On the territory of Russia, 2 types of ixodid ticks are widespread: taiga (Ixodes persulcatus) and European forest ticks (Ixodes ricinus). These parasites pose a serious danger to humans and animals. When bitten, ticks can infect encephalitis, borreliosis and other severe viral infections. In addition, the bite of even a sterile tick can cause serious allergic reactions.
The period of tick activity occurs during the relatively warm season. Parasite activity peaks during the summer months of June and July. However, cases of tick bites are recorded from April to October. In warm years, there are cases of bites by forest ticks in February-March.
What ticks are the most dangerous in the forest
It is dog and taiga ticks that more often than all others parasitize humans and, most importantly, carry a number of dangerous diseases. Therefore, these mites are given the highest priority.
These parasites are found in all types of forests in our country, but their species diversity and abundance vary depending on the natural zone. For example, Ixodes ricinus is confined to well-lit deciduous and coniferous-deciduous forests, where it prefers moist, sun-warmed areas. This species is distributed to the south up to the semi-desert zone.
Ixodes ricinus
Ixodes persulcatus, on the contrary, is confined to coniferous forests, and in mixed forests it is much less common. In the steppe zone, the taiga encephalitis tick is absent at all.
The photo below shows an adult female of the taiga tick Ixodes persulcatus:
And this is how the male looks like:
On a note
Representatives of the genus Dermaceptor, also feeding on blood, are widespread throughout Asia, Europe, reaching the shores of the Pacific Ocean. In the north, the habitat reaches up to the taiga zone. Dermaceptor spp. found in deciduous and mixed forests of various types. The preferred stations are meadows with high lush vegetation. They do not inhabit open steppe areas.
Dermacentor reticulatus
So it is rather difficult to determine in advance which forest will have the most ticks. Be that as it may, being in nature, you should know the places where parasites are likely to concentrate.
There is a nuance here: in relation to ticks, as well as among insects, the so-called "law of change of habitats" operates - with the advance of the range to the south, the demand of the species for moisture increases. Therefore, if in the taiga the taiga tick searches for dry, well-heated areas, then in the zone of mixed and deciduous forests, the accumulation of parasites will be observed in shaded, humid and rather cool places. This should be taken into account when choosing places to rest in the forest.
Nutrition of parasites and their danger to humans
All forest ixodid ticks are external blood-sucking parasites, which are characterized by long-term feeding. They spend the most important stages of their lives on the body of the host.
The life cycle of the parasite is directly related to the change of the host. If a tick at a certain stage of its development does not find a new victim, then after a while it dies. Therefore, in spring and autumn, forest ticks are very active and, in the literal sense of the word, bloodthirsty, as they strive to get enough to continue their development.
All types of life cycles of ixodid ticks can be divided into 3 groups:
- three-hosted;
- two-host;
- single-host.
With a three-host type of parasite development, only feeding individuals are on the host, and molting of immature stages, wintering, copulation and oviposition occur in the external environment. Most ixodids belong to this group.
With a two-host type of development, the larva sticks to the host, molts on it, and the already fed nymph disappears. This significantly increases the parasite's chances of survival, since the nymph will not starve. Most often, this type of development is observed in parasites of ungulates.
The single-host type of life cycle is the most evolutionarily advanced, when all stages of development occur on the host: the already fed female disappears, which will lay eggs into the environment. This cycle is typical for highly specialized blood-sucking ticks, which are closely related to the prey, and often live in their burrows or nests.
In the most dangerous species of ticks for humans (canine and taiga), a three-host type of development is observed. At the same time, the timely change of hosts is very important - at each stage of the life cycle, the parasite must be saturated, therefore the ticks are in constant search of a host.
Small larvae that have just emerged from the eggs attach to lizards, birds, and small rodents. Nymphs choose larger victims: squirrels, hares, dogs, cats, foxes. Adults often parasitize cattle, dogs, wild boars, moose, deer, and often stick to humans.
Such a multiple change of owners entails the transmission of dangerous diseases in the circle of hosts. The more often the parasite feeds, the more likely it is to become a carrier of pathogens of such dangerous diseases as tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis.
Wild animals that are found in forests are carriers of the corresponding pathogens, a kind of living reservoirs that have developed resistance to pathogens. Together with the blood, these pathogens enter the tick's stomach, and in the process of subsequent feeding, along with the saliva of the parasite, the infection also enters the victim's body.
On a note
That is why it is highly undesirable to press on the tick body when removing the sucked parasite from the skin: with strong pressure, additional portions of infected saliva enter the wound. The more saliva gets in, the higher the likelihood of further development of the disease.
See also important nuances in the article First aid for a tick bite in humans.
It is worth talking separately about what diseases ticks carry ...
It is also useful to read: Are mites found in a pine forest (and in coniferous forests in general)
Diseases carried by forest ticks
Forest ticks are mechanical carriers of pathogens of a number of dangerous diseases of humans and domestic animals. As already noted above, when the parasite is sucked into the digestive system from wild animals, together with their blood, pathogens of diseases, which the parasite transmits to the next host, when it re-feeds, also enter the digestive system.
There are dozens of tick-borne diseases by specialists, but we note only the most dangerous of them:
- Tick-borne encephalitis (sometimes also called spring encephalitis) is a natural focal viral disease, which is primarily characterized by damage to brain tissue. The disease can lead to irreversible neurological and psychological disorders and often to the death of the patient;
- Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease is named similarly to the name of the city in the United States, where it was first noted by doctors. The symptoms of infection are fever, cardiovascular and muscle disorders.The most pronounced sign of the development of infection after a borreliosis tick bite is a migrating red annular erythema, which appears at the site of the bite, and later can migrate throughout the body;
- Tularemia - the causative agent of this natural focal disease is the bacterium Francisella tularensis. Carriers are blood-sucking insects and ticks. The disease is characterized by fever, severe intoxication of the body, damage to the lymph nodes;
- Q fever - caused by the bacteria Coxiella burnetii. A person can become infected from farm animals while working in livestock farms, as well as through the bite of a tick infected in a natural focus. The incubation period lasts from 3 to 30 days. Symptoms are different and individual - it can be headache, nausea, vomiting, fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.
In addition to the above human diseases, ixodid ticks carry bacterial and viral diseases from wild animals to domestic animals.
They infect domestic animals:
- brucellosis;
- foot and mouth disease;
- leptospirosis;
- piroplasmosis;
- nuttaliosis;
- anaplasmosis, etc.
All these diseases are extremely dangerous for animals and can lead to a total death of livestock.
Red beetles
A very small type of parasite. Adults are about 1 mm in size, larvae - 0.02 mm. The larvae parasitizing on mice cause thrombidiasis in humans. Signs of thrombidiasis:
- itchy sore spots;
- nodules;
- abscesses.
Signs are very similar to flea bites.
On a note!
Since clothing prevents the larvae from spreading freely throughout the body, the main affected area in humans is the ankles.
When bitten, the larvae can transmit some infectious diseases:
- Q fever;
- tsutsugamushi;
- African tick-borne rickettsiosis.
Red beetles
Thrombidiasis is caused by the larvae themselves. Their food is not blood, as for ixodids, but skin cells. The larvae of red bovine mites live under the skin, in the hair follicles. The body reacts to the introduction of the larva by the formation of irritated spots and itching. When scratching, there may be a complication - pyoderma. The latter is caused by pyogenic cocci. After feeding for several days, the larvae fall away from the host and the remaining stages of transformation take place on the ground.
The appearance of the parasite
Canine, taiga and other ixodid ticks look similar in appearance to each other (see pictures below). Sometimes even specialists cannot quickly distinguish them without additional thorough research.
The color and size of these parasites can vary widely, from flesh-colored to dark gray or brown. Folds on the integument can sometimes form bizarre patterns, and the soft chitin of larvae and nymphs is translucent - through it, the color of blood in the tick's digestive system is visible.
Thus, it makes no sense to rely only on color when trying to determine the type of parasite that has attached itself.
All ixodids also have a similar type of body structure. It consists of the head section (gnatosome) and the trunk (idiosome) - in more detail, the structural features can be seen below in the photo:
The idiosome has the form of a well-stretchable sac, due to which the parasite can absorb blood in volumes much larger than the body size of a hungry individual.
On the ventral side of the idiosome there are four pairs of walking legs (tick larvae have only 3 pairs of legs, so sometimes ordinary people confuse them with insects).
In adults, sexual dimorphism is well pronounced: males are very different from females. Firstly, males are much smaller than females, the dorsal part of their body is covered with a dense, shiny shield that reaches the apex of the abdomen. Because of this, the body of males does not stretch as much as in females, in which the scutellum reaches only half of the back.
Females are usually larger than males and feed on the host longer (sometimes adult males do not drink blood at all, and after mating they quickly die).It is from blood saturation that the success of the formation of mature eggs and the continuation of the genus of parasites depend. If for some reason the female did not find a host or disappeared without being fully nourished, then the sexual products inside her will not form, and she will not be able to lay eggs.
Hyalomma anatolicum (left - female, right - male)
On the head part of the body of the tick, there are simple eyes that perceive changes in the intensity of illumination. The main sensitive function is performed by the organs of chemical sense located on the paws: it is by smell that the tick finds its prey. Also, bloodsuckers react intensely to heat (infrared radiation), which is scattered from warm-blooded animals.
Of particular interest is the structure of the tick's oral apparatus, which can only be examined in detail under a microscope. The oral apparatus of the parasite consists of:
- hypostome (proboscis with a rim of hooks);
- a pair of chelicerae;
- pairs of pedipalps.
On the pedipalps, the senses are located, which were mentioned earlier. Chelicerae look like sharp knives, cutting through the integument of the victim. The proboscis is similar to an elongated harpoon cylinder: when bitten, the parasite completely plunges it into the wound, feeding on blood, lymph and inflammation products.
On a note
The tick is very firmly fixed in the wound due to the rim of the hooks, located in longitudinal rows along the entire proboscis. They differ in size and angle. After insertion of the oral apparatus, the hooks are firmly fixed in the skin and tissues, especially if you try to pull out the parasite by force. Often, such a procedure ends for the victim in the fact that the proboscis remains in the wound.
Reproduction
Puberty occurs at the age of 14 months in both the female and the male. However, mating usually occurs between 2 and 3 years of age. The mating season begins in early June and lasts until July. At this time, females are in estrus, which lasts about 4 days, with an interval of 6 - 17 days.
Interesting! Pregnancy of a marten lasts about 28 days, but before that it goes through a latent stage of development, lasting 235 - 275 days.
One female brings from 2 to 7 puppies, which stay with the mother for 3 months. If the birth was late, then the puppies can live in their native den until spring.
Interesting features of the life of forest ticks
Forest (ixodid) ticks are common in all types of forests in Russia, Europe and America. For the main species of ticks, which are of paramount epidemiological importance, maps are provided, where their habitats are indicated. However, the distribution of parasites within the range can vary greatly, and depends on a number of factors.
It is also useful to read: How to get a sucked tick out of the skin
By the nature of their habitats in the external environment, these bloodsuckers can be divided into 2 groups:
- pasture parasites;
- burrowing parasites.
The pasture group includes species that do not have permanent shelters. Ticks with this type of life cycle attack the host in nature, where they disappear - molting, egg-laying and diapause occur in the external environment.
In case of refuge (burrowing) parasitism, ticks spend their entire life within the nest or burrow of the host: here the bloodsucker attacks the host and feeds on it, here it disappears and lays eggs.
Often, it is pasture parasites that parasitize humans, these include dog and taiga ticks. We encounter burrowing parasites less often.
It is interesting
Residents of multi-storey buildings sometimes face problems with the presence of blood-sucking ticks in their dwellings, when birds (swallows, pigeons, rooks) live in the attic or balconies of their house. Parasites living in bird nests can crawl into apartments, porches and bite residents. If a flock for some reason leaves the building, all the harmful fauna migrates rather quickly to warm apartments in search of other hosts.
During each active stage, ticks go through the following phases:
- post-larval development;
- activity;
- food;
- molting;
- egg-laying.
During periods of activity, mites with a pasture type of parasitism lie in wait for the hosts on the surface of the ground, grass, bushes, where they sit in a characteristic waiting position, putting the front pair of legs forward.
Blood-sucking mites almost never occur on vegetation above a meter and a half from the ground. They don't jump from trees.
Larvae live in the ground layer, nymphs are located at a maximum height of 50-70 cm, adults can reach a maximum limit of 1.5 m, but still prefer to sit on lush tall grass (30-40 cm).
These parasites are characterized by insignificant horizontal migration: they can pursue the prey for a short time or get closer to the animal paths. The main limiting factor is the rapid loss of moisture. After a short activity, the bloodsucker is forced to descend into the upper layers of the soil and be saturated with moisture.
Ticks do not sleep at night. In the warm season, they are sometimes even more active at night than during the day, since the air humidity is increased at night.
The increased sensitivity to the amount of moisture explains the fact that pasture mites predominate in the forest zone, and in the forest-steppe zone and steppe, most of the species prefer a burrowing lifestyle. Therefore, it is impossible to say that there are most ticks in the forest (park, square, field), but the probability of picking up a tick in the forest zone is indeed much higher.
The lifespan of forest ticks differs from species to species: on average, it is 2-3 years. The peak of parasite activity occurs in the autumn and spring months (mass reproduction in central Russia was noted in May and September). In summer and winter, bloodsuckers hide in the forest floor, under the bark of trees, as well as in sods of perennial grasses.
General description of the stone marten
Many people wonder what a stone marten looks like. An adult forest animal can reach a very large size, up to 60 cm in length, and in weight up to 2 and a half kg... The length of the tail can reach 30 cm. Nevertheless, the stone marten is very beautiful and luxurious in appearance. The fur of the animal is fluffy, shimmers in the sun and has a brownish tint. Also, the color is light beige, reddish, yellowish brown.
The stone marten has a slender, long body with a luxurious tail. The muzzle is slightly elongated, while the animal has a powerful jaw. Triangular ears flaunt on the top of the head.
Food
Stone marten eats not only raw meat, but also eggs, insects and their larvae... Also, the diet may include wild berries, frogs and fish. The forest animal loves honey, so it occasionally visits the bee hive. Based on the above facts, we can conclude that the animal is absolutely not picky about food, and eats whatever it finds, be it a fat caterpillar or tasty juicy strawberry, or maybe a hare.
The following berries are most suitable for the proper development of the animal:
From fruits, pears and all varieties of apples can be distinguished. Undoubtedly, the animal loves nuts, because they contain all the necessary proteins and vegetable fats that help to develop correctly and not lag behind at all.
The main delicacy there are small rodents in the forest:
Also, the animal does not disdain small birds:
These animals are not stupid and know what to do in order not to die of hunger in winter. They procure all the necessary materials for living in the harsh snowy season, as well as certain food. This is very important, because in addition to the cold, there is almost nothing to eat in winter, everyone is hiding under layers of snow and foliage. Animals love store different varieties of berries, nuts, eggs... As a rule, all this is in the trees. And if someone else finds this blank, it is almost impossible for the marten to survive in winter without food.Hares and rodents only occasionally run, but this is not enough.
The habitat of the stone marten
The animal mainly lives in mature oak and spruce forests. Only here it is cozy, spacious and most comfortable. But besides forests, there are exceptions, the animal can be in fields and meadows. Rocky landscapes are not in his part, the animal does not tolerate this.
Reproduction and care of young animals
Stone marten able to reproduce after a year of life... Preferably in summer, the animal tries to find a forest partner. Oddly enough, a female's pregnancy lasts about 28 days. One healthy female can give birth to up to 4 small animals. Cubs are born blind, completely hairless. They are only able to open their eyes after 30 days.
The life of a marten on average lasts about 3-4 years, but it is extremely rare for an animal to live for 10 years.
Since the marten is a mammal, it is natural that it feeds its young with milk. Feeding period approximately 40 days, then, after the teeth have come out, the animals feed on solid food and live with their mother for the whole season.
What to do if the parasite has sucked
If a sucked tick is found on the body, do not panic. You can easily get rid of the parasite at home.
The main thing is to clearly adhere to simple rules:
- Do not expect that the tick will disappear by itself - it must be removed, and the sooner this is done, the better;
- Do not try to burn the parasite with a match or suffocate it with a drop of oil. This does not work;
- Do not press on the body of the tick with tweezers or fingers (this is how an additional amount of saliva is squeezed into the wound, which may contain pathogens);
- The easiest way to remove the parasite is with a special tick removal device;
- If there is no tick ticker at hand, then you can twist the tick with your fingers or a thread, making a loop between the gnatosome and the idiosome. In this case, you do not need to pull sharply, but you just need to twist, gently pulling the parasite outward;
- After removing the tick, you should treat the wound with alcohol (or brilliant green, iodine) and wash your hands thoroughly;
- If the bite occurred in an epidemiologically unfavorable region for tick-borne infections, then the tick must be placed in a small test tube (or jar) and contact a specialized laboratory. There, the parasite is examined for infection with tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis.
After the incident, the victim's condition should be closely monitored for at least 3 weeks. It is important to see a doctor as soon as possible at the slightest sign of sickness.
For important details, see also the article on the incubation period for tick-borne encephalitis in humans.
Breeding, fishing, commercial value
Of the weasel family, only some species are not of interest in terms of fur extraction. Most, starting with the king of sable fur, are considered valuable fur animals. Magnificent marten fur coats adorn the wardrobes of modern fashionistas and are inexpensive. Practical and beautiful fur of martens withstands 7 seasons of socks and rightfully occupies one of the leading positions in the lists of popularity.
Interesting! The structure of the marten fur is well ventilated without trapping dust particles, which increases its hypoallergenic properties.
The annual hunt for marten is strictly limited due to the limited number of the animal in its habitat. At fur auctions, the sale of marten skins is limited to 500 pieces. In the methods of hunting for an animal, fishing with a dog remains the best. Traps and snares, into which the animal falls, do not provide quality raw materials. During the time that the hunter takes traps to check, small rodents and other predators manage to spoil the fur.
Attempts to buy marten for home maintenance often end in failure. It is difficult to find puppies obtained in captivity, and those brought from the forest either die or require special conditions for normal development.
To meet industrial needs, martens are actively cultivated on fur farms. Attempts to buy marten for home maintenance often end in failure. It is difficult to find puppies obtained in captivity, and those brought from the forest either die or require special conditions for normal development. A marten is not kept in a small cage; for it it is necessary to build a large aviary equipped with trees, hidden manholes and other attributes of the animal's free life.
In nature, animals rarely live up to 5-6 years, but in captivity, with proper care, they age successfully, living for 18-20 years.
How to avoid tick bites in the forest
It can be quite difficult (strictly speaking, almost impossible) to avoid tick bites guaranteed if you are in the forest, but this is not a reason not to let your child go to the park or give up favorite walks with your pet. There are a number of techniques that can dramatically reduce the risk of a tick bite.
The first and foremost is to use closed light clothing (it is easier to see a creeping parasite on a light background and take it off in time). Trousers should be tucked into socks, a jacket - into trousers, cuffs should fit snugly around the wrists. In this case, hitting the pant leg, the parasite will have to crawl up for a long time, right up to the wrists or head. It is advisable to put on a tight-fitting cap, kerchief, hat on your head.
On a note
There are also special anti-mite overalls on sale. They contain so-called mite traps - a kind of small pockets and seams aimed at mechanically trapping parasites.
While in nature, you need to try to avoid potentially clawed places: it is undesirable to walk on tall grass in open bright glades, along animal paths and pastures. Do not lie on the ground or grass.
For additional protection, it is useful to use repellents from ticks: many means have been developed that can effectively repel and destroy parasites that are attached to clothes. Depending on the composition, some of them are applied only to clothing, others are allowed to be applied to the skin. To protect children, you should purchase specialized baby tick bites.
It is also important to regularly examine yourself and loved ones while relaxing in the forest - the tick does not stick right away, but often only a few tens of minutes after it hits the skin.
Japanese sable
The average size of this animal is only 56 cm, nevertheless, the sable is one of the most powerful and dexterous taiga predators leading a terrestrial lifestyle. The color of the sable is very diverse: from dark brown and almost black, to fawn and light sandy.
This medium-sized predator grows up to 54 cm in length and weighs between 1 and 1.6 kg. The Japanese sable has a yellowish brown or brown fur color with a light mark on the back of the head.
Japanese sable.
Predators are found both in forests and in more open landscapes, and their range passes through the southern Japanese islands of Tsushima, Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu.
Japanese sable.
Despite the fishery of these animals, the state of the populations of all marten species today does not cause concern, although some rare subspecies are protected by states.
Are forests being sprayed against ticks today?
Now, a few words about the mass cultivation of forests in order to destroy ticks. So, today, unlike the times of the USSR, forests are not pollinated from ticks.
Many people remember how spraying was done in the past. The forests were treated with chemically active substances, which had a very detrimental effect on the state of the ecosystem as a whole. The treatment areas were colossal, and the ticks are quite tenacious, therefore, powerful substances were required (it is also necessary to take into account the fact that tick eggs are much more resistant to the action of acaricides than larvae, nymphs and adults).
As a result, together with forest ticks, a wide variety of other invertebrates died en masse (some of which, by the way, were natural enemies and regulators of the number of ticks). Be that as it may, despite all efforts, the Ixodids relatively quickly restored their numbers and their harmfulness.
On a note
Another problem was noticed - in populations of ticks, resistance to frequently used acaricidal agents was rapidly developing: there was a constant need to search for more and more new substances.
Ultimately, experts came to the only correct conclusion: vaccination of the population against tick-borne encephalitis in epidemiological and environmental terms is much more rational and productive than total cleaning during acaricidal forest treatments.
Testing various anti-tick remedies
Stone marten. Stone marten lifestyle and habitat
Very pretty little animals "white-haired" or stone martens Are the only weasels who are not afraid to settle close to people. Although the closest relatives of these curious animals are sables and pine martens, the white-headed squirrel resembles a squirrel in its habits, it can be easily found in parks, in attics of houses, near sheds with poultry.
