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Why do we need ticks in nature: how dangerous "bloodsuckers" are useful

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Ticks are intimidating and disgusting to most people, which is not surprising, because arachnids have not proven themselves in the best way. Parasites were created by nature not only to harm and destroy, but also to benefit both people and the entire planet. Why are ticks needed in nature: to parasitize and be "orderlies", destroy agriculture and save it, spread dangerous diseases, but at the same time be vaccinators. 

Who are ticks

Ticks are a subclass of the arachnid family. Most of them have a microscopic body size, the habitat is low grass and trees. The vast majority are harmless to humans, causing only skin irritation upon contact.
A small number of species are parasites and disease vectors, while the majority are free-living saprophages and predators that feed on decaying organic matter, thus they play an important role in the formation of soil humus, which is beneficial for nature.
There are saprophages that feed on the sap of cultivated plants, they are pests of the economy, as well as predators in which the phenomenon of omovampirism occurs: when a hungry individual attacks a well-fed representative of its species and feeds on the blood it has drunk.  

The main types of ticks and their lifestyle

In nature, there are more than 54 subclasses of arachnids, each of them has its own characteristics and lifestyle.

taiga tick
It lives on the territory of Russia, Belarus, the Baltic states and the southeastern coast of Finland, as well as in some parts of Western Europe. This species feeds on mammals, birds and reptiles, as a rule, they do not rise to a height of more than 1 meter, and hunt prey in low grass. Taiga arachnids are dangerous, carry the tick-borne encephalitis virus.
European wood tick
It lives throughout Europe, Crimea and northwest Africa. It hunts in broad-leaved forests, meadows and shrubs. Active in dry areas. It feeds on all kinds of mammals, birds and reptiles, is aggressive towards humans, and is a carrier of pathogens of deadly diseases in cattle.
meadow mite
An inhabitant of deciduous and adjacent forests in Siberia and Europe, prefers open spaces and low grass, and is also able to tolerate flooding. Differs in cold resistance, is a carrier of groups of acute febrile diseases and dangerous infectious diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis and Crimean Congo fever. 
Gamasid mites
The smallest representatives of common species, the average size is 4mm. Predators prey on small invertebrates. Despite their small size, gamasid species can cause dermatitis and typhus in humans. 

The most common harmless pests for humans are Phytoseiidae. This is a predatory species that feeds on saprophages. A day can eat up to twenty brothers. They are also natural regulators of the number of saprophages, this species is used in the fight against violators of the order of agriculture.

Members of the Phytoseiidae family.

The value of ticks in nature and human life

The role of arachnids in nature is great, do not underestimate it. After all, they regulate the number of arthropods, which is beneficial in the fight against pests in agriculture and forestry. Types of saprophytes:

  • participate in the processes of soil formation;
  • benefit in the implementation of life in nature, participating in the decomposition and humification of plant and animal remains;
  • increase soil porosity;
  • disseminate beneficial microorganisms throughout the soil.

Predators benefit by playing the role of "orderly", eating parasitic insects and cleaning plants of harmful spores. In the foci of endemic diseases, they are natural vaccinators, helping to maintain balance in the nature of the population. Predatory phytoseids are used in the fight against spider web pests.

WHY ARE TICKES NEEDED IN NATURE?

What do forest mites eat?

Predatory forest mites feed on their prey - mammals, birds and other forest creatures that they can cling to. This species does not plan an attack and does not jump on the victims, they cling to the target when it touches the blade of grass on which the tick sits. Having firmly settled on the animal, they look for a place to feed, often it is the head or neck, so the animal cannot destroy the parasite on its own.

Forest saprophages feed on decaying organic matter and soil fungi, benefiting nature.

Natural enemies

Ticks occupy the bottom link of the food chain, so there are many who want to eat them. Despite the fact that parasites love to feed on bird blood, they themselves often become victims. Birds, parasite-eating:

The most active in the destruction of harmful arachnids are sparrows. There is a theory that birds eat well-fed mites, as they are attracted to the smell of blood, due to which hungry individuals have a better chance of surviving.

Enemies of parasites among insects:

Of insects, the main exterminator of arachnids is the ant. When an enemy is detected, the ants give a signal to their relatives and attack him with an army. Red wood ants inject poison into the violator of the borders and take it to the anthill, eat the victim themselves or feed it to the cubs. Because of this, ticks have a fear and rejection of the smell of formic acid at the gene level.

Enemies among amphibians:

Ticks are an important link in the food chain. If people destroy the population, then many species of birds and amphibians will disappear after the ticks, causing a domino effect that will cause irreparable damage to nature.

Natural enemies of ticks.

Benefits of ticks

Bad associations of people with pests do not negate the fact that arachnids are beneficial to nature. In an ecosystem, parasites are the link in the entire food chain. The benefits of ticks are undeniable and are an important part of nature.

Participation in the process of soil formation
In conversations about soil formation, they always talk about earthworms and often forget to mention shell and earth mites. Earthworms are limited in range, but arthropods are not. A person walks the earth and does not realize that there are many microscopic species under their feet, because they are ubiquitous. The main functions of "pests" are the process of mineral turnover in the soil, soil mixing, processing of organic residues. Microscopic organisms living in the upper layers of the soil digest dead organic matter, forming fertile humus. The number of soil arthropods per 1 m2 is 50-250 thousand individuals.
Destruction of their relatives - spider arthropods
Plants are treated with synthetic "protections" to control spider parasites, but repeated treatments result in resistant races of pests. Synthetic poisons have found an alternative - predatory arthropods preying on "relatives". Among all species capable of destroying larvae and adult spider parasites, representatives of the predatory family Phytoseiidae are considered the most effective; farmers specially grow this species and add it to unwanted guests. 
Cleansing plants from spores
Arachnids saprophages feed on the spores of parasitic fungi, forming a symbiosis with the plant. A common example: a tinder fungus infects a tree, an arthropod, in turn, eats fungal spores, preventing the tree from being destroyed. Despite the parasitic features, eight-legged pests bring undeniable benefits to plants by feeding on parasitic fungi.
Cheese production
In Germany and France, special varieties of cheese have been created with the help of ticks for a long time. Cheese, naturally processed, acquires a piquant taste, smell and presentation. This benefit was noticed by chance and was liked by gourmets. Arachnids, which are used in the production of cheese in passing, belong to the flour species.
Pain relief in medicine
The pain-relieving glue in tick saliva plays a big role in medicine. Medical adhesives are either toxic or do not fully fulfill their function, but the adhesives contained in the saliva of arachnids are natural, that is, they do not cause any harm and do not cause allergies, they also stick together with high quality.
Drug development 
The main benefit of saprophages is the production of proteins that are useful in the development of drugs for diseases dangerous to humans, which in the long term will be useful in the treatment of even HIV-infected people.

Harm to humans

Ticks have established themselves as dangerous pests, despite the benefits to nature.

There are many representatives whose bites lead not only to fever and temporary discomfort, but to death.

Parasitic saprophages, such as flour parasites, destroy cereals and grains, damaging agriculture. Ear arachnids feed on livestock and domestic animals, causing pain and spreading dangerous viruses and diseases.

Spread dangerous diseases
Ticks are carriers of pathogens of dangerous diseases, the most common of which are: Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis. Only 8% of ticks are carriers of these diseases, but 8% of the countless multitude is a large percentage. Other less common diseases are also harmful to humans: erylichiosis, tick-borne typhus, dermatitis, tularemia and spotted fever.
Eating crops
Cereals and red-legged saprophages tear the epidermis of crops and feed on juice containing chlorophyll. Severe damage leads to the death of the plant, and those that survive become infected with fungal and viral diseases. Parasites harm agricultural activities by infecting with pathogens and destroying crops. Yield losses reach 70%, and plant damage up to 100%. The degree of wrecking of grain mites depends on the timing of the appearance of saprophages - wheat is susceptible to destruction and infection by viruses in the early phases of development.
Cause allergies and harm the body
Subcutaneous and scabious arachnids cause dermatitis and severe allergic reactions. Only females that lay eggs under the skin are dangerous to the body. The female itch itch lives for a month and lays 90 eggs in her life. The defeat of the body reaches serious proportions, not to mention unbearable discomfort.
Parasites on plants, animals and humans
There are more than a hundred infections of dangerous domestic, farm animals, plants and people, in the distribution of which 100 families of ticks are involved. According to the place of localization on the body of animals and humans, arachnids are divided into several groups: dermal, subcutaneous, feather, band. According to the form of parasitism - permanent, temporary and random. Parasitizing on plants, animals and humans sometimes cause irreparable harm to living organisms.

What types of ticks are considered useful

Arachnids are for the most part pests, but they also bring large-scale benefits. Ticks are neither “good” nor “bad”, they are an element of nature that overrides the harm that causes nature with benefits.

What ticks are useful:

  • feather species often feed not on blood, but on fungi and bacteria that are dangerous for birds, forming a symbiosis and being “orderlies” that clean bird plumage;
  • Tyroglyphus longior, useful in making cheese marketable;
  • Phytoseiidae - the gamasid species are beneficial by destroying brethren parasitic on plants.
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