How ticks reproduce - stages of development and features

Ticks belong to the order of arthropods and with the arrival of warmer weather they begin to cause great trouble for people living in private houses and those who like to relax in nature. Temperature, air humidity and the amount of food play a big role in the reproduction of ticks. If the female cannot find prey and satisfy her hunger, she will not lay eggs.

The vitality of ticks is amazing; they are able to survive the harshest winter and wait for their prey for several months without food.

The greatest activity of ticks occurs in mid-spring and early summer; during this period, the tick fertilizes several females, after which it dies, and the female tick begins to wait for its victim.

Features of reproduction

Before considering the usual process of reproduction of ixodid ticks, it is necessary to understand viviparity. This method of reproduction refers to only two types, it consists of the following. A fertilized female bears offspring within herself; when the eggs mature, she dies. Since this happens in the fall, the offspring overwinters in the mother's body. With the arrival of spring, when it gets warmer, the egg development stage ends and larvae appear.

They appear in the mother's body and begin to gnaw their way out, thereby satisfying hunger and obtaining the necessary nutrients for development. With this method of reproduction, the offspring receives much less nutrients, especially where the eggs are laid.

Now let's look at the usual method of reproduction for ticks. In fact, the fertilization process itself is not a complicated procedure; no preparation or special conditions are needed. The male individual looks for a female, attaches itself to her body with the help of suction cups on its paws, and fertilization occurs. Speaking of males, most often they die after mating, but if after the first mating there is another female nearby, then he can fertilize her too, and only then die. But between these processes he definitely needs to get enough blood.

These parasites also have an interesting feature. The fact is that the female is capable of laying eggs without the participation of a male. In other words, in order to lay offspring, she does not have to mate at all; egg laying will happen in any case. The only difference is that during mating, the offspring will be both male and female, and without it, only female.

Viviparous

This concept is conditional for Akari. There are only two types that have progressed to true viviparity. The rest give their bodies to feed their offspring.

After fertilization, such a viviparous female waits for the eggs to mature and dies. The death of the female occurs in the fall, and the eggs overwinter in the body of the tick. With the onset of warm weather, the eggs hatch into larvae, which “eat up” the mother for a while, while simultaneously gnawing their way to freedom. The posthumous life of viviparous females lasts only one summer.

Interesting!

Since ticks of these species emerge with food reserves available, the eggs of postmortem viviparous females contain less nutrients than those of oviparous females.

Other types of ticks preferred to do without extreme sports and lay eggs.

Life stages

Thousands of species of ticks live in nature, the life cycle of which goes through the following stages:

• a larva emerging from an egg;
• nymphs, development includes 4−8 molts;
• imago, or sexually mature tick.

Each reincarnation occurs after the parasite is fed with blood.

The duration of the stages varies from several days to months. While waiting for prey, diapauses or hibernation breaks occur, in which activity is reduced to a minimum.

The state of a kind of suspended animation allows you to survive any unfavorable period. The ability to slow down metabolic processes greatly increases the period of existence of the parasite.

The tick type, habitat, environmental features are the main factors influencing the life span and each of its stages

Specifics of reproduction

Let us briefly consider the process of parasite reproduction itself, which can only be undertaken by sexually mature individuals. Most often, ticks - female and male - are found in nature; much less often, reproduction occurs on the host's body.

The mechanism of fertilization itself is unusual:

• there is no intercourse;
• The male leaves the seed material on the substrate;
• the female captures the sperm sac using special organs located near the genital opening.

Almost immediately after fertilization, the female begins to search for a host whose blood will be used for the development of eggs. That is why fertilized female ticks have an enviable appetite, because the appearance of offspring depends on how many nutrients they receive from the host’s blood. The individual feeds for approximately 10 days, after which egg laying begins, which lasts 30 days. Eggs mature unevenly, so the process occurs gradually.

Males have a smaller appetite; in some species of ticks they do not even feed at all - they die after fertilization.

Differences between females and males

These parasites have a chitinous shell on their body, this is a shell that protects their body from damage. Males have such a shell covering the entire back, the body is brown. And in females the shell is much smaller and is only 1/3 of the body, they have a gray or reddish color.

Remembering such blood-sucking mosquitoes, quite often disputes arise as to who bites and who is more dangerous. Indeed, in the case of mosquitoes, only females attack. In this case, both males and females inflict bites, but it is the males who pose the greatest danger.

The fact is that when a female attacks a prey, she attaches herself for a long time until she is completely satiated. This period can last several days, which allows you to detect it on your body and take the necessary measures. In the case of males, everything is much more complicated. They deliver painless bites and get full very quickly. Having noticed a crawling parasite, few people will think that it has already bitten, much less infected with a dangerous disease. And if you consider that when infected with encephalitis, the disease progresses for a long time without any symptoms, then the person does not even suspect that he is infected with a serious disease.

Tyrophagus

This species is no less dangerous and can cause significant damage. They live in the ground, but if the humidity is too high, they move to more comfortable conditions, namely the leaf part. Most often they take in young shoots. Signs by which infection can be determined include the bulb drying out, spots appearing on it, punctures appear on the leaves, and a brown coating forms on the bottom of the leaves.

They are combated by regulating the level of humidity using specialized means. In order to get rid of pests on the plant itself, it is treated with Fitoverm. To destroy it in the soil, it is sprinkled with a special powder, for example, use Nissoran

It is very important to comply with the storage standards for planting material. Before sending it for storage, it must be warmed up and stored only in a dry place

If any damage is found, the material is removed.

What to do if bitten?

If alarming symptoms appear, you don’t have to wait, like a tick on a blade of grass, whether it will go away or not. You should immediately consult a doctor. With encephalitis (translated from Latin as “inflammation of the brain”), fever, headache, weakness, and nausea first appear. In some cases, the patient has impaired consciousness and paralysis. He might die. But doctors have cures for all forms of encephalitis.

The first symptoms of borreliosis are red rings around the bite. They can be gigantic - for example, on the entire back. A cough, runny nose, headache, and weakness, like a cold, also appear. But then the work of the heart is disrupted, bones and joints deteriorate, and red growths appear on the skin. The sick person may become disabled or die. The disease gets its name from Borrelia, a long, spiral-shaped bacteria that enters the bloodstream and begins to multiply there.

Another name is Lyme disease, because it was first studied in 1975 in the town of Lyme in the USA.

In the south of Russia, other ticks are also found, for example from the genus Hyalomma - they carry Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (the patient’s temperature rises, a rash, spots and bruises appear on the skin, gums and injection sites bleed, the stomach may hurt, and jaundice is possible).

Ticks from the genus Dermacentor (found in southern Russia and Western Siberia) carry tick-borne encephalitis , Omsk hemorrhagic fever, tularemia, and tick-borne North Asian typhus (all of these are also dangerous diseases).

In any case, I repeat once again, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible.

How to remove a tick?

If a parasite appears on your pet, it must be removed. How to do it?

1. Place the dog or cat in a lying position under a bright lamp - good lighting is necessary to remove the parasite.
2. If the animal has long hair, the tuft will have to be cut or smoothed, lubricated with vegetable oil. It is very important that the oil does not get on the tick, otherwise it will not be able to breathe and will release viruses and toxins contained in the saliva into the animal’s blood, which will inevitably lead to infection.
3. Then you need to take tweezers or a special device (you can buy it at a pharmacy), grab the body of the parasite with the tool as close to the head as possible and make rotational movements counterclockwise, trying to pull the tick out carefully. You cannot pull up: there is a high risk of leaving the head or limb of the parasite in the wound.
4. Treat the wound with an antiseptic (alcohol can be used).

Advice

After removing the parasite, it is necessary to examine it in the laboratory, this will help determine whether it was a carrier of the infection.

If a tick has embedded itself in a person's skin, it should be removed using tweezers. It is very important to completely remove the parasite, including the head and all legs. Therefore, if some limb is not visible, you need to carefully pick it up with the corner of the tweezers and pull it to the surface.

It is important to place the tool not at an angle, but parallel to the surface, to capture the parasite not in an arbitrary place, but as close to the head as possible.

What to do if the tick's head comes off?

1. Take a needle and heat it over a flame.
2. Wipe the skin area with alcohol.
3. Using a needle, carefully remove part of the body.
4. Wipe the area with alcohol again.

In case of difficulty, you should consult a doctor. You should not pull the parasite without prior preparation, otherwise the head or paws may come off.

Favorable conditions for reproduction

• For unhindered reproduction, parasites need favorable conditions. Moisture is very important, so the more precipitation, the more comfortable it is for them. Of course, food, so they settle closer to potential victims so that they can regularly get enough. And lastly, temperature, they cannot tolerate cold or heat, warm weather is optimal. On hot days, they hide in the thickets, where it is cool and humid.
• These conditions influence the fact that in some years their numbers drop significantly, when there is little rainfall and the weather is mostly hot and sunny. But there are years when populations increase significantly, and weather conditions contribute to this.
• It is also worth saying that natural conditions are the usual environment for these parasites. But unfortunately, they move from their usual environment to farms and pastures, and man himself is to blame for this. Because deforestation leads to mass migrations of insects. This situation is quite dangerous, especially for people and animals. After all, along with ticks come dangerous diseases, which means that there is a risk of epidemics.

Mass reproduction and spread of ticks

Despite the fact that dog and taiga ticks are quite common in our territory, they can not be found everywhere. They live in deciduous and coniferous forests with lush herbaceous and shrub vegetation. Moreover, the hotter the region, the more humid areas ticks prefer, and vice versa.

Typical habitats for ticks are damp forest edges well illuminated by the sun, paths and lawns in parks, and vegetation near water bodies. If a tick finds conditions favorable for its residence, it begins to actively reproduce.

Active population outbreaks have been described for ticks, when a large number of adult individuals and their larvae are concentrated in a small, favorable area. There is no need to explain that when a person enters such biotopes, contact with ticks is almost inevitable.

Foci of mass reproduction of ticks in the north of Russia also appear on the borders of different natural stations (rough terrain); during deforestation, parasites move to pastures, where they actively feed on farm animals. In nature, the reproduction of ticks is restrained by the low density of victims, but on pastures there are more than enough hosts.

The phenomenon of mass reproduction is also dangerous because when the population reaches a certain density, a massive spread of parasites occurs to neighboring territories, where population outbreaks also occur over time. If such a population includes ticks that are carriers of a disease, for example encephalitis, then the disease migrates along with its “hosts” further and further. This can lead to high morbidity among people and even an epidemic.

It is possible to identify places with a significant probability of such an outbreak, but it is extremely difficult to predict it, because the reproduction of ticks is influenced by many factors (see below), including weather conditions, which vary greatly from year to year.

How many years do ticks live in unfavorable conditions?

To replenish energy reserves, the ability to develop, reproduce, lay eggs, and simply live, we need the blood of animals and birds. A person becomes a temporary host, promotes further development, but significantly reduces potential. Therefore, humans are a potential victim for ixodid ticks, but not the main one.

On a note!

A tick can live for years without food. When unfavorable conditions occur, it stops moving, metabolic processes slow down, and falls into suspended animation. It can remain in this state for about 8 years. At the sight of a victim, it instantly comes to life, crawls onto the body, feeds, and continues its normal life activities.

Without blood, the pest can live longer than without water. Environmental humidity plays an important role in the development of larvae, nymphs, and the vital activity of adults.

• Parasites wake up very early, when the air temperature barely rises above 0 degrees Celsius.
• They activate activity at +10 degrees Celsius.
• A favorable temperature for them is no higher than 22 degrees Celsius. Therefore, dry summers and heat within 30 degrees Celsius kill them.

Animals

Let's consider the features of tick reproduction on animals. The victims of parasites are numerous. Among domestic and farm animals these are:

• horses;
• sheep;
• rabbits;
• dogs;
• cats.

Among wild animals, the hosts of ticks can be:

• wild boars;
• badgers;
• wild artiodactyls;
• mice and other rodents (voles, dormouse);
• hedgehogs;
• snakes;
• lizards;
• settled birds often become carriers of nymphs.

In this case, the reproduction of ticks on animals goes through 3 stages.

1. The larvae parasitize small animals: hedgehogs, mice, squirrels, reptiles.
2. Nymphs prefer larger animals: dogs, cats, birds.
3. Finally, adult individuals - adults - parasitize cattle and humans.

Both nymphs and adult ticks can be found on domestic animals - cats, dogs.

Advice

If there was a tick on your pet, you need to check whether it has had time to lay eggs. You should carefully examine the ears, eyes and scruff of the neck.

Forest ticks will not reproduce in an apartment; humans and domestic animals are used by them only as a source of food; egg laying and molting occur in nature.

Life cycle

• Everyone knows that with the arrival of spring and the first warmth, trips to nature can bring quite big problems, since ticks that have awakened after winter await us. This is true; during this period they are most active and therefore dangerous. Because the main goal is to satisfy hunger, and they are only busy looking for victims.
• After saturation and, of course, fertilization, females begin to lay eggs. Regarding the number of eggs that a female can lay during her entire life cycle, it can be from 100 to 17 thousand. Living in natural conditions, for laying they choose moist areas with loose soil. But it is quite possible that the apartment will become infected, in which case eggs can be found throughout the entire room.

• The entire life cycle includes four stages of development, the first is the egg, the second is the larva, the third is the nymph, and the fourth is the adult. Eggs can be of different shapes and have different shells, but they are always quite large in relation to the adult individual. Then larvae emerge from them; the period of development will always depend on temperature and humidity; the more favorable the conditions, the faster the development occurs. At this stage, they already have 6 legs, and the size of the body reaches 0.5 mm.
• Already at this stage it poses a danger to humans. In order for her to move to the next stage, she must be saturated with blood. Here the question arises, if this is the first bite of an individual, what danger does it pose to humans, and the answer is clear, great. The whole point is that encephalitis can be passed on to her from her mother, so to speak, by inheritance, which she successfully spreads through a bite.
• When she is satiated, the transition to a nymph takes place, here development occurs in three stages, the first is the protonymph, the second is the deutonymph, and the third is the tritonymph. Already at this stage, the parasite is quite dangerous, because it fed on blood, where infection could occur. The main differences from the imago are in size; the nymph does not exceed 1-1.5 mm, and it also has fewer bristles.
• There are types of parasites that skip the second stage of the nymph, and there are those that go through the first two. Regarding ixodids, the main condition that will allow the transition to adulthood is nutrition. In the absence of food, she will not die, but will simply go to winter and survive it just fine, hungry.
• Having received blood before or after wintering, the transformation into an adult begins. In this case, all changes relate to the structure of the body, new bristles appear, a shell, trachea, etc. are formed, this is an adult individual.

How does reproduction occur?

In fact, ticks have a rather unenviable fate. Only a few reach sexual maturity; after hatching, the individual dies. And most of the larvae are doomed to death. One could even sympathize with them if it were not for the fact that their food is people and other warm-blooded animals. And it would be fine if they just stuck and fell off, but no. Ticks are carriers of viruses that cause deadly diseases. So, despite their bitter fate, these arthropods can cause a lot of harm in their short lives.

The life cycle of a tick ends with reproduction. You could say this is what they live for. The main period is spring. The whole summer is ahead and the offspring will live in warmth and plenty of food.

The male dies after fertilization. It only acts as a transmission of the genetic set. The female lives a little longer. She dies after laying her eggs. But before that moment she must drink blood. And you need a lot of blood, 3-5 times more than the size of the female itself. After that, she looks for a secluded place and processes the blood inside herself and lays eggs. This completes her mission.

Mating in tick individuals occurs every year. If during the warm period the male does not find his wife, then for the winter he simply goes into hibernation to continue his search in the next season. Fertilization of the female is not necessary. Ticks are designed in a very interesting way. If the female does not find a male, then she lays eggs where only females are found. But if fertilization has occurred, then in the future the offspring will be of both sexes.

Ticks are not able to move long distances. The only journey in their life is possible only if they manage to catch hold of a food representative. Therefore, the search for a soul mate is limited to a small radius. If there is no one nearby, then the tick is doomed to a lonely existence. On the other hand, in this case he will live much longer.

Females are much larger. This is understandable. Her body contains both a pouch for food and a compartment for bearing eggs. The reproduction process takes a long time. The tick has special suction cups on its legs, with the help of which it takes a stable position on the female’s abdomen. Then he inserts his proboscis into the partner’s genitals and widens the passage, and only then begins intercourse. After the act, the male crawls away and dies. But if he drank blood before mating, then he manages to fertilize the second female, if there is one nearby.

Thus, the life cycle of a tick is subject to two needs: to lay eggs and to eat. But the percentage of inseminated ones is actually not that high. Of all individuals, only 60% reach the goal. After insemination, all the female needs is to get enough blood and lay eggs.

Masonry

Ticks are very adaptable and, in different climatic conditions, prefer different levels of humidity and temperature. When climatic conditions become ideal for ticks, the number of inseminated individuals increases sharply. How do ticks find each other? Females are able to secrete special pheromones, which indicate that she is free to mate. The male can smell them from a great distance in any weather. The strongest discharge occurs when the female is saturated.

During mating, ticks are still dangerous. The male tightly adheres to the female and is limited in his movements, but the female is able to move easily. Often mating occurs directly on the victim itself.

The process of laying eggs varies in time. It all depends on the specific conditions in which the female is located. This can take two weeks or three months. The number of eggs in a clutch can reach 20 thousand. This is a record number among other arthropod creatures. Eggs are laid to a depth of about 3 cm in the litter. After laying, the female begins to experience a malfunction in the digestive system and dysfunction of internal organs. A few days later she dies.

Tick ​​embryo development

After the death of the female, the eggs no longer need anyone's help. Gradually, a future individual begins to develop and form in each egg. Ticks themselves are not born with the virus. They pick it up from a bitten victim, although they themselves are only carriers. Or the female transmits the virus along with her blood to her offspring. Thus, even tick larvae pose a threat. Therefore, you can catch diseases not only through a bite, but when larvae enter the body. A common way the virus enters the human body is through goat's milk. The goat feeds on the leaves of bushes, on which ticks like to settle. Together with the leaf, the larva enters the body and infection occurs. In this case, the milk is also contaminated. Therefore, it is important to boil it - this kills the virus.

The same goes for cows and sheep. But the spread of the virus throughout the body in other livestock representatives is very fast. But goats can tolerate it for a long time. That is why they are considered the most dangerous. The tick embryo develops at different times. This depends on many factors, such as: average daily temperature, humidity, length of daylight. The development of the embryo may take several months. If egg laying occurs close to winter, then embryo development does not occur. The eggs survive the winter calmly, and the embryo begins to grow only in more favorable conditions. After warm weather sets in, the embryo develops into a larva.

Larval development

For the first few days, tick larvae are not active. They are all also on the litter. The individual continues to grow further, at this stage the final formation of a protective shell occurs. It is noteworthy that an adult tick has 4 pairs of legs, while young individuals have only 3 pairs. At this stage of development, ticks do not pose a danger. They do not yet need an owner as such. Even if the larva lands on potential food, it will not stick.

But after the development process has reached its climax, the main goal of the tick is to search for food. The easiest way for ticks to reach is various rodents or birds building nests. Ticks climb into their homes and wait for their owners to appear. The larvae need a little blood, after they have had enough, a new stage in the life of ticks begins - molting. Molting can last from two weeks to several months. During this period, the 4th pair of legs grows and the protective cover falls off, and a chitinous cuticle is formed. As a result, the larva moves to a new stage - a nymph.

Nymph development

A nymph is almost an adult, with one exception - they do not have genitals. Therefore, at this stage, parasites cannot reproduce. The reproductive system is just beginning to form; body weight is also gaining and new cuticle and limbs are developing. The nymph stage does not last long - only a day. During this period, the tick also needs food. After the nymph has sucked blood, a new molt begins. If molting occurs during the cold period, then the parasite simply goes into hibernation and begins the transition in the spring. As a result, the nymph finally develops and turns into an imago - a full-fledged adult.

Not all types of ticks go through all three stages: embryo, larva, nymph. This is typical for ixodid and argasid ticks. All other species go through only two stages: embryo - nymph or embryo - larva.

How to remove a tick?

Often, when a person sees a tick on himself, he instantly tears off its head: the person pulls the bloodsucker’s body, and the head remains under his skin. Neither the first nor the second are interested in such a development of events.

The easiest way is to take a cotton swab and apply oil to the skin around the bloodsucker. The oil will get into the tick's respiratory passages (and they are located not on the head, but behind the fourth pair of legs) - it will begin to choke and crawl out on its own. If there is no oil, you can use vodka, gasoline and even nail polish. The wound must be treated with iodine.

There is also a special tool for pulling out pliers - it looks like a small nail puller. Please note: no need to pull! You should carefully unscrew the tick from the skin.

You can also pull out a tick with a thread. A strong thread is tied into a knot as close as possible to the tick’s proboscis, then twisted in one direction, pulling it up a little until the tick unscrews.

Take care of those who are of the same blood with you - this is the law of the jungle.

Tick ​​structure

The dimensions of the parasite do not exceed 4 mm in length in normal condition. The tick's body is teardrop-shaped with four pairs of legs. The tips of the paws have tenacious claws that allow them to move along vertical surfaces.

The upper part of the body is covered with a durable chitinous shell that protects against many dangers. The torso has high elasticity and can increase significantly during nutrition.

The oral apparatus consists of strong jaws and a double proboscis; after penetrating the skin, the jaws reliably fix the parasite. Two holes in the proboscis allow the tick to simultaneously suck blood and secrete a special substance that reduces skin sensitivity. This ability allows ticks to quietly attach themselves to human skin.

The respiratory system of parasites is interesting, since they spend a long time with their heads submerged in the body of the victim; they have to breathe through special openings (spiracles) located in the lower part of the body.

In the process of saturation with blood, the parasites increase significantly; females are the most voracious and can suck blood 120 times more than their own weight, while the body greatly increases, reaching 1-1.5 cm. The male needs less blood, so they fall off the victim after a couple of days.

It is important to know

There are times when these parasites are most dangerous. For example, in April and May, forest and dog ticks are the most bloodthirsty; despite the name, they perfectly attack people, and this is where the danger of an encephalitis tick bite arises. Where you need to go with extreme caution is in parks, forests, and squares.

Much depends on weather conditions, as mentioned earlier, if the weather is unfavorable for them, then they are less active. But you always need to be as careful as possible, choose the right clothes when traveling outdoors and do not forget about specialized anti-tick products.

Places where ticks are found

Let's consider where exactly the taiga and dog ticks reproduce. Despite their widespread distribution, these parasites do not live everywhere. You can meet them:

• in coniferous forests;
• in deciduous parks, squares, forests;
• on the illuminated edges of forests;
• on lawns and paths;
• on trees and shrubs growing near water bodies.

A prerequisite is the presence of vegetation, both herbs and shrubs. Moreover, in hot regions, ticks prefer to live and breed in forests with high humidity. These are the conditions that are favorable for the proliferation of parasites.

Advice

After taking a walk in a park or alley in the spring, you need to carefully check all the places where parasites prefer to dig in: the head, groin, armpits and popliteal cavities. If a tick is found, it must be removed, and then be sure to contact a laboratory where the parasite will be tested for infection.

Arsenal of protection against ticks

The person himself does everything possible to be bitten. In spring and summer, he goes into the forest in shorts and a T-shirt, exposing his body to bloodsuckers. Moreover, people contribute to the growth of tick numbers: city parks are more comfortable for parasites to live than forest thickets.

It is quite simple for a person to protect himself from ticks: he needs clothing that covers the entire body. Anti-mite style consists of trousers tucked into socks, a jacket tucked into trousers, cuffs and a hood that fit tightly to the wrists. Having met a person in such armor, everyone who crawls towards him will give up hope.

And so that the tick generally looks for its hosts in another place, a person calls for help with repellents (from the Latin repellens - “repulsive”). They should be sprayed on the remaining exposed parts of the body. Such products contain diethyltoluamide - for ticks this substance is as terrible as its name is for a philologist (it is not recommended to treat small children with repellents, after all, they contain toxins).

A person without a twinge of conscience uses a more powerful weapon - acaricidal agents. If a tick crawls onto clothing sprayed with such a substance, its legs will be taken away and it will fall to the ground (there is no need to spray it on the skin: such products are even more toxic than repellents).

Plants also come to the aid of humans. The usual country fence does not protect against ticks, but a hedge of marigolds, lavender, and catnip creates a natural barrier: ticks do not like these plants. People treat their lawns and ornamental shrubs with chemical repellents (three days before the arrival of children; you cannot spray areas planned for garden beds).

In addition, a person has the opportunity to get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis (a month to a month and a half before ticks start hunting (the first bites occur in April).

As you can see, humans have enough opportunities to protect themselves from tick attacks and their consequences.

How a tick attacks a person

The meaning of life for ticks, like, perhaps, all living organisms, is the reproduction of their own kind. And for this to happen, female ticks need to feed heavily. The amount of blood consumed at the last stage of the life cycle directly determines the volume of future offspring - the number of eggs that will be laid. Therefore, the goal of an adult is to find a suitable victim and use it most effectively to replenish its own vitality.

How a tick lies in wait for its victim

When hungry, ticks are very aggressive. All their receptors are extremely excited and they sense potential prey at a distance of more than 10 meters. Sometimes they take active actions, trying to “chase” prey and moving in its direction. But moving extremely slowly and expending a lot of energy, the ticks quickly become dehydrated, which is why they have to change plans: stop chasing and go deep into the soil or forest floor to replenish their moisture reserves. Most often, ticks lie in wait for their prey passively. Their favorite habitat is tall and thick grass along paths and paths in forests, parks and squares, where people or animals often pass. Having limited physiological capabilities, in particular, small body sizes, higher than half a meter, ticks almost never rise. But getting caught on a passing person while on the ground is very problematic. Therefore, the mites crawl up the stem and, having found a suitable place, take up a waiting position.

It must be said that ticks are a very hardy species. They can remain in the waiting position for many hours without feeling any fatigue. Feeling only an irresistible desire to get lunch. All this time, the tick continuously evaluates changing environmental factors: temperature, humidity, chemical composition of the air. And at the first sign of imminent success, it turns towards the approaching victim, preparing for contact. If something goes wrong and the expected contact does not occur, but signals about the proximity of food continue to arrive, the tick leaves the waiting area, returns to the ground and begins to move towards the potential victim. This happens at the level of instincts - hunger and the proximity of food force one to take active action, even if it is completely futile and nothing foreshadows a positive outcome.

Attack process

Features of the tick's body structure that help it stay on the surface.

On the limbs of the arachnid there are sharp claws, which, like hooks, securely fasten it to the body of the victim.

The mite's body is covered with small bristles. They significantly increase friction with the contacting surface and increase the level of adhesion.

How long can ticks live on the host's body?

How long ticks live on the body of an animal or person depends on how quickly they suck blood. The life phase has several stages:

• first the parasite attacks a victim from grass, bush or tree;
• then selects the place where the skin is thinnest;
• attaches, injects a substance that numbs the bite site and begins to feed on blood;
• detaches for reproduction.

The ixodid species needs nutrition once during the active phase of its life cycle, so they live on the body for up to two weeks. Females drink blood longer than males. People usually discover ticks before the parasite has a chance to lay offspring. But don't worry, larvae cannot develop on human skin due to its thickness.

The Argasid type of tick often bites people at night; it does not stay on the body for more than two hours. The larvae can remain for about five days and then begin to molt.

There are scabies mites that live on the human body and provoke the development of scabies. They are contagious and can be transmitted through personal items, as well as from animals. This mite (itch) does not live long on humans, and the number of parasites depends on the immunity of people. Scabies mites cannot live outside the host’s body, on clothing or in the external environment; they die quickly enough.

The encephalitis tick can be of any type; it is called so because it carries the causative agent of encephalitis - a very dangerous disease. A tick bite is the most common way of contracting the disease. A complication of encephalitis is death after meningitis as a complication. If an infected tick has already bitten someone, then it will no longer live; the main thing is to remove it correctly so that the proboscis and head are not left in the wound.

The ear mite, which mainly affects animals, is rarely found on the human body and lives no more than two months. It gets into people's homes on clothes, shoes, vegetables and fruits.

Why are ticks dangerous for humans?

The tick bites quite harmlessly, and its bite is not much larger than that of a mosquito, but the victim does not feel pain, since it secretes a special enzyme that anesthetizes, and the victim can detect the parasite only visually or by feeling it.

The main reason why the tick has become so dangerous for humans and other animals lies in its feeding method and ability to carry dangerous diseases. It is diseases carried by ticks that pose a threat.

These parasites carry diseases such as borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis, relapsing tick-borne fever, and tularemia. Many of these diseases affect the human central nervous system and if treatment is not started at an early stage, the disease can be fatal.

First, the virus penetrates the skin and an incubation period begins, after which the virus enters the circulatory system and spreads throughout the body, affecting the nervous system, heart and other vital organs.

Where do forest ticks come from?

Ticks have always inhabited forests, meadows, plains, mountain slopes, etc. However, previously they were not paid much attention. Many years ago, people suffered from encephalitis, borreliosis and other dangerous viruses after tick bites, but these were rather isolated cases. The issue of interconnection was not addressed at that time. At the beginning of the last century, homestead farming began to actively develop, which resulted in a strong wave of migration of forest ticks to cities and suburbs; the parasite can enter an apartment on the body of domestic animals.

Now ticks can be found both outside the city (in the forest or, for example, near a lake) and within the city: parks, squares, shady alleys are the favorite habitats of parasites.

Scabies itching

Refers to sarcoptoid mites, which neglected one of the stages of development at the nymph stage. The buzzer goes through only two nymphal stages before becoming an adult.

The genital organs are located in the same place as in ixodid ticks: between the bases of the 4th pair of legs. Males mate with teleonymphs (nymph II) on the surface of the body. After mating, the male dies, and the female goes to the epidermis to make passages and lay eggs.

The lifespan of the female is up to 2 months. During this time, she lays 2-3 eggs per day in passages under the skin.

The hatched larvae burrow into the skin and undergo metamorphic changes in papules, vesicles and passages under the skin.

Reproduction of scabies is possible only on the surface of the skin. In unfavorable conditions outside, scabies mites die very quickly.

With the onset of spring across the entire vast territory of Russia, along with the joy of blossoming buds and the first snowdrops, a familiar problem appears - the ixodid tick (lat. Ixodidae). The common people have the frightening name “encephalitis”, i.e. ticks that carry encephalitis. A more correct name for several types of ticks that bother people and animals is the dog tick or forest tick. The pasture tick also belongs to this category. Ticks appear in the spring, when the snow cover has not yet completely melted, and go into hibernation in late autumn with the onset of frost. But this does not mean that they are active throughout the warm season. To understand periods of tick activity, you should turn to biology.

Can ticks jump and fly?

None of the tick species can fly, so there is no need to fear an attack from the air. Can ticks jump from tree branches and bushes? No, they are not capable of jumping. Their main way of attacking a victim is to cling to it.

Ticks do not prefer to climb to a height above one and a half meters, but this is quite enough for them. In the event of a threat, such as a fire, the ticks simply detach from a branch or blade of grass and simply fall down. Some might call it a jump, but it's just an uncontrolled fall down.

Breeding time

To protect yourself from these unpleasant and dangerous parasites, you should know during what period they reproduce.

• The second and third months of spring are the time of active attack by adult individuals. The taiga and dog ticks are especially bloodthirsty during this period, so you need to be very careful when walking in parks, squares and forests.
• The end of summer is a relatively safe time; ticks rarely attack vertebrates.
• Finally, autumn is the time of preparation for wintering; ticks are not busy searching for food.

The resource “HarmStop” conducted a small study and found that ticks begin to awaken from hibernation at temperatures above +5°C, and, contrary to popular belief, these parasites do not live on trees, preferring grass and shrubs. That’s why you don’t have to worry about areas where there are a lot of trees – it’s much more likely to “catch” a tick in thickets of bushes or tall grass.

Choosing a bite site

Ticks never immediately attach themselves to a new host, but patiently search for a suitable place. Properly selected clothing for walks in nature will protect against tick bites

When walking through the forest, periodically inspect yourself and your loved ones for ticks. This simple action will protect you from an unpleasant bite, and possibly more serious consequences.

When choosing a bite site, ticks are guided by many factors. Since human skin is heterogeneous and different areas differ in temperature, degree of humidity, saturation with blood vessels, softness or roughness, acid-base balance, the tick faces a difficult task - to find exactly the place that is best suited for effective feeding.

But if for some reason it was not possible to get there, they also do not disdain lower-quality areas, such as the chest, stomach, buttocks or even legs.

• on the ears of an animal,
• on the head
• on the paws between the toes,
• in the groin area,
• near the anal area.

That is, in those places where the tick is least likely to be harmed during the animal’s self-cleaning.

Ticks in an animal's ear are a common occurrence after a walk.

Types of diseases in animals

Each disease that affects animals has a different incubation period.

It can last from several hours to several weeks, so it is important to know the first symptoms. The stronger the immune system, the longer the incubation period of infection.

Types of diseases:

1. Piroplasmosis. An infectious disease that has acute, chronic and subacute forms. The first symptoms of the disease appear 3-7 days after the bite, and if treatment is not started on time, it can be fatal. Duration of treatment is up to 6 weeks. Full recovery may take up to 3 months.
2. Bartonellosis. This disease is characterized by cell damage, which leads to changes in blood vessels in a living organism. Symptoms depend on the animal's immunity level. If it is low, it can die suddenly, and if it is high, the disease will occur without symptoms. The disease leads to inflammation of the lymph nodes and the development of granulomatous rhinitis, which is accompanied by periodic bleeding.
3. Hepatozoonosis. It is a difficult to diagnose vector-borne parasitic disease. It is characterized by a long incubation period; the disease can be identified in blood white cells. The animal's lymph nodes and liver become inflamed. Today there are no good therapeutic treatment regimens for the disease and preventive measures, so after infection a relapse may occur.
4. Monocytic and granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Within two days the pet begins to show the first signs. Over time, internal organs, joints, bone marrow and eyes are affected. An integrated approach to treatment is important here.
5. Borreliosis. The disease occurs without symptoms, and only after 30-60 days do signs of malaise appear. Animals develop fever, lymph nodes become enlarged, and when the offspring are born, they are not viable.

Nutrition of larvae

Where can tick clutches be located?

• Most often - in nature, on soil or on plants.
• Less often – on the host’s body. In this case, the larvae will also feed on his blood.

The hatched larvae begin to look for a victim, and often there are several of these young ticks per host. Feeding takes approximately 3-4 days, after which the larvae leave the host, once again entering the natural environment. Here they molt, turning into nymphs, then again find a host - their feeding will continue for about 7 days, after which the nymphs again leave their prey, turning into an imago (adult) or leaving for the winter.

This is the process of tick reproduction.

The figure schematically shows the stages of a tick bite

However, it must be said that the pliers are able to regulate the depth of immersion. While conducting research, scientists noticed that some types of ticks do not penetrate the victim’s tissues the entire length of the mouthparts, but only partially, and stop when they reach the branching of blood vessels. It was noted that this feature is inherent in species that often change hosts, and is a kind of protection of the chelicerae from possible mechanical damage when the skin is thick. Indeed, in the event of an injury, the likelihood of the next meal will be in question.

Video: close-up of a tick bite

Features of ticks

These creatures are temporary parasites of people and animals, since they do not live on the body of their owner for their entire life, but only during the period of reproduction and growth, feeding on his blood.

How dangerous are these pests? First of all, they carry various diseases:

• encephalitis;
• tularemia (rabbit fever);
• borreliosis;
• typhus;
• in pets - piroplasmosis.

The most dangerous species from an epidemiological point of view are dog and taiga ticks.

Advice

To protect yourself from ticks, you should use a repellent during their breeding season (mid-spring). It is also important to take care of your pet: buy him special drops.

Lifespan of a tick after a bite

How long a tick lives after a bite depends on its stage of development and the amount of blood it sucked. If the individual is young, then after the bite the chitinous cover begins to change and feeding will be required only before the next molt (2–7 days).

On average, arachnids live 2–3 years, which is exactly how long it takes to reach sexual maturity, then the parasites mate, lay eggs and die. The lifespan of ticks largely depends on the availability of food. Without food, insects hibernate, which prolongs their life cycle.

Argas ticks at the larval stage also molt after a bite, but before reaching maturity, for almost a year, they can make several bites, and then their life span lasts up to 7–8 years.

As soon as the drunk blood is digested, the tick will again be waiting for a potential victim. Thanks to slow metabolic processes and a sedentary lifestyle, arthropods have enviable vitality.

Stage one - laying eggs

After the female drinks warm blood, about 7 days pass, and the moment of laying eggs comes. Since the life of ticks is full of surprises, there is always a fallback option in their ontogeny. If conditions are unfavorable and the female has not been fertilized, she, having drunk blood, lays eggs, from which only females emerge. This process is similar to cloning because without fertilization, only individuals that replicate the genetic information of their mother can be produced. At one time, the female lays up to 2000 eggs. Such fertility is ensured by the high energy and biochemical value of food, that is, the blood of warm-blooded animals.

Generations of generations

Depending on the species and environmental conditions in which ticks are forced to live, the number of generations per year can vary greatly. In some species, the cyclicity of breeding seasons is confined to the seasons of the year or external environmental conditions.

There are species that develop from egg to death within a year. Others can produce up to 20 generations per season. Ixodid ticks are long-lived. These arthropods do not have time to fully develop in 1 season. Their lifespan ranges from 2 to 4 years depending on environmental conditions and hunting luck.

Source

Ticks - taxonomy and diversity

Ticks are a subclass of the arachnids class of arthropods of the animal kingdom. Currently, about 54,000 species of ticks have been described, including those that are now extinct. This large group is distinguished by a variety of sizes, preferences for environmental conditions, and feeding methods .

Most mites are concentrated in the upper layers of the soil, where they feed on decaying organic matter. In addition, among ticks there are herbivores, frugivores, predators, and parasites. Moreover, their parasitism manifests itself both obligately and facultatively.

People are usually concerned about ticks from the Ixodid family. It is in it that the very dangerous bloodsuckers that carry encephalitis and borreliosis are found. For humans, these mites are facultative parasites.

Destruction of ticks on animals

In the fight against ticks parasitizing animals, mechanical (collecting ticks) and chemical methods (treating animals with dusts, solutions, emulsions, suspensions and aerosols of acaricidal preparations) are used. They are used for the extermination of ticks and for preventive purposes (bites and suction of these parasites and the disease of animals with protozoal and infectious diseases are prevented).

Manual collection of ticks.

Ixodid ticks are collected and destroyed from cows by milkmaids, and from horses by riders and grooms when cleaning the animals. When collecting ticks, you should take into account their favorite locations. For example, Rhipicephalus bursa mites often attach themselves to sheep in the ears, dewlap, groin and under the tail; Boophilus calcaratus - in cattle, mainly on the skin of the udder, scrotum, perineum, groin and dewlap; mites 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 to avoid infection with some dangerous diseases; they are placed in a jar of kerosene. This method has limited use due to its high labor intensity and low labor productivity, as well as its low efficiency (in most cases it is possible to detect and collect only well-fed female ticks).

Destruction of ticks by chemical means

- a widely used method in industrial settings. To combat ticks on the body of animals, a wet method is used (bathing in baths, spraying, wiping), and in the winter season - a dry method (treating the skin with acaricidal dusts). The most effective and widely used in the fight against ixodids is the wet method of anti-tick treatment of livestock.

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

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

2) sevin suspension (0.75-1%) - 1-3 liters for each animal;

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

4) 2% emulsion of the drug SK-9 (dairy cows and slaughter animals cannot be treated) - up to 3 l (depending on the age and weight of the animal);

5) 1% emulsion of trichlorometaphos-3 (only young cattle can be processed) - 1-2 liters of emulsion for each animal (no later than 60 days before slaughter);

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

Sometimes, to kill ixodids on 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 acaricides, while ticks of the genus Boophilus (especially the larvae) show minimal resistance. The remaining ixoids occupy an intermediate position. In ticks of the same genus, males, as well as hungry ticks (at all phases of development), die faster from acaricides.

Bathing animals in baths

characterized by high efficiency. Animals are bathed in the warm season. In veterinary practice, stationary baths (swimming pools) and portable baths (metal, wood and canvas) are used. The most widespread on collective and state farms are stationary bathtubs-pools, located on a flat, dry area, 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, width 0.8-1 m. Adjacent to the exit side of the bath is a cemented platform through which the liquid flowing from the animals enters the bath. On 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, there are corrals for livestock. 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 quality of emulsions or solutions of acaricides is checked on a small group of low-value animals. Young and weak animals are bathed separately. Animals should be given a drink before bathing. You should not bathe animals in rainy weather or during hot hours of the day.

After bathing 300-600 heads of cattle, an emulsion or solution of an acaricidal drug is added to the bath to the original volume. The acaricidal liquid is replaced and dirt is removed from the bath after bathing 2500-3000 animals. Among domestic animals, sheep are the most convenient to bathe (Fig. 68). Pregnant cows, ewes, sows and young animals under 6 months of age are not bathed, but are carefully sprayed with acaricidal preparations. In order to mechanize the bathing of sheep, farms use a Dokuchaev bathtub with a tilting platform.

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

Spraying and wiping down 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 wiping, veterinarians successfully use solutions, emulsions and suspensions of the above drugs.

It is convenient to decontaminate large animals (cattle, horses, camels) in shower chambers (automatic supply of acaricide). Animals are often sprayed in fenced areas using machines (DUK, LSD-2, VMOC-2, EMSOZH, etc.). During the processing period, animals are fixed in a split or in a pen.

Manual sprayers (hydropolettes of various systems, etc.), as well as manual wiping of animals, have limited use due to their low productivity. After treating the skin with acaricides before milking, the udder of cows (as well as mares) is washed with water. Animals are not put out to pasture until the skin is completely dry.

Aerosols

used in the fight against ixodid ticks and insects on animals, indoors and on pastures. Aerosols are tiny droplets of liquid or small solid particles suspended in a gaseous medium. Aerosols with liquid particles are called mists, and aerosols with solid particles obtained by condensation are called fumes. An example of condensation aerosols is natural fogs. Aerosol particles have different sizes and shapes: in fogs they are spherical, and in smoke they have a regular crystalline shape. Aerosol particle size, i.e. the degree of its dispersion varies widely. A number of physicochemical properties of aerosols (evaporation, diffusion, sedimentation, etc.) depend on the size of the particles and their shape. In the fight against harmful arthropods, aerosols with a particle size of 0.1-1000 u are used in the form of oil mists (aerosol cans) and fumes (acaricidal bombs). Aerosols of acaricides and insecticides are more often used to kill parasitic arthropods indoors and on pastures and much less often on animals.

Treatment of animals with acaricide dusts

- a dry method of combating parasitic mites and insects, carried out mainly in the winter season. Dusts are a powdered form of insectoacaricides, in which the active substance is mixed in certain proportions with a neutral filler (talc, kaolin, ash, chalk).

Neutral, or indifferent, substances reduce the humidity of the air under the fur and absorb lymph on the surface of the skin, creating unfavorable conditions on the skin of animals for parasitic arthropods. Currently, dusts of sevin (7.5%), chlorophos (5-10%) and other acaricides are used. Decontamination of animals with dusts is carried out in walking areas or in rooms with good ventilation, in which there is no fodder. To apply dusts to the skin of animals, you can use special pollinators (OZHU-5) (this treatment is often carried out manually).

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

Life expectancy by location

In the forest

Forest is the natural habitat of ixodid ticks

. If there are human residential and outbuildings in it and there are domestic animals, then argasid mites can also settle here.

In the apartment

Tropical countries are a natural zone in which the question of how long a tick lives in an apartment is really relevant. This is especially true for low-rise buildings, next to which there are thickets of plants or livestock complexes. In this case, ticks are able to penetrate human homes and live there. Without treatment with acaricides, it is impossible to be sure of the complete destruction of argasid mites, since many of them are capable of starving for up to 11 years.

Experiments on keeping predatory mites in apartment conditions (using closed glass containers) have demonstrated that they are able to survive at sufficient humidity and temperature for up to 9 months. For the development of eggs, conditions on the forest floor are required, which never exist in an apartment. We are talking about adult insects that usually attack people. If a person does not notice and does not remove a tick that has drunk blood from himself or his pet, it will fall off on its own. If an arachnid is accidentally swept into the trash and ends up on the street, its eggs will have a chance to produce normal offspring.

Tick ​​danger

The greatest danger is the bite of an arachnid. It is not only unpleasant and painful, but can also cause many diseases: brucellosis, tick-borne encephalitis, fever, intestinal infections, rabies, tetanus. When a person is bitten, the following symptoms develop after some time:

• hyperthermia up to +38 degrees;
• headache and dizziness;
• hyperemia at the site of the bite, irritation, slight swelling;
• muscle and joint pain, weakness, drowsiness, lack of appetite.

In advanced cases, Quincke's edema develops. The patient's breathing becomes difficult, the pulse quickens, and blood pressure may rise to critical levels. A rash of different shapes and sizes appears throughout the body, and itching is observed. The person's condition is serious, the risk of death is increased.

To provide first aid, it is necessary to urgently remove the blood sucker from the skin, always completely. It is strictly forbidden to crush the parasite. The most popular method is the use of sunflower oil. It is recommended to dip the affected area in oil or simply generously lubricate the lower part of the tick with it. The breathing holes are located in this part, so the parasite tries to quickly get out from under the skin. Another way would be to lubricate with kerosene or treat with hot wax. Such methods also make it possible to block the access of oxygen.

After extraction, it is recommended to save the tick so that specialists have the opportunity to determine in the laboratory the potential danger of its bite. If negative symptoms appear, it is recommended to immediately seek qualified help. Doctors recommend going to a medical facility in any case, even if no negative reactions are observed.

Special protective equipment recommended for purchase will help you avoid being bitten. They are especially relevant in the spring and summer, when many people go for a picnic in parks and forests. At home, the constant use of chemical repellents is unacceptable, so there are natural remedies that cope with this task: geranium, lavender, essential oils of eucalyptus, cloves, rosemary, mint.

How do ticks reproduce?

Ticks are classified according to their nature into different types. There are predatory representatives and their main diet is blood. There are other species that do not parasitize living things and feed on organic waste. A tick is a parasite that cannot reproduce or raise offspring without food. Although an adult can live without it for up to 3 years. How do ticks reproduce? Let's consider this issue in more detail.

Types of parasites

In nature there are more than 40 thousand species of arachnids. Scientists divide them into 2 superorders: parasitiforms and acariforms. The former include ixodidae, argasaceae, gamasidae, nuttaliaceae, the latter include freshwater, armored, acaridia, feather, marine, scabies, thyroglyphoid, sarcoptiformes.

These are not all varieties, but the most popular. Each type has its own characteristics and differences:

1. Ixodid ticks are the most common. They are distinguished by a shell covered with hard plates, often reaching 2.5 cm in length, which is considered almost a record among all species. They live in places with a temperate climate, prefer to constantly be in foliage and grass, and become more active with the arrival of the first warm days after a long winter. The life cycle of ixodid ticks is no different from other individuals. Females are very fertile and can lay up to 17 thousand eggs per season. They parasitize humans or animals and can feed on the blood of the victim for up to 3 weeks.
2. Argas arachnids are characterized by a soft body, a small head that is almost invisible. They are of normal size and parasitize birds and animals. Sometimes they attack a person, the bite is painful, causing a rash and irritation.
3. The armored variety lives on trees and soil, is small in size, and has a solid body. It does not attack humans; it feeds on carrion, mushrooms, and plants. It poses a threat to domestic animals because it carries helminth eggs.
4. The gamasid mite lives in the burrows of rats and mice, parasitizes them, as well as poultry. It is small in size and lives up to 6 months. Produces toxic saliva that causes irritation when it comes into contact with the skin of birds and rodents.
5. The subcutaneous species poses a threat to humans and animals. It parasitizes under the skin for several years, consuming dead epidermal cells as food. It reproduces quickly; viable tick nymphs appear 2-3 days after laying eggs.

Such species are common and cause harm to animals, humans, and agriculture. They differ in that they are difficult to remove.

Ixodid ticks: external and internal structure, development phases

Ixodid ticks are carriers of pathogens that cause piroplasmosis in domestic animals. These ticks can live in forest, steppe, foothill and other zones.

Ixodids are relatively large ticks, the size of which varies from 2 mm to 20 mm, which depends on the condition of the female (hungry females are much smaller than satiated ones). The body appearance of these mites does not have a clear division into the cephalothorax and abdomen. On the outside it is covered with a heterogeneous chitinous layer. On the dorsal and ventral sides of the body there is a large layer of chitin that forms scutes.

The size of the dorsal scute can be used to distinguish a male from a female: in males it occupies the entire upper surface, while in females the scute covers only the anterior part of the body. In the front part of the body are the oral organs, consisting of the proboscis and its base.

The structure of the proboscis of these mites includes the upper and lower jaws, as well as a pair of tentacles. The upper jaws are necessary for cutting the animal's skin before sucking blood. The lower jaw, with teeth pointing backwards, performs the function of fixation. The tentacles are the organ of touch.

As you can see in the photo, depending on the variety, ticks have a long or short proboscis on a quadrangular or hexagonal base:

On the ventral side, at the level of the second pair of legs, there is a genital opening, and behind the fourth pair of limbs there is an anus.

Males have ventral scutes near the anus. On the dorsal side, at the level of the second pair of limbs, some mites have eyes, and at the back of the body there are depressions (festoons). The spiracles (stigmas) are located on the side of the body, behind the fourth pair of legs. There is a plate around them.

One of the structural features of ixodid ticks is the presence in the intestines of a large number of blind outgrowths, which during the period of insect parasitism on animals are filled with blood.

Fertilization of mites occurs on the body of animals. After sucking blood, the females fall away and hide in shelters. After some time, they begin to lay eggs. The total number of eggs laid by one female can vary from 4 to 15 thousand. After this, the females die. Mite eggs are quite large (about 0.5 mm long). They are distinguished by their oval shape and yellow-brown color. The eggs are covered with a hard shell on top.

The internal structure of the ixodid tick is presented in this diagram:

Eggs mature over several weeks (up to a month or more). The appearance of the larva occurs through a crack in the egg shell. The size of the hatched larvae is about 1 mm. She has three pairs of legs. In this case, the larva lacks spiracles, genital opening and peritremes.

To transform into the next stage (nymph), the larva is saturated with the blood of animals. The nymph has four pairs of limbs, but lacks a genital opening.

After being saturated with the blood of animals, the nymph detaches from the host and falls to the ground or turns into an imago directly on the animal’s body. During the complete development of the parasite from the egg to the mature stage, ixodid ticks are saturated with the animal’s blood three times and molt twice. The duration of blood sucking in larvae is on average 5 days, in nymphs it varies from 3 to 10 days, in adults - 10 days. A large number of ticks remain for the winter in the external environment (and at different stages of development).

Depending on the type of development, ixodid ticks can be divided into single-host, two-host and three-host ticks.

All three active stages of development of single-host ticks take place on one animal; only the imago lays eggs in the external environment.

Two-host ticks in the larval and nymphal stages live on one host, and in the adult stage they move to another host.

In the life activity of three-host ticks, a sequential change of three hosts is observed. Moreover, the transition of the parasite from one stage to another always occurs in the external environment. It is this type of development that is most characteristic of ixodid ticks.

Larvae and nymphs of two-host and three-host ticks mainly infect mouse-like rodents; adult ticks and larvae of single-host ticks are more often found on domestic animals.

Trailer ixodids are distinguished by a long proboscis with a quadrangular base. They have no eyes. The anal groove is located anteriorly. In males, the entire ventral surface is covered with scutes. The dorsal shield, limbs and proboscis have a characteristic dark brown tint, and the cuticle of females is grayish-yellow.

The dog tick is one of the most common Ixodid ticks. It is mainly found in the northwestern and central regions of the country, and is absent in the steppe and semi-desert zones. Only one generation of this genus of ticks develops during the year.

Parasites can go hungry for more than two years. In the adult stage, they attack animals in spring and autumn. Dog ticks pose a particular danger to humans, as they transmit diseases such as Lyme disease, encephalitis and tularemia.

Look at the photos of ticks of this variety, the description of which is presented above:

Ticks from the genus Hyalomma (glasseye) are the largest (up to 2.5 cm). They are distinguished by a dark body color, a long proboscis with a quadrangular base and clearly visible eyes. The anal groove is located posteriorly. The males of these ticks are easy to distinguish by their external body structure - they have three pairs of central scutes. These parasites are mainly distributed in steppe, semi-desert and desert zones. Most ticks attack animals in the summer. Representatives of this genus are carriers of causative agents of piroplasmosis, cattle anaplasmosis and many other diseases.

Skin mites are distinguished by a characteristic spotted pattern with a silvery tint on the dorsal shield of males and females. They have a short proboscis with a quadrangular base and eyes. The anal groove is located behind the anus.

Leather mites are widespread in different regions of the country. The main feature of these ticks is the development of parasites according to the three-host type: larvae parasitize mainly mouse-like rodents, nymphs live on larger wild animals, as well as birds, and adults are found on domestic and some large wild animals. Mature ticks mainly parasitize animals in spring and autumn.

These photos illustrate the description of skin-cutting mites:

Bloodsucking mites are relatively small mites that have a short proboscis with a quadrangular base. The anal groove is located behind the anus. Bloodsucking mites lack eyes and ventral scutes in males. These parasites are more common in the steppe and forest-steppe zones, as well as in the foothills. The development of one generation in phases continues for more than a year. Most often, such ticks are carriers of piroplasmosis.

Fan-headed mites are described as relatively small, distinguished by their red-brown color. These parasites are very thermophilic. They have a short proboscis with a hexagonal base, eyes, two pairs of central scutes in males, and a groove located behind the anus. These ticks are most common in the southern, foothill and steppe regions. They parasitize animals in the spring and summer. The development of one generation of fan-headed mites occurs throughout the year.

Most often, two-host and three-host ticks are found, which are carriers of piroplasmid, anaplasmosis and other diseases.

Here you can see photos of ticks, the types of which are described above:

Reproduction of ticks

Ticks themselves are not dangerous. They become carriers of the virus only if they drink blood from an infected individual or together with the blood of a female during the formation of eggs. But still 20% of the total number of individuals around the world are infected. And since there are millions of them, the number is not small. Before ticks reach the adult stage, they are not so dangerous even if the virus is present. Young individuals are not particularly mobile and prefer to feed on more accessible animals.

The main danger is brought by individuals that have not reached sexual maturity with livestock. The animal eats the larvae and the person gets the disease along with the raw product. Also, viral diseases transmitted by ticks are common where there are a lot of rodents. In general, ticks go through all stages of maturation in 3-4 years. Depending on climatic conditions and how quickly they found food. In winter, ticks are not dangerous, as they go into diapause. But in other seasons, ticks do not sleep.

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