Who is a taiga tick and why is it dangerous for people?

The taiga tick (Latin name - Ixodes persulcatus) is a small insect from the arthropod order that belongs to the genus of ixodid ticks. They live in forests and among thickets of grass or shrubs, where they wait for their sacrifice. Representatives of the species are known for their attacks on humans and pets, because they feed on their blood. With a bite, the transmission of infectious diseases that threaten health and life is possible.

Insect description

The taiga tick is small in size, allowing it to remain unnoticed by a person. The rounded and flat body of a hungry adult has a length of 1 to 4 mm, less often - 6 mm. After saturation, it increases in size, and the capacious abdomen acquires a spherical shape.

The tick has 8 dark legs and a proboscis located on the end of the sphenoid head. Thanks to its narrowing, the insect easily penetrates through the hair, hair or feathers of the victim. Inside the proboscis there are sharp jaws resembling ticks that create a hole in the skin. On its surface there are special teeth, which are at an angle, clinging to the victim’s tissue for better retention.

In the photo of the taiga tick, the characteristic features of the species are clearly visible under magnification.

The female and male taiga tick have significant differences in appearance. First of all, this applies to color and structure. The male is almost completely covered with a black chitinous cover. In a female, such an armor occupies only a third of the body, and the remaining 2/3 are leathery folds, due to which the volume of the abdomen is stretched 5-8 times. Therefore, females are black-red or brown-red. Also, females are larger than males: the size of the latter does not exceed 2.8 mm.

Ticks have no visual organs. But they easily detect potential victims, because they have a well-developed sense of smell and touch.

At the tips of the taiga tick paws are Haller organs. These are special depressions in which sensory chemoreceptor cells are placed, providing excellent touch.

Spread

The main habitat of the taiga tick occurs in the middle and southern taiga zone in Siberia in Russia. But due to the gradual warming of the climate and a number of other reasons, the area of ​​distribution of the insect has increased significantly over the past century.

The western border of the range includes Belarus, the Baltic countries and the southeastern outskirts of Finland. There are reports that taiga ticks are found in the northern countries of Western Europe and in Scandinavia. The northern border of the habitat is approximately in the Petrozavodsk region, and the southern border passes through the territory of the Samara and Ulyanovsk regions.

In the east, the habitat extends to the Pacific coast. A taiga tick is often found in the south of the Far East. It can also be found in the south of Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, in the northeastern territories of China and in Japan. Separate isolated areas inhabited by insects are in the mountain ranges of Central Asia.

The life of a taiga tick

The life of an insect can be called monotonous. It consists of participating in breeding and finding a victim to saturate with blood.When "hunting" the tick takes a wait-and-see position, settling down in the lower tier of trees, on bushes or grasses. The insect usually does not rise higher than 1 m. At the same time, they prefer forest paths, less often living in meadows and overgrown with small bushes. The most comfortable taiga tick feels in the darkened corners of the forest with high humidity.

Although the habitat of the insect is fields and meadows, it is often found in summer cottages, cemeteries, and in park areas on the territory of cities. They are brought there by birds, rodents, animals and humans. Therefore, theoretically, a bite of a taiga tick is dangerous for humans even in a large city.

Ticks are inactive. They travel long distances only on the body of their victim. Until it is found, the insect sits in ambush, patiently waiting for a suitable object. For this, the tick occupies a special position: raises the spread front forelegs and turns them in different directions. The receptors located at their tips will prompt the approach of the victim, and the tick is ready to cling to its body or clothes.

Breeding

The process of active mating of taiga ticks begins in late spring, when the weather becomes warm enough to breed. Moreover, the “meeting” of the female and the male can occur not only in the foliage or grass - the natural habitat, but also on the victim’s body. But in order to make the masonry, she needs abundant nutrition, and she "feeds" blood for about a week.

Fully saturated, the female takes the form of a bean, and then lays a large number of tiny eggs. For this, the tick usually selects soil, grass or leaves. The number can reach 1.5–2.5 thousand pieces. After a few weeks, larvae appear from them, the size of which at the first stage of development does not exceed 0.9 mm, and they have only 6 legs.

Only a few adult individuals survive from the entire egg laying. The rest will die: mainly due to adverse external conditions or lack of food.

Larvae need food. For several days they eat, choosing small animals or birds as the “breadwinner”. When the larva receives enough food, it detaches from the victim's body and returns to its natural habitat again. After molting, the next stage of development, the nymph, begins.

Nymphs are more like adults. Already 8 paws are attached to their body, and the size of the hungry individual reaches 1.7 mm. At this stage, the tick survives the winter, so that with the onset of spring next year to continue its transformation. For this, both large mammals and humans are suitable for him. The nymph turns into an adult only a year after the next molt.

Food

Taiga ticks are polyphages by the nature of their nutrition. They feed on the blood of various species of mammals, birds, and even reptiles. In the developmental stage, larvae and nymphs are preferred prey - small mammals, such as rodents, and small birds. Adult individuals - adults - affect animals, including domestic animals and cattle, and, of course, humans.

Hiding on plants along trails, ticks are able to learn about the approach of people or animals at a distance of 10 m. To do this, they have special organs of touch and smell, trapping heat from the body and the smell of sweat. When the victim is nearby, the tick places its forelegs so as to grab onto it. Then he crawls in search of a suitable site and, finding it, sucks on.

When a taiga tick bites, saliva is injected, which contains special substances that partially anesthetize, destroy the walls of blood vessels and prevent blood from clotting.

Danger to humans

The taiga tick is a carrier of serious infectious diseases. First of all, it is encephalitis and Lyme disease. Ixodid ticks act as a reservoir for viruses and other microorganisms that provoke the development of ailments. These diseases are very dangerous for people, therefore, in case of suspected infection, inpatient treatment is required.

Contrary to popular belief Tick-borne Encephalitis - This is not a separate type of insect. This is the individual that carries the virus.

To establish whether the taiga tick was a carrier of the pathogen, it is submitted for a special analysis. Such studies are carried out at sanitary-epidemiological stations and in some medical institutions.

Bite Prevention

To significantly protect yourself from tick bites and notice the danger in time, going to nature, you must follow the rules:

1. Wear clothing made of thick fabric, trying to cover the maximum amount of body.
2. Jacket collar should be tied, and trousers should be tucked into boots.
3. After returning home, it is better to examine outer clothing and shake it on the street.
4. You also need to examine your body (for convenience, you can ask relatives about this).
5. It is better not to advance in the dense thickets of grass or shrubs without unnecessary need.
6. Moreover, it is recommended not to sit down and go to bed for relaxation.
7. If tick-borne encephalitis infection is not uncommon in the region, then it is rational to vaccinate in advance.

To protect households, it is recommended that you regularly trim the grass near the house. For pets that can also mite, use repellent sprays and collars.

Information about what an insect is and why a taiga tick is dangerous is useful to anyone who lives in his habitat or is going to such a region with a trip. Having found a tick, you need to remove it correctly and submit it for analysis to find out if it was a carrier of infectious diseases.