Probably, everyone already knows that in late spring and early summer in nature there is a massive activity of ticks. Visiting the forest without a hat and covered clothing is dangerous. But how do ticks behave in the fall? Is it possible to be absolutely calm at this time of the year while walking outside the city? It seems that we only dream of peace. Because...
Ticks are dangerous in the fall!
Yes this is true! But the autumn season is so long, is it really necessary to be afraid of these little malicious parasites for all three months? No, ticks are active only in September and early October.
Those. if you decide to take a breath of fresh forest air on a warm September day, then security measures must be taken. Why it is necessary to do this, it will become clearer to you if you read about the periods of activity of dangerous blood-sucking insects. Alas, ticks in the fall are not fictitious, but cruel reality.
When the enemy is awake
Forest ticks have not one active period in a year, but two. Spring begins when the air temperature reaches approximately + 10 ° C. When this happens, the parasites hungry for hibernation go hunting. By the way, unlike mosquitoes, whose males do not feed on blood, in mites both females and males are blood-sucking.
Only the first to get enough, you need much more time. Their hunt for warm-blooded creatures runs from approximately late April to mid-June. Well, followed by a period of diapause, after which, at the end of August, the parasites again attack. This disgrace can last until mid-October. The time frame here largely depends on how warm the fall season turned out to be. Ticks behave in the same way in the autumn as they do in the spring; in other words, they simply do not know how. The second period of activity is somewhat weaker than the first, but this does not make it less dangerous for people and animals.
Where to wait for the attack?
For some reason, it is widely believed that ticks must be expected from somewhere above from trees. Perhaps this can also happen, but only as an exception to the general rule. Scientists claim that these insects live in grass and in bushes, and not on trees. Those. mites in the fall can easily fall onto your clothes not at all from above, but from below and then slowly creep up, looking for your most vulnerable spot. Parasites like delicate skin, so their favorite places are: on the neck, behind the ears, under the chest, etc. By the way, they always crawl from the bottom up, and not vice versa.
Most ticks occur near rivers and streams, as these blood-sucking, like their counterparts - mosquitoes, are very hygrophilous. And also a favorite place for the location of ticks - in the grass near forest paths and paths. They have the same diabolical flair, and they catch the smell of people and animals for 10-15 meters. The tick is able to move in the air with gusts of wind, i.e. he does not cost anything to overcome this distance almost instantly.
If you can’t avoid a bite
It is not necessary to find out whether ticks are dangerous in the fall, through experiments with their own health. If you come from a walk and find a sucking parasite on your body, do not wait for it to drink blood and fall off yourself. Better take the tweezers and grab the body of the insect, as close as possible to the place of contact with the skin. The tweezers must be held at a right angle and the parasite removed by rotational movements. It is necessary to act carefully, because it is very important to pull out the whole tick without leaving its head or proboscis in the wound. Remaining particles can cause inflammation and suppuration. Do not try to drip oil and other substances on the insect in the hope that it will come out by itself. This is unlikely to happen, just spend time.
After the tick has been removed, the site of the bite must be treated with iodine, alcohol or vodka. Of course, the best thing that you can do after you have been bitten is to seek qualified help in honey. institution. And it would be nice to take the tick to the laboratory in order to find out if it is a carrier of encephalitis.
Precautionary measures
Now that we know for sure whether there are ticks in the autumn in the forest, let's talk a little about what can be done for our own safety. There is nothing difficult and complicated. Your clothes should be covered. Long trousers tucked into boots or socks, a shirt with sleeves are suitable equipment for forest walks in a dangerous period. After returning home, before taking off your things, be sure to carefully inspect them and only after that undress.