ticks are very difficult to shake off, as they get into the folds of clothing. Hair, after a walk, you need to comb.
- Apply special protective equipment to clothing.
- Inspect pets, returning from a walk, ticks usually cling to the ears or are located on the lower part of the body.
- If the tick is still stuck into the skin, then you can try to pull it out yourself or consult a doctor.
- Ticks are carriers of dangerous diseases, so if a tick has stuck, it must be carefully removed and sent to the laboratory for research.