Who eats ticks. Rubric “Natural enemies of pests”

18.05.2019

Appear in March, disappear at the end of October. The peak of activity falls on May-June, September-October. Favorable conditions for existence are temperatures within 20 degrees Celsius, high humidity, tall grass, thickets, shrubs. The greatest represent what they carry,. They are found in the wild, city parks, squares, near the house. One of the most pressing questions is who eats ticks in nature.

natural enemies

Ticks in the food chain are at the very bottom, so theoretically there are a lot of people who want to eat them. But judging by how intensively pest control is carried out with chemicals, the number of natural enemies is clearly not enough to stop the mass.

Birds

In Russia, ixodid ticks are ubiquitous, the most dangerous areas are taiga forests. Pests feed on the blood of animals, birds, people. But they themselves often become victims of birds.

Experts say that several types of birds eat ticks:

thrush;
hen;
quail;
black grouse;
guinea fowl;
tick weaver;
starling;
sparrow;
drag.

The most active helpers for a person are the familiar sparrows. The birds feast, but their appetites end at some point.

Interesting!
In the forest, blood-sucking pests are afraid. They are repelled by the smell of formic acid, which actively comes from a large anthill. In a fight between ants and ticks, the first one always wins. When a victim is found, insects give a signal to relatives, a whole colony pounces on one arachnid.
Ticks and ants never live in the same area, but active insects always find prey a few tens of meters from the anthill. The most dangerous natural enemies are large ones. When fighting with arachnids, they inject poison, then drag it with them to their dwelling. Ants eat ticks themselves and feed them to their young.

On a note!
To destroy the colony of pests, to prevent their reproduction, it is recommended to mow the grass, remove last year's foliage, twigs, and clear shrubs. The soil dries up, eggs, larvae do not develop, but ants do not live in such conditions.

Among insects, there are other natural enemies of ticks in nature:
dragonfly;
ground beetle;
riders.

Amphibians
The life of the tick is at risk in the forest, on the banks of water bodies where amphibians live. Active exterminators include frogs, toads, lizards, newts, salamanders, chameleons.
Other natural enemies
Interesting!
According to experts, ticks are useful because they are the basis of the food chain. They will disappear, many species of birds, insects, and animals will disappear. If we consider them from a human point of view, there is nothing useful.

Ixodid ticks (Ixodidae) are one of the most famous families of the subclass Ticks (Acari). They are found on all continents and live within almost all distinguished natural and climatic zones. Ixodids live even outside the Arctic Circle, which indicates their high adaptability and ability to survive in extreme conditions.

The greatest species diversity of ticks is characteristic, first of all, of the forests of the tropics and subtropics (due to the relatively high level humidity, complex longline composition of vegetation and richness of possible hosts).

We will talk further about exactly where and in what months of the year the risk of meeting ticks is greatest ...

Where are ixodid ticks found?

Ticks concentrate where there are the necessary microclimatic indicators and where their potential hosts live. Within the main natural areas these bloodsuckers are distributed in a mosaic pattern and can often form massive aggregations.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that ticks migrate insignificantly in the horizontal direction - they take a wait-and-see attitude, and resort to active pursuit only in exceptional cases.

Below in the photo, ticks are clearly visible in a bird around the eyes:

Thus, the main habitats of ticks are:

forest trails;
well-heated and moist forest edges and forest clearings;
pastures;
parks and squares in cities, lawns;
kitchen gardens, gardens in the country, which are often visited by pets and people.

Therefore, this group of species has developed special adaptations to counteract the harmful effects of environment. These resistances are expressed in the choice of habitats, and here two groups of ticks are distinguished:

pasture bloodsuckers;
burrow bloodsuckers.

Pasture and burrow bloodsuckers

In search of better microclimatic conditions, some species of ticks took a simplified path and settled in the burrows of their hosts, where it is always warm enough, humid and there is food. Other species have adapted to life in forests and open spaces.

On a note

On a note

With a lack of water in the body, ticks descend on wet substrates and absorb moisture throughout the body.

It is a common misconception that ticks fall from trees and shrubs. In reality, they do not climb trees, but are exclusively in the grassy layer. Therefore, it is juicy, tall grass in places of frequent movement of animals and people that poses the greatest danger.
As for burrow mites, they live almost exclusively in the burrows and nests of their owners, and for this reason they usually do not pose a danger to humans. These include, first of all, Argas ticks, less often similar species are also found among Ixodids.

The life cycles of ticks are quite complex, which is associated with the peculiarities of metamorphosis and the need to search for and change hosts. At the same time, the vital activity of the same species differs significantly within different natural zones, and directly depends on the microclimatic indicators of habitats. The rhythms of life cycles are entirely dependent on the seasonal dynamics of abiotic factors, such as daylight hours, humidity, temperature, etc.

On a note

The most primitive are continuous cycles, in which synchronization with seasonal rhythms is minimized. This type of ontogeny is characteristic of species living in a warm and humid tropical climate or in the burrows of animals and birds, where fluctuations in microclimatic parameters are insignificant.

The most complex cycles are characteristic of ticks, which need special adaptations to survive adverse environmental conditions (primarily winter temperatures).

The longest and most complex cycles of development are characteristic of the European taiga and forest tick, whose ranges have shifted far to the north, much further than the ranges of other species. Normally, for the full development of each stage of ontogenesis, it takes about 1 year, so the minimum period of development from an egg to an adult is 3 years, and the maximum is 6 years.

Imagoes, mostly adult and hungry females, attack large mammals and humans in April-May, and the peak of aggressiveness falls on the second decade of May. At this time, they are waiting for their prey in tall grass in pastures, near ponds, forest paths, in parks and squares in cities.

On a note

Often, the eggs are attached to grassy vegetation, less often the female lays them directly on the fur of animals - then the hatched larvae will not need to look for a host.

The eggs laid in summer hatch into larvae that feed on small rodents and birds. They are tiny and have only 3 pairs of limbs, so they are sometimes confused with insects.

The photo below shows the larvae of the tick:

After feeding, the larvae look for a place for wintering: they mainly choose leaf litter and depressions in the bark of trees. There, in a state of diapause, small bloodsuckers wait out the winter. If the larva does not have time to feed before the onset of cold weather, it dies.

Sometimes the larvae have time to molt into nymphs before winter, but often molting also occurs only after leaving diapause. Each molt is accompanied by bloodsucking.

Tick nymphs differ from larvae in their larger size and the presence of another (fourth) pair of legs. They are able to feed on larger animals such as dogs, cats, foxes, hares.

In the spring and summer-autumn period of the 3rd year from the beginning of the life cycle, adult individuals appear. They begin to feed immediately, or again go into diapause. Feeding is necessary for the female primarily for the maturation of eggs, so it is imperative that mating occurs before feeding. Males either do not feed at all, or feed for a very short time, since they perform only the function of inseminators.
The most common and massive in Russia and the CIS countries, common forest (dog) and taiga ticks carry a number of pathogens of extremely dangerous human diseases, such as:

different forms of tick-borne encephalitis;

tick-borne typhus;

Lyme disease (borreliosis);

tularemia and some others.

On a note
The tick infects its host already during suction, when it injects saliva containing pathogens of a particular infection under the skin. Moreover, the longer the tick is on the body, the more likely it is to get sick.

Symptoms of diseases do not appear immediately: incubation period can last up to one month. In the case of tick-borne encephalitis, the development of the disease can proceed in different ways, but there are also common symptoms: more often there is a sharp increase in temperature, muscle and headaches. In case of tick-borne borreliosis hallmark infection is the appearance of the so-called migrating annular erythema - on the skin near the wound left after a tick bite, concentric rings of reddish, brown or yellow color(an example is shown below).

Prevention measures: how to protect yourself from the negative consequences of contact with ticks

On a note

Be that as it may, you should not relax either, since only the correct and timely measures taken will minimize the likelihood of undesirable consequences.

First you need to remove the tick. This is easy to do on your own, using, for example, tweezers or special devices to extract ticks.

After removing the tick, the wound must be disinfected (it can be treated with alcohol, brilliant green, iodine or hydrogen peroxide). It is recommended to wash your hands thoroughly with soap. The extracted tick should be taken for analysis to make sure it is not infected and, if necessary, take appropriate measures (for example, emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis consists of injections of gamma globulins).

First of all, these are birds, for example: thrush, tick-eater weaver, guinea fowl, sparrow, starling, Voloklyuy. Also lizards, frogs and toads. Perhaps they feed not so much for the sake of their skin, but for the sake of the blood that contains them inside.

Ticks occupy one of lower levels food chain in nature, respectively, they have a lot of natural enemies! We are horrified - when the season is for ticks, and for birds, and all living creatures that feed on insects, this is a feast!

Indeed, now comes the greatest activity of ticks and people need to be very careful not to get caught by this infectious insect. But there are those who are not at all afraid of them and even vice versa like to eat ticks. Birds, frogs, spiders and lizards love to eat ticks. I myself once saw how a bird ate a tick.

Crap. Even kids at school know that birds, lizards, toads, spiders, bed bugs, and possibly ground beetles eat ticks.

It is strange that such a simple question causes mortar even in some veterinarians. I once saw a wasp gnaw a fly in half. I assume that wasps can also eat other insects and arachnids.

Ticks have few natural enemies. Basically - these are birds and several types of riders. But the most important tick eaters are red ants. In coniferous forests, where there are a lot of such ants, ticks cannot be found.

Now ticks are activated in earnest. If last year they were very aggressive, now they say that they have become four times more active than before.

But ticks have natural enemiesquot ;, which can significantly reduce their numbers, which can save a person from an extra bite, or even a serious illness. Ticks are eaten with great pleasure by birds, spiders, frogs, lizards, ground beetles and ants.

So take care of nature in all its diversity, and nature will take care of you. Feed the birds especially in spring and autumn, and don't destroy anthills where hundreds of ants live.

Who eats ticks?
The most common type of ticks in the temperate latitudes of the Russian Federation are ixodid ticks. Scientists have discovered that they have natural enemies.
In addition, ticks can become prey for birds, ants and ground beetles.

Ticks are eaten by those who eat insects. For example, birds are not averse to eating mites. Frogs that love mosquitoes and flies also eat ticks. Ants and dragonflies are also tick eaters.

Unfortunately, there are not many natural enemies of ticks. One of them is a forest ant. It produces a natural acid that contains a repellent. This substance is detrimental to ticks. Pharmacies sell formic alcohol. It can be applied both to clothes and to the skin. First you need to dilute water.

Among the natural enemies that come into contact with them in their own habitat, ants can be distinguished in the first place. Although this has little effect on the number of ticks, there have always been a lot of ticks. Therefore, when going into the forest, one should not hope that all the ticks have already been pecked by birds - it is necessary to take all precautions.

Ixodid (ixodid) ticks - carriers of pathogens of piroplasmidoses (hemosporidiosis) of domestic animals, belong to the family. Ixodidae. Depending on the natural and climatic conditions, some ticks live mainly in the forest zone, others - in the steppe, and others - in the foothills, as well as in other zones.

The Ixodidae family includes six genera: Ixodes, Hyalomma, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Rhipicephalus, Boophilus. In the territory Soviet Union There are over 50 species of ixodid, of which the majority are registered in the southern part of the country.

Biology of ixodid ticks. Usually, ixodid males fertilize females on the body of animals, which, after sucking blood, fall off, crawl into shelters and, depending on environmental conditions and the degree of blood saturation, lay from 4 thousand to 15 thousand eggs after 10-20 days, after which they die. Tick eggs are relatively large (about 0.5 mm long), oval, yellow-brown in color, covered with a hard shell, immature. Eggs mature within a few weeks (up to a month or more). Through the resulting crack in the shell of the egg, a larva about 1 mm long hatches, having three pairs of legs and devoid of spiracles, genital opening and peritreme. To transform into the next stage (nymph), the larva must suck blood (more often on small wild animals and birds). The nymph has four pairs of limbs, but lacks a genital opening. After sucking blood (often in wild animals), the nymph detaches from the host and falls to the ground or turns into an imago on the body of the animal. Thus, for complete development from the egg to the sexually mature stage, ixodid ticks suck blood from several or one animal three times and molt twice. The duration of blood sucking by larvae is on average 3-7 days, by nymphs - 3-10 days, and by adults - 8-10 days. Most ticks hibernate in the external environment for different stages development. Depending on the type of development and mode of nutrition, ixodid are divided into single-host, two-host and three-host.

Single host mites all three active stages of metamorphosis take place on one animal, and only the adult leaves it to lay eggs in the external environment (Boophilus calcaratus, Hyalomma scupense).

Two-host mites in the stage of larvae and nymphs live on one host and in the imaginal stage - on the other (Rhipicephalus bursa, Hyalomma plumbeum, Hyalomma detritum).

Tri-host mites successively change three hosts, and the transformation of one stage into another always occurs in the external environment. This type of development is typical for most ixodid ticks (Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor pictus, etc.).

Larvae and nymphs of two-host and three-host ticks prefer to attack mouse-like rodents, birds, less often reptiles, while adult ticks, as well as larvae of single-host ticks, attack domestic and large wild animals (roe deer, wild boars, etc.).

Genus Ixodes (trailer). Representatives of this genus have a long proboscis with a quadrangular base. The eyes are missing. Cokes I are not split. Anal groove in front. In males, the entire ventral surface is covered with scutes (Fig. 63). The dorsal scutellum, limbs and proboscis are dark brown, the cuticle of females is grayish yellow. Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes persulcatus are widespread on the territory of the USSR. They develop according to the three-host type, moisture-loving.

Ixodes ricinus is one of the most common ixodid ticks. AT most it is found in the northwestern and central regions of the USSR; it is almost absent in the steppe and semi-desert zones. During the year, 1 generation develops. Ticks are able to starve for more than two years. Imago attack animals in spring and autumn. It is a carrier of Babesia bovis, Francaiella caucasica and Anaplasma marginale.

Ixodes persulcatus is distributed mainly in the taiga zone of Siberia and the Far East, as well as in the regions of Karelia and the Leningrad region. Imago attacks animals in the spring-summer period (no later than July). This mite carries Babesia bovis and Francaiella caucasica.

Representatives of this genus are carriers of pathogens of piroplasmosis and nuttalliosis, theileriosis, as well as anaplasmosis in cattle.

Genus Haemaphysalis (bloodsucker). These are relatively small mites that have a short proboscis with a quadrangular base, unsplit coxae I, an anal groove behind anus. Ticks of this genus lack eyes and ventral scutes in males. Ticks are found in the steppe and forest-steppe zones, as well as in the foothills. The development of one generation lasts more than a year. Three-host mites Haemaphysalis otophila and Haemaphysalis puncata, which are carriers of Piroplasma bigeminum, Piroplasma ovis and Theileria annulata, are of veterinary importance.

Genus Rhipicephalus (fanheads). Heat-loving, relatively small red-brown mites, they have a short proboscis with a hexagonal base. They have eyes, split coxae I, a groove located behind the anus, and two pairs of central scutes in males (Fig. 66). Ticks are common in the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Crimea and Central Asia (in foothill and steppe regions). Animals are attacked in the spring-summer period of the year. Within a year, the development of one generation of ticks ends. The most common species of this genus are the two-host tick Rhipicephalus bursa (the main vector of sheep piroplasmids) and the three-host tick Rhipicephalus turanicus (vector of NUttallia equi, Anaplasma rossicus, Anaplasma ovis N).

Features of methods of dealing with ixodid ticks

Destruction of ticks on animals

Manual collection of ticks. Collect and destroy ixodid ticks from cows of milkmaids, and from horses - sleds and grooms during the cleaning of animals. When collecting ticks, one should take into account the places of their favorite localization. For example, Rhipicephalus bursa ticks are more likely to attach themselves to sheep in the auricles, on the breast, in the groins and under the tail; Boophilus calcaratus - in cattle, mainly on the skin of the udder, scrotum, perineum, groin and dewlap; ticks of the genus Dermacentor - in horses in the intermaxillary space and at the base of the mane.

Ticks collected from animals should not be crushed by hand in order to avoid infection with some dangerous diseases; they are placed in a jar of kerosene. This method has limited application due to the high labor intensity and low labor productivity, as well as low efficiency (in most cases it is possible to detect and collect only well-fed female ticks).

Destruction of ticks chemicals - a widely used method in production conditions. To combat ticks on the body of animals, a wet method is used (bathing, spraying, wiping), and in winter period years - dry method (treatment of the skin with dusts of acaricidal agents). The most effective and widely used in the fight against ixodid is the wet method of anti-tick treatment of livestock.

In the form of solutions, emulsions and suspensions, the following acaricides are prescribed for the treatment of the skin of animals (with an interval of 6-7 days):

1) 1% solution of chlorophos - 1-3 liters of solution for each animal;

2) Sevin suspension (0.75-1%) - 1-3 liters per animal;

3) 3% polychloropinene emulsion (only for young cattle) - 1.5-3 liters of emulsion per animal (rarely used);

4) 2% emulsion of the preparation SK-9 (dairy cows and slaughter animals must not be treated) - up to 3 liters (depending on the age and weight of the animal);

5) 1% emulsion of trichlormetaphos-3 (only young cattle can be treated) - 1-2 liters of emulsion per animal (no later than 60 days before slaughter);

6) sodium arsenite with different concentrations of arsenic anhydride (A2O3) for different types animals (0.16% - for bathing cattle, 0.18% - for bathing sheep and 0.24% - for wiping horses).

Sometimes, for the destruction of ixodid in animals, a 0.5% solution of chlorophos in a 0.1% solution of caustic alkali is used.

Of the ixodid ticks, representatives of the genus Ixodes are the most resistant to acaricidal agents, and mites of the genus Boophilus (especially larvae) show minimal resistance. The remaining ixoids occupy an intermediate position. In ticks of the same genus, males die faster from acaricides, as well as hungry ticks (at all phases of development).

Bathing animals in bathtubs characterized by high efficiency. Animals are bathed in the warm season. In veterinary practice, stationary (bath-pools) and portable (metal, wooden and canvas) baths are used. The most widespread in collective farms and state farms are stationary baths-pools, arranged on a flat, dry site, away from roads and buildings. They are trenches with a concrete bottom and walls. Dimensions of a typical cattle bath: bottom length 7 m, waterline length (liquid level in the bath) 14 m, bottom width 0.6 m, waterline width 1 m, depth from bottom to liquid level 1.85 m, the height of the sides above the waterline is 0.5 m. The entrance platform is arranged at an angle of 45 ° (sliding), and the exit ladder is at an angle of 20 ° (5 m in length). The length of the entrance corridor is 3-5 m, the width is 0.8-1 m. A cemented platform adjoins the exit side of the bath, along which the liquid flowing from the animals enters the bath. To the side of the bath there is a sump connected to the bath by a pipeline with a valve. In front of the entrance and exit from the bath, cattle pens are arranged. This bath is designed for approximately 20 thousand liters of acaricidal liquid. You can also bathe sheep in it.

The liquid level in the bath is measured with a water meter, and the length and width of the bath with a tape measure. A few days before mass bathing, the good quality of emulsions or solutions of acaricides is checked on a small group of low-value animals. Young animals and weak animals are bathed separately. Animals should be watered before bathing. You can not bathe animals in rainy weather and during the hot hours of the day.

After bathing 300-600 heads of cattle, an emulsion or solution of an acaricidal preparation is added to the bath to the original volume. Replace the acaricidal liquid and remove impurities from the bath after bathing 2500-3000 animals. Of domestic animals, it is most convenient to bathe sheep (Fig. 68). Pregnant cows, ewes, sows and young animals up to 6 months of age are not bathed, but carefully sprayed with acaricidal preparations. In order to mechanize the bathing of sheep on farms, a Dokuchaev bath with a tilting platform is used.

Treated animals are placed in ventilated rooms or pens, protected from sunlight and wind. Currently, manual bathing of animals is of limited use due to the high labor intensity and low labor productivity.

Spraying and wiping animals used in farms with a small number of livestock, in the absence of baths, which often occurs in the central and northern regions of the country, as well as for the destruction of ixodid ticks in pregnant and weak animals and in young animals up to six months of age. For spraying and rubbing, veterinarians successfully use solutions, emulsions and suspensions of the above drugs.

Large animals (cattle, horses, camels) are conveniently subjected to desacarization in shower chambers ( automatic feed acaricide). Often, animals are sprayed in fenced areas using machines (DUK, LSD-2, VMOK-2, EMSOZH, etc.). During the processing period, animals are fixed in a split or in a machine.

Manual sprayers (hydraulic different systems etc.), as well as manual wiping of animals are of limited use due to their low productivity. After treatment of the skin with acaricides before milking in cows (and also in mares), the udder is washed with water. Until the skin is completely dry, animals are not driven out to pasture.

People working with dusts must wear rubber or canvas gloves, goggles and gauze bandages over the nose and mouth. After the end of dusting, the animals carefully remove the remains of the dust from the ground or from the floor, and the udders of dairy cows are washed with soap.

Destruction of ticks in the premises

Livestock buildings in the south of the country are often inhabited by some species of ixodid ticks. There are especially a lot of ticks in unimproved cowsheds and barns (in cracks in walls, pillars, ceilings, floors, feeders, in loose material on the floor, under feeders and other places). radical method the destruction of ticks in the premises - the elimination of their habitats: acaricide dust is poured into cracks and crevices, followed by their putty with cement or lime with clay; rodent burrows clog broken glass, stones, cover with cement; do not allow accumulations under the feeders and in the corners of the premises of the remnants of food and debris. After mechanical cleaning of the premises, the pillars, the floor, the outer surfaces of the feeders are periodically moistened with a 1% suspension of sevin (200 ml of liquid per 1 m2), a 1.5% solution of chlorophos (2 l per 10 m2 of area), as well as other acaricides (including in the form of aerosols).

Sometimes, in the fight against ixodides in livestock buildings, acaricide aerosols are used, obtained by burning checkers (NBK-G17) and with the help of aerosol generators (AAG, AG-L6). Checker NBK-G17 (authors Nabokov, Burlyai and Kazakova) cylindrical shape, contains 1 kg of technical hexachlorane and 1 kg of thermal mixture. To obtain an aerosol in the form of smoke, the fuse of the checker is lit, after which it smokes heavily for 20 minutes. When the thermal mixture burns, the acaricidal agent is sublimated, which, on contact with colder air, condenses, forming smoke. Smoke has greater permeability and, consequently, acaricidal effectiveness in comparison with oil aerosols (fog). Before using aerosols, animals are taken out of the premises, all holes in the walls, doors and windows are covered with clay. Checkers are placed on sheets of iron or earth (fire protection measures) and lit, and the doors are closed.

The required concentration of aerosol (smoke) in the room can be created by burning a certain number of pellets (at the rate of 4-5 g of the drug per 1 m3). The sediment formed on the floor after the combustion of the checkers retains acaricidal activity for up to five days (during this period, cattle are not driven into the room).

Destruction of ticks in nature

Ixodid ticks lay their eggs on the ground, with some ticks choosing wet places for laying, others dry, and still others forest. If these conditions are violated, then the eggs of ticks and the ticks themselves often die. To violate the living conditions of ticks in natural conditions and in order to destroy ticks at different stages of development, they carry out isolation and change of grazing areas, agricultural activities (plowing virgin lands, reclamation of swampy pastures, weeds and weeds in autumn and spring, the destruction of mouse-like rodents), use chemical methods, as well as natural enemies of ticks.

Isolation and grazing change used in the fight against ticks Boophilus calcaratus, as well as Rhipicephalus bursa, which feed only on domestic animals. The main requirement when changing pastures is to keep domestic animals away from the ticked area of the pasture for the period during which the ticks die of starvation (Boophilus calcaratus after 6-7 months, Rhipicephalus bursa after ten months). If cattle are grazing on each plot for 25 days (the development of the Boophilus calcaratus tick from larva to sucking female takes 21-24 days) with a return to the previously used site after seven months, it is possible to free the pasture area from ticks of this species in one year.

The alternation of lowland (winter) and mountain (summer) pastures in the south of the country plays an important role in the fight against ticks Boophilus calcaratus and Rhipicephalus bursa. It is necessary to move cattle in the spring to subalpine pastures before the activation of ticks (cattle in early April, and sheep no later than mid-May). Against most ixodid ticks, pasture change is ineffective, since these ticks are able to starve more long time(more than one year) and can feed not only on domestic, but also on wild animals.

Chemical Methods control of ticks in natural conditions is sometimes carried out by spraying dusts of acaricides with the help of helicopters and airplanes, and in limited areas - with the help of special dusters.

Natural enemies of ticks. Noteworthy is the insect of the riding (Hunterellus hookeri), the female of which lays up to 20 eggs in the body of nymphs of ixodid ticks. The larvae hatched from the eggs of the rider cause the death of ixodids (only the chitinous shell of the tick remains). A significant number of ixodids are eaten by birds, as well as lizards; dangerous for them molds, whose hyphae penetrate the body of ticks.

Every year the area of distribution of ticks increases, there are more and more of them. Together with them, the number of deadly diseases transmitted to animals and humans by these dangerous predators is growing.

Today it is easy to pick up a tick in a city square or in a park, on personal plot and in the garden. Creatures in chitinous shells are increasingly squeezing the ring around a person.

You can learn about what the tick eats and its habits by reading this article.

About the types of ticks

All mites belong to the order of small arachnids, uniting about 20 thousand species. What does a tick eat besides blood? Some of the ticks below also feed on other types of food.

The largest group of soil mites are shell mites. They live in forest soils and litter. They chew on rotting plant remains with abundant microflora with their gnawing chelicerae. They carry tapeworms that infect livestock.

Small insects that gnaw with their chelicerae are barn mites (or bread and flour mites). They live in decaying plant debris and in the soil. In storage of agricultural products, they cause spoilage of flour, grain and cereals. In people working in such premises, they can cause severe irritation skin in the form allergic reaction. The tick feeds on insect tissues.

The best studied is a serious pest of poultry farms. What does chicken mite eat? They are active at night, when they come out of the crevices of the chicken coop and, attacking chickens, suck their blood. It also happens that with a massive defeat, birds die from anemia.

To learn more about what ticks eat in nature, let's get acquainted with the most dangerous ticks for humans.

Encephalitic mites

Below are the ticks that are the most aggressive.

The encephalitis tick is one of the most common and well-known. It is important to note that Tick-borne Encephalitis is not a separate breed (species) of arthropod insects. Encephalitis can infect any variety of ticks, so it is impossible to identify the signs that determine the degree of danger. But it should be remembered that such an infection can lead to death of a person.

By appearance It is impossible to determine whether an insect is encephalitic or not, therefore, when going into the forest, you should take the necessary measures to protect yourself from contact with predators.

It is the ixodid ticks that most often act as carriers of dangerous encephalitis. They also have a second name - hard mites. They owe this name to a hard chitinous coating, which is a kind of protective shell. Ixodes include both dog and taiga ticks.

The habits of forest ticks

What do ticks eat in the forest? The blood of various animals and humans.

As a rule, ticks rarely rise above a meter from the ground, and when attacking a victim, they try to move higher to the softest areas of the skin. Female ticks are more voracious, they can suck blood for 6 days without stopping, while males need 3 days to saturate.

Relatively small, their size in a state of hunger in length does not exceed 4 mm. When sucking blood in large volumes, the size can increase up to 120 times.

The bite of the tick is not felt, because the insect injects a special saliva that blocks pain in a person. In this regard, the tick can quietly feed on blood for a long time.

An excellent sense of smell helps the tick to detect the victim. In order for a predator to climb onto a person, it is enough for the latter to stop in the forest even for a couple of minutes.

About diseases carried by ticks

Knowing what the tick eats, it should be remembered that it is a carrier of various diseases.

In fact, there are many, but 2 species mainly have a real dangerous epidemiological significance: Persulcatus (or taiga tick), which lives in the European and Asian parts of Russia; Ixodes Ricinus (or European forest tick) - in the European part.

Ticks can be carriers of the following diseases:

encephalitis;
tick-borne typhus;
Lyme disease (or borreliosis);
hemorrhagic fever;
spotted fever;
fever Marseilles;
babesiosis;
tularemia;
erlichiosis.

Many of these diseases are dangerous and not very treatable, and some show signs only 10-20 days after the bite.

Important information

After it became known what the forest tick eats and what it can lead to, you should know how to protect yourself from predatory insects, and what to do if the tick nevertheless sticks. Be sure to remember that the part that sticks into the skin (proboscis) is equipped with small "thorns". They are directed towards the back of the tick.

Therefore, if it is pulled along the axis, the "thorns" bristle and dig even harder into the skin, which can lead to the separation of its proboscis from the body of the tick, which can forever remain in the dermis.

To avoid this, the insect should be removed in a circular motion (unscrewed), and not just pulled out. In this case, the spikes on the proboscis will curl up to the axis of rotation, while the head will not come off.

If this could not be done correctly, the suction site (where the head remained) should be wiped with cotton wool moistened with alcohol, after which the head should be removed with a sterile needle as an ordinary splinter.