Good time of the year! During this summer we repeatedly went out into the countryside, and in company with us was a girl who was panicky afraid of insects. I went around anthills, constantly checking my clothes, shoes and the rug on which I was sitting.
Upon learning that the tick season has not yet passed, I began to be actively interested in whether ticks fly or not. And this is not a funny question, given that ticks sometimes bite in places where you do not expect them at all. I propose to sort out this arthropod issue!
The content of the article:
Ticks fly or not
Forests and fields are populated by many insects. Among them there are especially dangerous species that are carriers of various diseases.
In the spring, their activity is growing rapidly and nature lovers going to the forest should be careful. Insects lie in wait near each blade of grass and twigs. Ticks are considered the most dangerous, because they can infect a person with tick-borne encephalitis or borreliosis.
Do ticks have wings
Some people believe that flying ticks exist. But these insects cannot fly, because they do not have wings. They are often confused with a moose tick.
He drops his wings when he attacks the victim, clings its paws to the hairline and becomes like a simple tick. He is also known as the moose fly, deer louse, bloodsucker. The parasite prefers to exist on moose, deer. Often his victims are:
- wild boars, bears;
- smaller animals: foxes, badgers;
- domestic animals: sheep, goats.
To protect yourself from a bloodsucker, you need to know how it looks, where it prefers to dwell.
Description of a moose fly
Moose ticks are blood-sucking insects. These parasites belong to the family of bloodsuckers, from the order of dipterans. External description:
- The size of the insect is 5 mm, while the males are smaller than the females. The color is pale brown. Most of the body is occupied by the head; antennae are located on it. Outwardly, the tick resembles a small fly.
- The name “fly” the parasite received for the transparent wings located on the sides of the body. Their length is 6 mm. The wings are poorly developed, so the insect can not fly long distances.
- The abdomen is soft, elastic. When the parasite absorbs a large amount of blood or bears offspring, the size of the abdomen increases by 2 times.
- A bloodsucker differs from an ixodid tick by the number of paws. The tick has 8, and bloodsuckers - They grow asymmetrically from the chest. There are small claws on the tips of the legs.
- The parasite has 5 faceted eyes: 2 large lateral, 3 simple small. He has poor eyesight, he sees only the general contours of the object. The larger the victim, the better for him.
- The type of oral apparatus is piercing-sucking, similar to the proboscis. Thanks to the proboscis, the parasite easily pierces the skin of the victim.
If a deer bloodsucker begins to feed on human blood, it will not be able to give birth to offspring, since such a diet does not suit her. Therefore, they are not delayed for more than 2 days on the human body.
Stages of development and habitat
The habitat of moose flies is quite large. They are found in the Scandinavian countries, North America, China. On the territory of Russia populate the European part, northwest Asia, Primorsky Krai. The number of insects is directly related to the number of animals living in the forests. Stages of development:
- The elk flea does not lay eggs and larvae. They develop right in the womb of the female.
- By September, pupae or puparia 4 mm in size appear. They are born one at a time, every 2 days. One female in her life is able to reproduce 30 pupae.
- Gradually, the puparia darkens, the body hardens, its growth stops. She spends all winter on the surface of the earth. In the spring, development continues, lasting until the end of August.
- Then an adult with wings appears. Sometimes their appearance is delayed until October.
- The adult tick passes the stage of adaptation. He sits on a bush or grass, waiting for his victim there. Having found it, it is absorbed and actively drains the blood.
- After 20 days, the body of insects becomes dark in color, the abdomen increases, the head decreases, and the wing muscles atrophy. The mating phase begins.
- Insects are looking for pairs to mate. The male clings to the female, they begin to live together.
- In order for the female to be able to have offspring, she needs to eat 20 times a day. For 1 time, the insect sucks up to 1.5 ml of blood. Males eat 2 times less.
- The birth of new puparia, pupae resumes 30 days after the appearance of the winged fly.
- Flightless individuals do not leave cloven-hoofed animals for 6 months. Due to such a life cycle, they will be able to get rid of moose bloodsuckers only in late spring.
Up to 1 thousand moose flies can live on 1 animal. Regular loss of blood leads to the fact that the animal becomes nervous, stops eating, sleeping. If a creature affected by ticks is weak, it dies.
Danger to humans
In addition to animals, an insect is able to attack people. Whether a person should be afraid of a moose bloodsucker, and what consequences arise after a bite, excites many.
The main places of attacks were recorded in forest areas, in the fields. Therefore, their victims are often shepherds, foresters, hunters. Attacks occurred when the weather was calm, calm. After falling on the victim, the parasite makes its way under the clothes for 30 minutes, is sucked by the proboscis, then drinks blood.
It is more convenient for him to cling to his hair, so he tries to jump on his head. The reaction from bites is unpredictable, as the human body reacts differently to them:
- victims feel severe pain, malaise;
- sometimes hyperemia occurs at the site of the bite;
- the affected area of the skin is very itchy.
Some people do not feel pain from a bite. They have a red spot, which disappears in 2-3 days. If there is a susceptibility to insect saliva, serious complications are possible:
- In addition to redness, the bite site swells, thickens, itches.
- Different dermatitis appears, accompanied by a strong rash with blisters or crusts.
- In people predisposed to urticaria, a red, edematous dermographism occurs.
This condition lasts 14-21 days. When an acute inflammatory process occurs, medications are used. If the bite was primary, human immunity will quickly cope with toxins that have entered the body.
Elk bloodsucker does not touch children under 8 years old, it attacks only adults. This is due to the fact that it is attracted by tall, dynamic objects.
Cases were recorded when up to 100 individuals simultaneously attacked a person in 1 minute. And such cases are not isolated.
Should you be afraid of flying ticks
The most dangerous time of the year for nature lovers comes in late spring and in the first half of summer. It is during this period that ticks, which are carriers of borreliosis and encephalitis, go hunting.
The danger is that people know little about these parasites. It is widely believed that ticks can fly or jump from trees to humans. In many ways, these are just guesses.
A bit about the nature of the tick
First you need to give a few facts regarding these creatures:
- These parasites are born on the soil.
- Growing creatures rise on grass or on small bushes with a height of not more than 1.5 m.
- After the pest has entered a position, the longest part of his life begins - he is waiting for prey. It can be an animal or a person.
- There is no pain during a bite, and therefore, you will not be able to immediately understand that you are bitten.
How does the attack
It’s worth immediately dispelling the main myth: ticks cannot fly. They simply do not have devices for flying, as well as for jumping. But the main danger is different: they have very tenacious limbs. It is worth touching the grass or bush on which the tick lives, as the parasite immediately hooks on clothes and crawls.
There are people who claim to have seen flying ticks. They are mistaken - there is an insect similar in appearance and properties to this parasite, but it is not.
Bloodsucker deer
It is also called a moose tick. The name came from a way of life - for the most part parasitize on wild representatives of the deer family. They can also attack foxes, wild boars or cattle. Not a tick.
People are attacked very rarely and usually in the fall, when it is difficult to find food. It looks very much like a tick, but has wings. Distributed throughout Siberia and the Scandinavian Peninsula.
Parasite structure
It has small dimensions, not more than 3.5 mm. The color is brown, the cover is dense and leathery. There are 8 eyes on the body, of which 2 are the main and the rest are auxiliary.
It is born and develops in the same way as an ordinary tick - from the ground to the grass. Development takes place at the end of summer. The main activity occurs in the fall.
Danger to humans
A deer bloodsucker attacks people only if there is no suitable animal. In addition, the choice of the victim depends on its size - the smaller the person, the less likely to be attacked.
Despite the presence of wings, the creature flies very poorly. Smells prey by smell and heat. If it finds a suitable option, it takes off from the grass or shrub and, focusing on heat, attacks the victim.
How does suction
After getting on the body, it freezes for a while, after which it begins to creep up and clogs into the hairline or under baggy clothes. He does not feel the danger in sudden movements and will not leave the body on his own.
It is removed with great difficulties, since a flat body constantly slips out, while the fly clings to the skin with its tenacious limbs, and throws off its wings. After the "exit to the position" the creature waits for about an hour and starts feeding.
Consequences of a bite
In the bite, the difference from the tick is manifested - it does not pass unnoticed. There is pain, itching and burning. Allergies may spill out.
After the bloodsucker leaves the owner, the place from the bite is covered with a crust and lasts 15-20 days. Like any insect that feeds on blood, a fly can carry a variety of diseases, such as Lyme disease.
Are ticks able to fly and are there flying ticks
Every spring, all nature lovers should be careful, because it is at this time, with the first warm sunny days, ticks are activated.
You can answer with full confidence - flying, jumping ticks do not exist in nature. All parasites of this family found in the world hunt and feed, hiding in the grass, they react to the smell of a person.
They also do not fall from trees and bushes, as some believe. The main reason for these misconceptions is that the bloodsuckers tend to rise as high as possible to the person’s head, where they mostly find him later.
As a result, the victim believes that the tick fell from the tree, although until recently it just sat on the grass and then gradually climbed up from the knees.
Ticks do not know how to fly either. Most often, they are simply confused with the “Deer Bloodsucker,” feeding on the blood of wild boars, deer, and other animals. This is not a tick, but there is a slight resemblance. "Bloodsucker deer" is often found in Siberia, in Scandinavia, but it practically does not attack people if there are wild animals in its territory.
The "bloodsucker deer" has two wings, 8 eyes, the size of the parasite is 3.5 mm. He looks very much like a fly. It hunts mainly in the fall, as well as a tick, being in ambush.
After the victim approaches, it takes off, goes to its smell. After a quick capture, the parasite moves to the scalp, begins to drink blood.
It is worth noting that the "Deer Bloodsucker" or "Elk Fly" is not afraid of danger and it is impossible to scare it away. Until it bites a person, it will not stop attacking - this is a feature of this type of bloodsucking, which do not encounter resistance from wild animals.
Her bite is very painful, but she does not bite right away, as she waits a bit, trying to better fix herself. After she sucks it is more difficult to remove than a tick.
The bloodsucker drops its wings, becoming smooth, and it also has very tenacious legs that help it stay on the victim. Elk fly can reward the victim with Lyme disease, another type of fever. Cases of infection are not recorded due to the large remoteness of its habitat from civilization.
They are suitable for both adults and children. Effectively cope with their task, and their price is quite affordable and affordable for everyone.
How ticks move
Ticks from the ixodidae family are not always passive hunters, waiting for the future owner on the grass and shrubs. They are able to look for their victim by thermal radiation and crawl in its direction.
Even if you stop for a picnic where arthropods are completely absent, sooner or later they will crawl to the campers. Because of this, the question of how fast and how ticks move is very relevant. With long trips to the nature, the visit of ixods cannot be avoided.
Do ticks run fast
In the absence of nearby thermal radiation, ticks in nature move very slowly and preferably vertically. Ticks have no eyes, they “don’t know” where to crawl.
The average speed of movement of arachnids was 3 cm. The purpose of the experiment: to establish whether bloodsuckers can crawl to the path deliberately or is it an accidental hit.
We found out that ixodic ones move purposefully.It was established that if the path is well-defined, then the speed of movement of arachnids increases significantly. To overcome 120 m, Ixodes require from 2 days to 3 months.
A well-fed arachnid is not capable of movement. If the hungry arthropod is disturbed and senses danger, it goes over very quickly with its paws. Escaping from danger, the ixodic ones are able to cover a distance of about 1 m in 10 seconds.
Can ticks jump
There is a belief that ticks jump from trees to their prey. There is some truth in this, but no more. Ixodides do not know how to jump. At most, they can fall on a small animal from a branch of a bush. But dermacenters are able to climb to a height of 1.5 m, which can already be equated to an ambush on a tree.
In an ambush, the bloodsucker waits motionlessly, with his forepaws spread, until some warm-blooded object passes nearby. The parasite falls on a small animal, clings to a large paws.
Sometimes this large organism is a person. Hence the belief that ticks jump from trees. In early spring, when there is no grass yet, ixodid can attack even on bare ground.
But in this case, the parasites do not jump like fleas. Ticks crawl on the ground in search of prey and can easily catch on the sole of the shoe. Once on the shoes, the bloodsucker rises through his clothes to the place he needs. In early spring, this is the neck area.
Flying ticks
In addition to the belief that ticks jump on people from trees, they are often credited with the ability to fly. To answer the question whether ticks have wings, it is enough to carefully consider the parasite. He does not even have a "seat" for the wings.
But the wings have another bloodsucking parasite that can fly. For ixodids that can fly, they often take a deer bloodsucker - a fly parasitizing on large ungulates. It rarely attacks people, but it does happen.
Bloodsuckers live in the same area. And they even suffer the same diseases. Because of these moments, it was believed that ticks fly. But the life cycles of bloodsuckers are different. Tick activity begins in spring and ends in autumn. Bloodsuckers are active almost all year round and just in the winter they have the most critical period: reproduction.
Ordinary blood-sucking insects fly in spring and summer. In unfertilized bloodsuckers, the years begin in the fall. Having found the owner, the fly remains on it for the whole winter. In the cold months, it lays live larvae, which only at the end of August turn into adults.
Summing up, we can say that ticks do not know how to jump and fly. They either wait for the victim on the shoots of bushes, or get directly from the ground. If a bloodsucker flies, it's a fly.
Why are flying ticks dangerous?
In the spring, a favorable time begins, not only for those who like to spend time in nature, but also for insects such as ticks flying.
But such walks often become dangerous. The thing is that in forests, parks and even in your own garden you can easily come across a tick.
Tick Danger
By themselves, these insects are not dangerous, although very unpleasant. They dig into the skin of a person and feed on his blood. Such blood loss does not carry any danger. The problem is different. The thing is that ticks are carriers of dangerous diseases.
This number of pathogenic microorganisms is enough for a person to get a disease that can lead to death.
Therefore, ticks must be protected.They can lead to the development of encephalitis and borreliosis. These are dangerous diseases that rarely go away without complications.
It should be borne in mind that ticks often cling when a person passes by bushes or tall grass. Here, bloodsuckers most of all love to wait for their victims.
Many people often fear that the tick does not fly or jump from a tree. This is a vain alarm, since ordinary bloodsuckers, which can carry fatal ailments for humans, cannot fly.
They have no wings, so there can be no talk of flights. They do not know how to jump because their tenacious paws are so arranged.
Should you be afraid of flying ticks
Experts say that fear of bloodsuckers of this type is necessary. But it must be borne in mind that they do not know how to fly.
The encephalitis type bloodsuckers themselves, which are the most dangerous for humans, are born in the earth. Then they can climb on grass, bushes and trees. But ticks do not sit too high, so a person should not be afraid that danger will come from above.
Most bloodsuckers prefer bushes up to 1.5 m. Therefore, most often encephalitis ticks initially cling to their legs. But they won’t bite right away. The tick can make a long trip and find the most suitable place for itself to feed.
Keep in mind that immediately feel the bite will be almost impossible. Therefore, after each walk you need to inspect your body.
Despite the fact that ticks do not fly and do not move to a person from a height of more than 1.5 m, you should definitely examine the area behind the ears and head. Here ticks bite very often.
Such parasites feed mainly on the blood of wild animals. However, if there is not enough food nearby, a bloodsucker deer can choose a person as a victim. Therefore, you need to be as careful as possible in the forests.
How encephalitis ticks attack
It is such bloodsuckers that pose the greatest danger to humans. Encephalitis rarely proceeds without complications, and in a person who has not been vaccinated, this disease can result in disability or death.
But the use of such funds does not mean that a person should not follow safety rules. They consist primarily in the periodic inspection of your body during and after a walk.
Encephalitis ticks move silently. They have tenacious legs that easily grab clothing. So the bloodsucker passes from a bush or from grass to a person. But he will not bite right away. Ticks not only do not fly and do not jump, but also walk quite slowly.
Therefore, they will slowly climb higher and higher to find the most suitable place for a bite. Bloodsuckers prefer areas where the skin is relatively thin and the vessels are located close. This allows them to freely drink blood.
The only option when the ticks are in the air are cases in which the bloodsuckers are blown away by the wind. But they do not move over long distances, since the tick is quite heavy and quickly falls to the ground.
If it seems to a person that he saw a flying tick, most likely he simply takes another insect for a dangerous bloodsucker.
If we consider it is blood-sucking individuals, then it is worth highlighting only the elk tick, which is also known as deer bloodsucker. But this insect looks more like a fly than an ordinary tick that can carry encephalitis.
As for the whole body, it is desirable to reliably hide it from bloodsuckers. To do this, wear closed shoes, and be sure to tuck your pants in boots.
So the tick will not be able to get under the clothes, and at the first inspection it can immediately be seen. Experts recommend not to wear black clothes on hikes and on picnics. Bloodsuckers are very poorly visible on it.
It is not necessary to spray clothes constantly with an aerosol. Most often, a good remedy lasts for 5 days for reliable protection against ticks. Such drugs protect against mosquitoes for up to 15 days.
Too frequent and careless use of sprays to protect against ticks can lead to poisoning. Poisonous substances act very strongly on bloodsuckers.
Ticks simply paralyze, so they cannot bite. Moreover, many aerosols are supplemented with essential oils that repel bloodsuckers well.
People who find ticks on their heads often think that a bloodsucker just flew in or jumped from a tree. Physically, this is impossible, therefore, most likely, the tick simply crawled from head to foot. There are also cases when bloodsuckers bring animals into the house.
In order not to encounter such a dangerous situation, you need to pay enough attention to the treatment of pets with special means against fleas and ticks. It is especially important to carry out preventive maintenance in the spring and in the summer. During this period, ticks and fleas are most common.
Deer bloodsuckers
This is the only kind of ticks that really know how to fly. In fact, this is not a full-fledged tick, however, this bloodsucker is called so.
Bloodsucker deer can move through the air. It is not a full-fledged tick, but is more like a blood-sucking fly.
Nevertheless, it is better for a person to stay away from such insects, as they can cause infection with dangerous diseases. When a flying moose tick cannot find normal food for itself, it will rush at all warm-blooded ones. It is possible that he attacks the man.
People who say they saw flying ticks most often mean deer bloodsuckers. At first glance, they really can be confused.
Deer bloodsuckers live in the grass. However, when they feel the food is approaching, adults can quickly take off and cling to the victim. But long-distance flying elk mites do not move.
Despite the presence of wings, such insects fly quite poorly. After the bloodsucker bites its victim, it drops its wings.
Remove the flying tick carefully. It sticks strong enough, so it can rupture during extraction.
Ticks are not as dangerous as encephalitis.Nevertheless, they also need to be protected. The best solution is the right clothes and a special spray with a powerful insecticidal and acaricidal action.
What is dangerous elk tick with wings
An elk flea, it is also a deer louse, a bloodsucker, a tick - it is a brown fly that parasitizes on the body of sheep, deer, wild boars, goats and other animals. It feeds on their blood and is characterized by vitality.
Not only animals suffer from the insect, but also people. A tick with wings can cause different types of dermatitis, so the consequences of a bite can be quite severe. It is important to adhere to rules that help protect against parasite attacks during a trip to the forest.
View description
Ectoparasite belongs to the Bloodsucker family. It lives in Siberia, in the middle latitudes of Russia, in the north of China and America, as well as in the Primorsky Territory. The number of moose bugs depends on the total number of deer and moose in a particular area.
External characteristics
The main part of a strong body is a large head with large eyes. There are five of them: two main and three additional.
But despite this, the tick’s vision is poor. He does not distinguish colors, so he selects the victim in size, the larger it is, the more it will cause attention.
Until the louse drops its wings, it looks like a fly. Appearance looks like this:
- The length is from 3 to 3.5 mm.
- Mouth in the form of a proboscis.
- The shiny brown body is flat.
- Dense transparent wings are very developed, their length reaches 6 mm.
- The fourth part of the head is the eyes, the main ones are located on the forehead, additional from the side.
- The elasticity of the abdomen allows it to stretch and increase in size after the animal is saturated with blood.
- The upper part of the paws is thickened, there are also tenacious claws, due to which the insect can not jump.
Stages of development and way of life
During spring and summer, the moose fly larva develops in a cocoon, and at the beginning of September hatch from it and begin to search for a potential victim on which it will parasitize.
As soon as a suitable body is found, the tick flies to the animal, begins to adapt and feed on its blood. Then comes the step of finding a pair for breeding. As a result, a chrysalis is born. In the spring, ectoparasites die.
A deer bug can be confused with a forest bug. However, they have differences. The first has wings, which the ectoparasite drops after being dived onto an animal. And the legs of the elk bloodsucker have 6, and the usual tick has 8.
The deer fly on the animal begins to parasitize after it drops its wings, which prevent it from attaching to its fur. In order to enter the active phase and be able to bear children, the female needs to eat well (up to 20 times a day), sucking out 0.3-1.5 ml of blood at a time.
Mature males do not eat so often. Pupae are born one at a time after a couple of days. One female is able to breed up to 30 larvae.
They stop eating and sleeping well, become restless, growth in young animals slows down. Such regular blood loss can cause the death of the animal.
Pets can be saved from the presence of parasites, for this they are treated with special sprays from flies and ticks.
Danger to humans
In addition to animals, deer flies also attack humans. You can encounter this in the daytime in the forest when there is no wind. Cases of mass attack (more than 100 pcs / min.) Of insects per person have been recorded.
Since the tick with wings focuses on size, it attacks adults more often than seven-year-olds. The most attractive for bloodsuckers are moving targets.
Dropping an insect is almost impossible, it holds well with its tenacious nails. As soon as the moose fly sneaks under the clothes, it begins to drink blood. In rare cases, this process begins in half an hour or an hour. The bloodsucker will remain on the body until it is removed.
The reaction of different people to a bite is different. It depends on the individual or acquired sensitivity to the saliva of the parasite.
Lice cannot live on a person for a long time, they linger on his body only for 2 days, since human blood is not suitable for the birth of offspring.
There is no evidence that the deer tick is a carrier of infectious diseases. However, deer bloodsucker is dangerous for humans because it can cause many skin diseases.
Insect Protection Methods
Reindeer bloodsucker does not pose a mortal danger to humans, but causes discomfort. And if one individual is seen on the body, then another will soon be discovered.
Before you go to the forest, it is worth considering all the requirements for clothing, which will help to protect not only from the elk mite, but also from other parasites.
The equipment should look like this:
- The shirt should be fastened with all buttons.
- Jumpsuit is an ideal option. Clothing should be spacious and cover the entire body, but not limit the movement.
- Dense cuffs at the bottom of the legs and sleeves will protect from skin contact. If they are not there, trousers need to be tucked in socks or to use elastic.
- Plain clothes will help to quickly detect the parasite.
- The mosquito net protects against insects, it can be replaced with a hat, hood or scarf.
It is worth using repellents based on DET. For humans, they are not dangerous, but at the same time they protect against parasites. Among the effective: Off, Taiga, Raid, Cypermethrin 25, Raptor.
If nevertheless the bloodsucker managed to get through clothes, it is urgently necessary to get rid of it. You can do this in the following ways:
- Lubricate the sucking louse with sunflower oil. From a lack of oxygen in ten minutes it will disappear.
- You can use tweezers. With its help, the insect twists counterclockwise. It is important that the proboscis is also removed.
- To remove the bug, a thread is also suitable. For this, the belly is fixed in a loop and stretched with swaying movements.
Then the bite site must be treated with peroxide or cologne.
How to deal with a moose flea
There are cases that ectoparasites are found in the infield of a private house. In this case, the area should be treated with chemicals.
Carefully it is necessary to do this in those places where the grass grows, while high growths are mowed to eliminate the habitat of ticks with wings.
The smell of tansy and wormwood discourages salmon flies, so it is recommended to plant it near the house. Trees and bushes should be regularly sprayed with water, moisture is the enemy of a deer bug.
It does not tolerate sharp odors, so garlic tincture is used for watering or spraying. And also there are special processing aids that do not harm plants and pets.
To prevent contact with a deer bloodsucker, do not neglect safety measures (wear appropriate clothing, use repellents). It is important to take disinfectant and antihistamines with you. In order not to bring the bloodsuckers home, clothes after a walk need to be checked for the presence of attached ticks.
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