The reality is that almost 48,000 species of ticks thrive in nature ! They live everywhere, even in Antarctica, occupying the soil, parasitizing on birds and animals, settling on plants and food. So whether we want it or not, a collision with them is more than possible. Therefore, how to kill ticks, everyone should know. Fortunately, not all of their species are parasitic. Many ticks are common predators or scavengers of the insect world. These do not interest us. Let's try to embrace the immensity and in one small article tell about a huge family of parasites that poison our lives.
Ixodid ticks
These feed only on the blood of animals, birds, and people. In nature, there are already 700 species. The features of their body are such that they can carry the viruses of encephalitis, borreliosis, and other dangerous diseases without scant harm to themselves. If a person is bitten by just such a tick, the probability of infection is high. After a bite, the virus enters the bloodstream instantly, and into the brain the very next day. Encephalitis medications do not always help, and there are many deaths, especially among children. There are two subspecies of ticks - Far Eastern and Siberian, the mortality rate from the bite of which is 25%! Therefore, it is much more important to know not how to kill a tick, but how to avoid a bite. In Russia, these parasites are common in Siberia, the Far East, Moscow, Leningrad, Ulyanovsk, Samara regions, and Karelia. The peak of the attack is May-June. Moreover, ticks can be found not only in the forest, but also in cottages, cemeteries, and parks.
The "face" of the enemy
The appearance of representatives of different species of ixodidae is somewhat different. There are ticks with a plain back and patterned, there are dark, almost black, and there are light brown and gray. The common thing between them is that a well-fed tick is many times larger than a hungry tick and looks like a bloated blood bubble. The length of the hungry is from 0.2 mm to 5 mm. The body is whole, the head is not clearly marked. In some species, the body is covered with a shell or shields. He has 4 pairs of legs, and there are stitching-sucking mouth outgrowths on his head. How to kill a tick if you suddenly caught it on yourself? Just crush it? His covers are so hard that after such an execution he continues to live on. Therefore, it is recommended to burn it, but it is better to take it to the laboratory for tests to find out if it is infected with viruses or not.
How ticks bite
The majority of representatives of ixodid ticks are blind, so the assertion that they attack only those in white is at least misleading. The parasite reacts to the heat and smell of the victim’s body, and smells it for 10 meters or more! While waiting, he can sit on a blade of grass or a tree for 4 weeks, and after waiting for his jumps on the victim and begins to crawl along it in search of a place with thinner skin (armpits, groin, neck, stomach). They bite painlessly, as they inject a special analgesic substance into the victim. Therefore, often people learn about a bite only by red spots (erythema) or by the symptoms of the onset of diseases (temperature, nausea, headaches). In this regard, the question of how to kill ticks fades into the background. On the first - how to protect yourself from ticks, if you do not even always notice them. Some advise you to inject a special immunoglobulin, which you need to have with you. Experts doubt the effectiveness of this measure. There are cases when immunoglobulin worsened the course of the disease, but did not save it.
Prevention
With regard to ticks, it is difficult to overestimate it. Many zealous owners in crowded places (recreation centers, campsites, parks) process green spaces from parasites. How to kill ticks in their own suburban area? For this purpose, Medilis-Ziper, Dermacenter, Hemafizalis preparations are suitable. Some use DDT. All of these drugs have instructions for use that must be followed.
The second important step in prevention is vaccination. She will not save from bites, but she is the only one who will 100% protect against infection with deadly diseases. Vaccination is especially necessary for those who live in the regions chosen by ticks, as well as those who are going there.
For those who go to the forest, and not to a country house treated with parasites, there are simple rules to help avoid tick bites. They are simple:
- every 2 hours, examine your clothing for ticks;
- put on long trousers in the forest, the bottom of which is tucked in socks, the blouse should also be with long sleeves;
- upon returning home, wash clothes.
The parasite sucked
How can I kill a tick that has managed to stick to the skin? Some advise not to engage in amateur performances, but immediately rush to the doctor. This is wrong, because the sooner you get rid of the bloodsucker, the fewer viruses (if it has one) get into the body. The tick itself is removed as follows:
1. The body is tied with a thread as close to the surface of the skin as possible, that is, its head, and slowly begins to swing, until the tick pulls its head out of the bite. If she suddenly comes off and remains in the skin, it is necessary to pick it out with a disinfected needle.
2. Close the tick on the skin with a cotton swab moistened with oil, grease it with petroleum jelly or drip its body with wax, that is, shut off oxygen to it. They say that without the ability to breathe, he crawls out.
3. Squeeze the body of the tick with tweezers to pluck the eyebrows and begin to slowly turn (do not pull) from the skin. It is important to crush the parasite! Then its contents instantly fall into the wound. If the tick is successfully removed, grease the bite with alcohol or iodine, rinse the tweezers and the needle.
Chemical fight
The industry produces tick killer drugs. They are divided into:
- repellents, i.e. repellents;
- acaricidal (paralyzing parasite);
- insecticidal-repellent (2 in 1).
Repellents are good because they relieve all blood-sucking creatures (gnats, mosquitoes, ticks) while they are in nature. These funds are toxic, but not more than any other, serving a similar purpose. There are also repellents for children. It is necessary to apply them both on clothes and on the skin, and it is advisable for babies to spray their heads. The disadvantages of repellents are the short duration, weathering, washing off with water and so on. There are a lot of them on sale - Pretix, Off! Extreme, Deta-VOKO, Biban and others containing diethyltoluamide and permethrin compounds.
What remedy kills ticks to death
The answer is acaricides. It is they (substances based on sulfur, chlorine, phosphorus organics) that destroy ticks on plants, products (for example, seeds), are part of preparations for the destruction of parasites in animals and birds. For people, there are acaricidal sprays, which, however, do not kill, but only paralyze the ticks of the paws. All acaricidal preparations have a high toxicity class, therefore they are not applied to the skin, but only to clothing (not worn on a person, but lying on the side). It can be used only after the preparation has dried. The choice of acaricidal sprays is wide. These are “Tornado-antic tick”, “Gardeks-antic tick”, “Reftamid taiga” and others. Each such tool that kills ticks is quite effective, but when working with them, you need to follow safety rules.
Insecticidal-repellent products combine 2 in 1. In any case, this is what the manufacturers intended, for sure. They are also toxic, therefore they are applied only to clothing.
Scabies
This disease is now rare, but do not forget about it. It is caused by scabies mites. You can pick them up only with direct contact (including sexual) with the infected. Clothing and household items are not involved in the process. Once on a healthy person, the female parasite, like a mole, immediately begins to dig a move in the skin. Productivity - up to 5 mm per day. In half an hour she manages to completely disappear in her mink. What is curious: scabies mites do not care, their victim is a fan of cleanliness or has been unwashed for a month. They live on everyone. Signs of damage include a rash, itching, and broken lines (itch minks or passages). However, there are times when such symptoms are absent. Favorite places for moves - between the fingers and toes, genitals, wrists. The rash begins there, and then spreads throughout the body.
The scabies itself are not terrible, but its complications. So, in half of the patients dermatitis and purulent inflammation are observed, and in some, especially weakened people, with scabies pneumonia, erysipelas, internal abscesses and other diseases occur. How to kill a subcutaneous tick? For this purpose, ointments with benzyl benzoate, lindane, melation are used. The drug "Ivermectin" has proven itself well.
Animals also have scabies mites, but they are not transmitted to humans.
Demodex
These ticks are 65 species, but there are only two “human” ones. One lives in hair bags, the other in sebaceous glands. The sizes of parasites are microscopic, up to 0.5 mm. Some believe that teenagers suffer from demodexes. This is not so, 2/3 of the elderly and half of middle-aged people are affected by ticks. They are transmitted from the patient to healthy only through close contact. Many of us do not suspect that they are carriers of this tick, as there are no symptoms. They begin to appear with stress, diseases that weaken the immune system. An ailment begins, characterized by itching, rash, pustules. Demodecosis is often confused with conventional acne. To determine if there is a tick or not, you can only laboratory tests.
How to kill a tick? Demodex has a fairly dense cover through which drugs penetrate poorly. However, ointments are the main medical tool. Good reviews are used by Permethrin, Tsinkikhtilovaya, Amitrozin (for eyelids), and liquid chlorophyll. Folk healers recommend treating the disease with streptocide, tar soap, personally prepared ointments with gunpowder, garlic (compresses with oil are made of it). With all types of treatment, it is necessary to strengthen the immune system, organize the correct daily regimen and nutrition, and eliminate stress.
Barn Tick
These parasites live not only in the barn, but also on the roots of plants, in nests of birds, in onions, grains, flour, sugar, cheese, wine, dried fruits. Their sizes are up to 0.5 mm, so it is difficult to notice such a tick with the naked eye. Sugar and flour mites are the culprits of the so-called scabies of the grocer. The infected person has reddening of the skin, itching, and when the parasite enters the body, intestinal acariasis, fraught with diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and urinary acariasis, in which the urogenital organs are damaged, are connected. Cheese and wine mites also cause gastrointestinal diseases.
How to kill ticks on products? No way. Spoiled products must be discarded, and the places and containers where they were stored should be treated with a soap solution with bleach. Some advise using orange oil (a few drops in a glass of water). Prevention of infection: having brought cereals and products from the store, put them in the freezer for a day.
Spider mite
There are about 1300 species of these parasites, but the most famous is the common spider mite. The size of the insect does not reach 1 mm, and the color changes from the stage of development. Larvae are slightly greenish, almost transparent, adult females are bright. orange red. They spoil about 200 plant species. The complexity of the fight against parasites is that their eggs remain viable for up to 5 years, and you can find them in the soil, on flowerpots, in the crevices of window frames and window sills. Spider mites eat plant juice, while rewarding their host with a number of diseases (gray rot, viral phytoinfection). The sign of lesions is small light dots on the leaves (lower side) and the web. A diseased plant must be immediately isolated from healthy ones, the window sill should be processed. How to kill a spider mite? To do this, use insecticides:
“Karbofos.”
- Fitoverm.
- Intavir.
“Aldicarb.”
Popular methods are as follows:
- put garlic cloves next to the plant or place a lid with turpentine, wrap the pot with polyethylene and leave for a day;
- spray the plant with infusion of dandelion or onion husk roots.
There is also a biological control method - to place predator ticks, which are sold in specialized stores, next to diseased plants.