Ixodid ticks are dangerous blood-sucking parasites, common in almost all climatic zones. In the Arctic and Antarctic they attack birds and penguins. In Russia, arachnids ruin people's lives by attacking them in nature. Ticks are difficult to control due to their small size, incredible survival rate, and resistance to negative external factors. The process is aggravated by the fact that blood-sucking parasites often choose to bite areas of the body that are hidden from human eyes during a cursory examination.
Not every person is ready to use chemical methods of protection against ticks. But these parasites pose a serious danger to people, they carry pathogens of dangerous and even fatal diseases (the well-known encephalitis and borreliosis). Today, the risk of encountering blood-sucking individuals is present everywhere: at a summer cottage, in the forest, in city parks, even in the courtyard of a house. Below we will consider popular folk remedies for ticks, their features and effectiveness. They are based mainly on the use of natural ingredients and household chemicals that can be found in every home.
What are ticks afraid of?
Pest activity is observed in the first month of spring. The earth is only warming up to 10 degrees, they can be seen in summer cottages. Often in dachas you can find ixodid ticks, which act as carriers of encephalitis, Lyme disease and other diseases.
Important! A tick bite is sometimes not accompanied by pain, but the dangerous virus enters the bloodstream. Only studying the pest under clinical conditions will make it possible to confidently declare its danger to health.
First aid
Having prepared to go on a hike or just take a walk in nature and having figured out how to protect yourself from a tick attack, you also need to become familiar with the provision of prompt assistance if the parasite does bite you.
The bite itself is very difficult to notice, since the tick releases saliva, which numbs the wound. As soon as you find an insect, you need to try to get it out immediately.
- You should take nail tweezers or a special device. If there are no instruments, improvised means may be suitable. You need to take a thread, make a loop and put it around the proboscis.
- Having tightened the loop, you should carefully, rocking from side to side, pull out the tick, turning it around its axis.
Removing a tick using tweezers
If extraction is not carried out correctly, the head may come off and remain inside. Then you need to wipe the bite site with cotton wool soaked in alcohol and pull out the head with a needle pre-calcined in the fire, like a splinter. The wound should then be disinfected.
If you cannot remove the bloodsucker yourself, you need to go to the nearest trauma center.
Having pulled out the parasite, you need to place it in an airtight container, for example, a bottle of some medicine or put it inside a plastic bag, and tie the neck tightly.
Then you should fill out the label, indicating the full name and contact information of the victim, the date, time and place of discovery of the tick. After this, you should immediately contact an accredited laboratory to check the insect for infections.
Pharmacy products
Even if you follow all safety rules in the forest, there will still be a risk of getting bitten by a parasite. To be absolutely sure, it is necessary to treat clothing and exposed parts of the body with a tick repellent.
Acaricidal agents include the insectoacaricide alphamethrin. The aerosol preparation provokes paralysis in pests, and they simply fall from things. According to reviews, the most effective means are:
- Taiga-Anti-mite spray;
- Milbiol;
- Anti-Tick Picnic;
- Allergof;
- Tornado;
- Reftamide;
- Gardex Extreme.
The drugs are extremely active and harmful, so it is recommended to apply them to clothes, wait until the clothes dry, and only then put them on.
Repellents help prevent contact with pests. Having sensed diethyltoluamide, they crawl away. The drugs will protect against parasites for 5 days. They are not very toxic, so they can be applied to clothing and exposed parts of the body. The most common:
- Extreme;
- Gardex;
- DEFI-taiga;
- Gal-RET;
- Reftamide.
These products can be used to protect yourself not only from ticks, but also from mosquitoes and other harmful insects. They can last more than 7 days.
Insecticidal and repellent components retain the properties of 2 groups:
- Gardex Extreme;
- Medilis-comfort;
- Moskitol Special protection against ticks;
- Kra-Rep;
- Kaput tick.
First activity
There are several periods of bloodsucking activity. Regarding the first, this is the time interval when parasites wake up from wintering and are on the surface of the soil, which should warm up by about 6-7°C. Since there is no greenery yet, they hide on small bushes and the first sprouts of grass. The first attacks of the parasite indicate that the blood-sucking season has begun.
Quite often you can hear the opinion that these parasites are high in the trees and attack people. This opinion is wrong. It arose for the reason that quite often ticks stick to the neck and head area.
But they don’t get there from the trees at all. The attack occurs from grass and bushes, landing on a person’s clothing, and more often it is the legs, they crawl up in search of access to the body. In addition, they always look for places on the body where the skin is softest and most delicate.
In addition, bloodsuckers are quite slow and are not able to travel long distances to the treetops. Climatic conditions should also be taken into account, because trees receive more sunlight, which they cannot tolerate, and the winds are also unfavorable for them.
When the weather is dry and hot, they move into burrows to wait out the weather, which is quite dangerous for them. When it rains and the humidity rises, they return to the surface. To summarize, we can say that activity begins in April and ends in October.
Preparations for application to clothing
There are a large number of tick repellents. The traveler needs to choose directly liquid formulations - aerosols, sprays and concentrates, since they are sprayed onto clothing. In pest control, this is extremely important: ticks penetrate a person at approximately the level of the grass, then crawl upward along clothing - this is where they need to be caught. Creams and lotions will stain clothes; they can only be applied to the skin, but such protection will not be enough.
Bay leaf decoction
Bay leaves contain a large amount of essential oils that provoke an extremely negative reaction in ticks. You can use essential concentrated bay oil. It must be added in the amount of 2 drops to clothes. Ticks will not dare to attack.
Tar
Each folk method is based on a general principle: a pungent odor that is repugnant to ticks. Such “flavors” include tar. A few drops of birch tar are added inside the container for spraying plants with a spray bottle. Clothes are treated with this composition before each outing.
Geranium infusion
To prepare the tincture you will need:
- Take 3 tbsp. l. crushed plant leaves.
- Pour 0.5 tbsp. vodka (40% alcohol).
- Leave for a week at room temperature.
- Strain.
The product is sprayed on clothing to protect against pest bites. Used along with lavender and eucalyptus oils. It is a safe alternative to chemical treatments for ticks. It is allowed to be used in children when it is established that there is no allergic reaction to geranium.
Peak activity
Unfortunately, the danger of these bloodsucking creatures is not the bite, but the fact that they are carriers of infections. When the parasite attacks a person, it can transmit an infection that can have serious consequences, such as paralysis, deafness and even death.
It is very important to minimize the likelihood of an attack, and for this you need to know when the bloodsuckers are most dangerous, namely, during what period the peak of activity occurs
As we already know, tick activity begins in early spring and continues until autumn. This is a fairly long period and it is impossible to say exactly when the peak will occur. But most often the most dangerous and aggressive insects are from the end of April and this period continues until the beginning of July.
Already in the second half of July, activity decreases significantly. This decline is associated with the life cycle and climatic conditions. Since most often the weather is pleasant with hot and sunny days, which are not favorable for parasites, they prefer to rest and hide in the shade. But this does not mean at all that they completely disappear and a person should not be afraid of them. Attacks are possible and occur quite often, but in much smaller numbers. They are also dangerous in the autumn, especially when the weather is warm and there is no frost.
So, from the second half of April until mid-July, vacationers in nature should be as careful and attentive as possible, since this is the period of peak activity. Then their numbers decrease significantly and they become less aggressive. But the danger they pose should always be remembered, despite periods of maximum activity.
How to dress for ticks in the forest?
Even when it is extremely hot outside, when going to a forest area, it is optimal to wear closed clothing. Such a measure will provide an opportunity to escape not only from ticks, but also from other harmful insects. In summer trousers and a shirt you will not feel the heat, but will provide protection from ticks.
Socks with a tight elastic band are chosen, pants are tucked into boots, and outerwear is tucked into trousers. The cuffs and collar fit snugly to the body. A hood or scarf is put on the head, and the hair is tucked under the headdress.
For those who like to be in the forest, or their professional activities involve prolonged exposure to nature, there are special encephalitis suits. Their characteristic feature will be the strength of the material, which the tick will not be able to bite through. Some varieties of such suits are additionally treated with agents that repel pests. This will help protect against bites.
Habitats of dangerous neighbors
Ticks belong to the oldest group of arthropods on Earth.
The world's fauna numbers more than forty thousand species. Some feed mainly on plant debris, while others have adapted to drink blood. Parasites carry pathogens of a wide variety of diseases. Ticks are quite moisture-loving, so their main habitats are well-moistened areas. Such places can be shaded deciduous or mixed forests, dense thickets of grass, forest ravines, and willow thickets. The person himself also provokes the accumulation of bloodsuckers. By leaving uncleaned branches and leaves, people thereby create a favorable microclimate for dangerous insects to live in.
Encephalitis tick in nature
There is a myth in everyday life that ticks fall from tree branches. However, this is not true. Insects wait for their victims on overgrown grass along paths along which people walk, on stumps and low-growing plants.
Pine forests are mostly dry and grass does not grow, so there are practically no ticks there. They are also not found on mowed lawns. In order not to breed parasites, it is necessary to destroy fallen leaves and plant debris.
Recently, the number of victims among city residents has increased. This suggests that ticks do not necessarily need the forest to survive. They can be found in parks, squares, and playgrounds. They need vegetation cover in the form of tall grass, which keeps moisture close to the ground.
Ticks begin to show their activity at temperatures above 5 degrees Celsius. The most dangerous period occurs on sunny days in May, June and August and September. When the temperature drops to 5 degrees below zero, the parasites overwinter in a daze in piles of leaves. Accordingly, at this time the person is not in danger of being bitten.
Folk remedies for animals
Pets are no less susceptible to tick attacks. In thick fur it is difficult to find a pest that can jump onto a person. In fact, every method that is used for preventive purposes in relation to humans is also suitable for animals. It is not recommended to use vinegar-based products on pets, as they will lick their own fur.
Important! Folk remedies for pests will quickly disappear, so during a long walk it is recommended to apply protective tinctures and sprays after 3 hours.
Vanilla-based tincture
It is necessary to combine 100 g of alcohol or high-quality vodka with 2 g of vanillin. The product is infused for 7 days in a closed container. Before going outside, the product is rubbed into the pet’s abdomen, paws and withers.
For preventive purposes against pest bites, vanilla is sometimes used in its natural form - the animal should be sprinkled with powder on all sides, rubbed into the fur. The protection will remain until swimming.
Scented collar
In addition, it is possible to protect the animal with the help of a scented collar. Products used directly for walking outside must be smeared with tea tree oil. It is not recommended to wear such a collar all the time.
Garlic cologne
This method is useful for pets who roam around the countryside. You will need the following components:
- peeled large clove of garlic (or 3 small ones);
- water – 2 l.
The product is being prepared:
- The head of garlic is grated (to chop, you can use a garlic clove).
- A similar mass is added to water and infused in a dark and dry place for at least 8 hours.
- Next, the solution is filtered and 2 liters of water are added.
You can lubricate the pet’s collar or fur with the product in question (only in inaccessible areas where he cannot reach on his own, for example, on the back or at the withers) and spray the dacha area.
Onions can be considered an alternative to garlic; the effect will be similar.
Pyrethrum spray
Pyrethrum is a pest control powder that is popular due to its natural ingredients. It is not toxic to animals. It is noted to be highly effective against mites. No chemicals are used in the preparation process; the composition is entirely made from ingredients of natural origin.
To prepare the mixture, you will need 6 tbsp. l. Dilute the product in 1 liter of water. The insecticide can also be used as a powder. For example, when ticks enter a tent through the entrance, it is possible to sprinkle powder near it.
Pyrethrum is a contact insecticide. After the active ingredient penetrates the tick’s shell, it enters the body, causing deviations:
- the functioning of all internal organs will be disrupted (the action is determined by impaired transmission of impulses);
- paralysis will occur, the remedy will deprive the pests of the ability to move.
In view of this, the number of adult insects will significantly decrease, and the surviving individuals will lose their reproductive function.
Wormwood infusion
To prepare the product in question, you will need:
- Pour 50 g of wormwood leaves into 0.4 liters of water, boil and then cool.
- Filter. Pour into a spray bottle.
- Spray the animal if necessary.
Natural remedies that are aimed at preventing tick bites in pets have a number of requirements. When creating them, it is prohibited to use alcohol, cologne and vinegar.
The use of modern protective equipment will make it possible to prevent tick attacks. According to their own action, they include substances that are poisonous to pests or repel them (sometimes both actions are used at once). Now there is a large selection of chemical preparations for ticks, which have different uses and different costs.
Preventive actions
It is advisable to walk your dog in areas without tall grass and bushes. After a walk, you need to carefully examine the animal. Ticks can be found on skin or fur. Particular care should be taken to check the area behind the ears, eyebrows, neck, sides, paws, armpits, stomach and groin. You can comb your pet's fur with a thick comb.
If a tick is found on the skin, it must be carefully removed with tweezers using rotational movements. Under no circumstances should you try to sharply pull out a tick. The parasite must be removed carefully so that the head does not come off. Treat the bite site with iodine or alcohol.
Using folk remedies for ticks for dogs cannot guarantee 100% protection for your pet. Therefore, careful examination and observation of the animal is necessary. The owner should be alert to any changes in the behavior of his four-legged friend. For example, the dog has become restless, itches, and refuses to eat. This may indicate the presence of a tick. Early detection of a blood-sucking parasite and timely measures taken will protect your pet from contracting dangerous infections.
How to treat the territory (summer cottage, forest clearing)?
To repel ticks, it is recommended to treat the area. The dacha plot is treated regularly in spring and autumn. Treatment is carried out on dry days; the treated area is not visited for 3–5 days. The table below shows a list of drugs that help protect a clearing, summer cottage or garden plot from blood-sucking insects:
| Name | Active substance | Description |
| Ram | Zeta-cypermethrin | Designed to kill ticks and other insects (mosquitoes, flies, fleas, ants, cockroaches and bedbugs). It is odorless, leaves no traces, and does not accumulate in plants and soil. |
| Cifox | Cypermethrin | With its help, they get rid of ticks over large areas. |
| Acaritox | Alpha-cypermethrin | White powdery product, pre-diluted in water. The resulting emulsion is used to treat the area. The drug is intended to kill cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas, ants, flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. |
| Force site | Fention | The product helps get rid of cockroaches, ants, bedbugs, fleas, flies, mosquitoes and ticks. |
| Medilis-CIPER | Cypermethrin | The preparation diluted in water is used to treat open areas and premises. |
A forest clearing for a picnic is not treated before settling down on it. The resting place is covered with branches of wormwood, flowering bird cherry, tansy - the smell of these plants will repel dangerous insects and help vacationers protect themselves from them.
Save a dog from piroplasmosis: prevention and treatment
If there is no treatment or if treatment is delayed, the dog becomes weaker every day, the hind limbs weaken, and paralysis may develop. Intestinal dysfunction occurs. The chronic course is more common in dogs that have previously had piroplasmosis.
Sources
- https://pohod-lifehack.ru/kak-zashhititsya-ot-kleshhej-v-lesu-ili-v-pohode-01/
- https://GdeKlop.ru/kleshchi/chego-boyatsya/
- https://felisov.ru/kleshchi/kak-zashchititsya.html
- https://VrediteliSOS.ru/nasekomye/kleshhi/kak-zashchititsya-ot-kleshchej.html
- https://beetlestop.ru/meryi-zashhityi-ot-kleshhey/
- https://www.ohotniki.ru/hunting/societys/societys/article/2015/06/08/643900-kak-zaschititsya-ot-kleschey.html
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