Where do ticks live in the grass? Which regions of Russia have the most dangerous ticks?

You can often hear that city residents are not very afraid of ticks. For some reason, it seems to them that in parks, lawns and well maintained place relaxing on green grass, there are no ticks. But is this really so?

Who is a tick and where does it come from?

It is difficult to answer this question accurately, because... All cities are different, both in type and in the amount of green space within the city. But it’s definitely true that if it has large and well-kept parks, recreation areas on the grass, and in general, any amount of greenery, there will be ticks. Scientists do not yet know how they get to various places where it is difficult for a pedestrian in the “concrete jungle” to arrive, but the fact remains: every year they are found where they were not expected.

Still, there is danger. Especially if your city is abundantly dotted with vegetation and in many parts comes into contact with forested areas, cattle fields and summer cottages. First of all, this applies to non-regional and small towns, where the population barely exceeds 100,000 inhabitants. Typically, they are even called "big villages" due to their "single-story" nature and dense green cover inside and around the suburbs. In such cities, you can pick up a tick right on the sidewalk and inion from the lawn near the road, with the same success as in open field. Unless the chance of a specific person doing this is small, but still.

There are more than 35,000 species of ticks, most of which live in areas with abundant vegetation and forests. – vegetation zones, fields, and forests, areas with high humidity and plants that can retain water.

Adults usually sit on tall grass:

• adults – grass above 1.5 m;
• nymphs - in grass at least a meter high;
• larvae – no higher than 30 cm.

But still, are there ticks on trees? No! Many people are mistaken in thinking that ticks are located on tree branches and, when the opportunity arises, jump onto a passing victim. Their habitat is tall grass, fallen leaves and dense thickets.

Are there ticks in the pine forest?

Therefore, before resting, you should take care of protection, use special means, clothes should be as closed as possible, and after a walk you should carefully examine the skin for the presence of bites.

Where in Russia there are no ticks

The risk of encountering ticks in Russia is low in the following areas where:

• there is no grass and bushes;
• lack of undergrowth;
• abundance of lichens and moss on the territory;
• rocky terrain;
• mountain slopes;
• rocky area.

It is worth noting that insects are almost never found on rocky areas, since it is difficult for them to gain a foothold on a slippery surface. Rest in such places will be comfortable and safest.

Where are the most ticks?

Ticks in the forest are one of the most common options; such areas have high humidity, there is a lot of foliage around, tall grass and fellings.

These are carriers of particularly dangerous pathogens: hemorrhagic fever, Lyme disease and encephalitis. often found in Krasnodar region, Moscow and Moscow region. Get infected hemorrhagic fever possibly in the Caucasus, in the Volgograd and Rostov regions. Tick-borne Encephalitis was seen on Far East, Volga region, Karelia, and Northwestern part of Russia. In the East, ticks are more common in Vladivostok.

If there is a high risk of ticks, control services should treat such areas by special means. At the same time, it is not always possible to completely get rid of insects, so when traveling to the city that seems safest at first glance, you should be careful and take safety measures. The danger lies not in the bite itself, but in the pathogens that they can transmit from an infected animal.

IN major cities According to statistics, ticks with an encephalitis pathogen are practically never found.

In such urban areas, blood-sucking insects are found along sidewalks; the risk of a bite in this case is as high as when you are in an open field. In such areas there is no special fight against ticks, since cities have small budgets, which are not enough to include measures to combat dangerous insects.

In cities with a population of over 500 thousand people, hazardous areas are treated with anti-tick agents during peak times of the year. Cases of bites are increasingly being recorded in big cities, in the suburbs and outskirts, fishermen and summer residents also suffer.

Which countries have no ticks at all?

In order to protect yourself and your loved ones when choosing a vacation spot, you need to know in advance in which places and countries ticks live.

Taiga tick. Photo from Wikipedia

Description of the ixodid tick

Dangerous diseases are transmitted mainly by two types of ixodid ticks: European wood tick (Ixodes ricinus) And taiga tick (Ixodes persulcatus).

Ixodid ticks go through several stages in their development. First it is a larva, then a nymph, and then an adult. The hungry European tick is small, which is why it is so difficult to notice. Male - only 2.5 - 3.5 mm, female - 3.5 - 4.5 mm. But as soon as they drink blood, their body increases to 1.1 cm. The color of the body is brownish-brown, and the glossy scutellum is dark brown. A sucked tick turns light gray.

The male (with a hard shield the size of his back) eats quickly and falls off, so he is often not noticed. Females (short shield in front) drink more blood and for longer, up to several days. These are the ones we usually remove from our bodies.

Ticks are difficult to notice on clothing, especially colorful or camouflage clothing. A plain light suit will allow you to quickly draw attention to the bloodsucker crawling across the fabric.

I would like to note in passing that dangerous infection can be conveyed in the most incredible way. For example, unboiled goat milk can cause encephalitis.

Who carries Ixodid ticks?

Ticks are carried by rodents (voles, shrews, etc.). Zoologists warn about how many dangerous things are hidden in the needles of hedgehogs. Even moles, martens, hares and birds can contribute to the transmission of ticks.

Ixodid ticks use many domestic animals not only as a donor, but also as vehicle. Dogs and cats also pick up ticks and carry them into the home or property of their owners.

And people themselves contribute to the spread of ixodid ticks. They bring them on their clothes, in baskets of mushrooms and in bouquets of wild flowers. Ticks can enter the area from (usually from lower branches and from trees lying on the ground) or from hay, grass and fertile soil from fields and forests.

Dangerous Seasons

You can get hurt by a tick all year round. Some individuals cannot sleep even in winter and in early spring. They are found in a pile of hay or in the grass in thawed areas above heating mains. Veterinarians know that a dog can get piroplasmosis even in winter. A friend of ours had a dog that suffered from a “January” tick, which ended up in the hay when changing the bedding in the kennel.

There are also seasonal spikes in tick activity. Spring begins when flowers, wolfberry and others bloom. The maximum number of visits to doctors occurs from the beginning of May to the middle or end of June. Autumn hunger for ticks begins in August - early September and continues until November.

Summer time cannot be considered safe, although there are fewer ticks. The tick is active in the morning and late afternoon. On a hot afternoon sunny place he is inactive, but wet grass and continues to wait for the victim in the shadows. On a warm night you can also catch a bloodsucker. In dry, hot weather and heavy rain, ticks hide.

Where do ticks live?

Ticks live in grass and low bushes, not at heights. They do not climb trees, only stumps. They love forests (especially spruce, birch and mixed ones). They prefer logging, undergrowth and grassy areas of the forest. Trampled earth and asphalt paths are not for them. Tall (from 7 cm) grass is their habitat. The lower the grass, the safer it is.

Pastures and meadows are also infested with ticks. They are also found on grassy roadsides. Residents of villages near Moscow know how many dogs that walk only in their own areas or along roadsides are sick with piroplasmosis. Muscovites also removed ticks from themselves after walking in parks or squares of the capital.

You should not sit on tree stumps or on a litter of leaves in the forest. The tick usually waits for its prey on the sides of forest paths, in river thickets and on forest edges. There are also many bloodsuckers in the pastures.

The tick does not fly and does not jump from trees after prey. He studies the situation, climbing onto the tip of a blade of grass. He has a wonderful sense of smell. The bloodsucker senses its prey at a distance of up to 10 m. It calmly waits for the approaching donor, then puts forward its paws with tenacious hooks, after which it grabs onto the hair, skin or clothing and searches for appropriate place for a bite, climbing up clothing. This most often takes from a few minutes to several hours.

Any trip to nature should end with a thorough examination of the person. There is no need to shake off removed clothing at home or in your area. Better above a bathtub, sink, etc. After walking in the forest, you should take a shower. This won't take much time, but will reduce the risk of getting fatal. dangerous disease. Of course, clothing should protect a person from ticks. Don't forget about repellents. About some effective means I wrote about defense in the article.

Is there any reliable way protect yourself from tick bites?

According to experts, repellents do not protect against ticks reliably enough. Even when applied according to the instructions, they disappear after just a few hours. Also remember that, despite all the claims of aerosol manufacturers, there are no anti-tick medications applied directly to the body, and repellents that protect against mosquitoes and midges are powerless against ticks.

Currently the most well-known method of prevention tick-borne encephalitis is a vaccination for children from 3 years of age and adults, which is recommended to be carried out 3.5 or (as a last resort) 1.5 months before departure to dangerous region. However, we must not forget that with borreliosis and other bacterial and viral diseases(there are more than a dozen of them) transmitted by ticks, this vaccine will not work. To prevent them, other drugs are needed, which have not yet been created. In addition, vaccination has many contraindications.

Going to the dacha:

• take care of the correct equipment - light-colored clothing (it is easier to spot a tick on it) with tight-fitting cuffs, trousers tucked into shoes;
• on summer cottage try to keep the grass trimmed short;
• Every morning, walk through an area with a so-called flag, which you can make yourself from big piece flannel or waffle fabric attached to a stick. By running such a flag across the grass and turning the fabric over, you can collect hidden ticks;
• While walking, inspect yourself every 30 minutes to promptly notice ticks on your skin or clothing.

Everyone is at risk

Alas, this is not true. And although 70% of cases of tick-borne viral encephalitis are most often registered in Siberia and the Urals, among the disadvantaged territories for the incidence of this disease are Tver, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Leningrad region and even several districts of the Moscow region. In addition to the above, natural foci of tick-borne borreliosis also include the Tomsk, Sverdlovsk, and Vologda regions. Every year in Russia over 500,000 visits to medical institutions regarding bites are registered. It is not uncommon to be attacked by ticks in city parks.

The first period of tick activity begins in April and lasts until mid-June. Largest quantity bites are recorded in May. The second “wave” begins in August and ends only in October. Individual bites are recorded in March, November, and even January.