Ticks are arachnids; the body of a hungry tick is flat and resembles a small coin. Rear end Brown, and the head and upper part are black and covered with chitinous protection. The head of the mites is flat and elongated, adapted to penetrate the skin, after which the jaws move apart and are firmly fixed.
Female mites, after saturation, can significantly increase in size, becoming bean-like. Female mites attach themselves to the skin and to remove them from the body, you must resort to special tools. After saturation, the males fall off on their own, and if you did not have time to pull it out, it will fall off on its own.
Tick bites
Symptoms of bites from infected ticks:
- Heat;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Headache;
- Redness of the face and neck;
- Weakness and painful sensations in the muscles.
Such symptoms are observed after a bite encephalitis tick, they can appear after 4 - 14 days, since incubation period the virus can last quite a long time.
How to remove a tick
Every person who is planning a camping trip should know how to remove a tick at home.
Before using repellents, carefully read the instructions for use.
At the beginning of May, there is already grass everywhere, the first spider bugs and... dangerous insects - mites - appear. What a meeting with them leads to, how to properly remove an insect and treat the wound, you need to know in order to prevent the serious consequences of a bite.
Which ticks are dangerous to humans?
These small arthropods, whose body length barely reaches 5 mm, there are over 150 thousand species, but only a few of them are dangerous, because when bitten they carry the following diseases:
Ticks have 6 pairs of legs, of which the first front is called chelicerae, the second is called pedipalps. They form a piercing-cutting mouth structure, and the rest are used for movement.
The first pair of limbs of the tick also serves as a thermal imager and is used to search for prey.
Of the variety of ticks that bite humans, the following types:
How ticks bite and ways to protect yourself from them
Precautions in nature
If you are going out of town in the spring or early summer, no matter how warm the weather is, remember that ticks are dangerous until mid-July. Therefore, clothing should be completely covered - sweaters with long sleeves and a tight-fitting collar, a scarf to prevent hair ticks from getting on the body, pants tucked into socks.
All clothes can be processed by special means from insects Prevention measures at home
Ticks living in apartments love warmth, moisture and dirt. To prevent their occurrence, follow the rules of hygiene:
- If the tick turns out to be non-infectious, the skin at the site of the bite will tighten, the head will remain under it and a tubercle will form. In the future, inflammatory processes may develop, so consult a doctor.
- If the insect is infected, there will also be a bump on the skin, but symptoms of the disease will also appear. Therefore, if you see a tick on yourself and cannot pull out its head, immediately run to the doctor.
Extraction using saliva
If you have nothing at hand, use this method:
- Wet your finger and move it over the tick so that it and the area around it are completely covered in saliva.
- Take the insect by the body and begin to rotate it in any direction. The main thing is to do it quickly and not tear the head away from the body.
- The insect finds itself in a vacuum and does not receive oxygen; it becomes dizzy from rapid rotation in one direction and sticks its head out. When this happens, place it in a closed container and take it to the laboratory.
Extraction using vegetable oil
All steps are the same as described above, but using vegetable oil. This provides even better glide and creates a film on the surface, which prevents the tick from surviving. Not all doctors believe safe ways, where the tick finds itself in a vacuum: it regurgitates the contents of the stomach into the wound and can infect a person.
Vegetable oil creates a film through which it is difficult for ticks to get out on their own. Using thread
You can pull out a tick using a thread:
- Make a loop and drape it over the body of the insect near the very base of the head so that it fits snugly to the skin.
- Pull it a little and slowly twist it, making sure that it does not move.
- After making 2-3 turns, gently pull the ends - the tick will come out easily.
When the thread is twisted, the insect's forelimbs are rolled up, which holds it in the skin. If you pull the body right away, they will remain in the skin.
Special tweezers for ticks look like a hook-shaped fork with two teeth Using a syringe
- Press it to the place where the tick sits. If the edges are uneven, lubricate them with cream and press firmly against the skin to create a vacuum.
- Pull the piston up until it stops. Everyone must come out with the tick toxic substances, which the insect managed to inject when biting.
It is advisable to cut the top of the syringe straight so that air does not enter through the uneven edges What to do if the head remains in the skin
- Heat a needle or pin over the fire.
- Wipe the bite area with a damp cloth until you can clearly see it (looks like a black dot).
- Pick the skin over it and pull out the head.
- Treat the area to prevent infection.
If you are not confident in using a needle to remove the trunk, consult a doctor. You can treat the wound with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green or iodine. There is no need to cover it with an adhesive plaster or bandage it: if the skin breathes, it will heal faster.
How to remove a tick with a syringe
There is another one alternative way, allowing you to get rid of an unexpected guest without any problems. To implement it, you will need a knife and a syringe, preferably an insulin one, but you can use a syringe with a capacity of 2 cubic centimeters.
After removing a tick from a person’s body with a syringe, a small bruise may remain at the site of the bite, but this is not so scary compared to the risk of contracting a dangerous disease.
Should you use oil to remove ticks?
The common belief that a tick will fall off on its own if it is lubricated with oil is unfounded. Moreover, it is absolutely impossible to do this. And that's why:
- the tick breathes from the back, it will suffocate in a drop of oil and remain in the body;
- when frightened, the animal will throw out everything into the owner’s body harmful substances, which are in his digestive system and pathogens of infectious diseases, if any.
Thus, it is better not to experiment and try to remove the tick with oil.
What to do with a tick after removal
The methods described above for removing ticks at home, when performed correctly, guarantee that the insect will remain alive. Only in this case will he be taken for analysis for borelliosis - the most common infection transmitted by this arthropod. To deliver the tick to the designated place intact, it must be placed in a jar on a damp cotton wool or piece of cloth.
Now you know how to avoid damaging and correctly remove a tick from a person, but there are times when even with the right actions, the tick may not be completely removed. Read what to do in this case.
With the arrival of warm days, few city dwellers are not in a hurry to go to nature. Parks, forests, vegetable gardens and groves are the favorite places that each of us loves to visit. However, outdoor recreation does not only bring joy, satisfaction and fun. Picnics are often marred by unpleasant insects - ticks.
The tick is one of the oldest insects, which has more than forty thousand subspecies. Most ticks feed on tiny organisms, fungal spores, and plant foods. Only a few species of these insects drink the blood of animals and humans.
Ticks live in forested areas; they settle in grass and bushes. Most often, ticks are located along paths along which people and pets walk. The insect senses the approach of a person thanks to its incredibly sensitive sense of smell. If you are at a distance of 8-10 meters from the tick, it already knows about your approach. The tick is conveniently located at the ends of the blades of grass and, when touched, tightly clings to your clothing.
A tick does not bite a person right away; first, he needs to choose a suitable place for this. Most often, tick bites occur on the scalp, neck, shoulders, inner bends of the knees and elbows - that is, places with thin skin. The tick slowly rises to the head along the trouser leg and, having selected appropriate place, digs firmly into your skin. Its proboscis looks like a thin bolt that screws into the skin, getting to the tasty blood. A person does not feel the bite because the tick's saliva contains painkillers. The body of the bloodsucker is flat and small, but after a meal the tick inflates and increases in size several times. When the insect drinks blood, it falls off the skin on its own. However, in most cases, a person discovers a bloodsucker even before he has had enough.
Why are tick bites dangerous?
The fact is that ticks are carriers of a huge number of diseases and infections. According to statistics, every tenth tick is potentially dangerous. Biting one person with infectious disease, and then digging into the blood of a second person, the tick easily transfers pathogenic bacteria from one organism to another. The greatest danger is encephalitis, which is successfully spread by ticks. At the very beginning, the disease is similar to a common cold - aching joints, weakness, fever. As the disease progresses, it becomes affected nervous system, paralysis may occur, and signs of epilepsy appear.In addition to encephalitis, a person after a tick bite can become infected with monocytic ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease. All these diseases are extremely dangerous and in the absence of timely medical care can lead to death. Along with this, each person can react individually to an insect bite. An allergic reaction may include vomiting, rash, and fever. This is why it is so important to immediately consult a doctor after a tick bite. And if possible, bring the insect to the laboratory for research.
How to remove a tick yourself
Of course, the best person to handle this task is a doctor. However, most often ticks attach themselves to humans in nature, when there are no medical facilities nearby. In this case, you need to be able to provide medical care timely and competently. So, how to remove a tick from a person at home?
Thread
Sometimes, when traveling, there are no tweezers or clamps at hand. Then it will do regular thread. Make a small loop and drape it over the tick. Tighten the loop so that it is at the very base of the insect's proboscis. After this, carefully pull out the bloodsucker in a circular motion. Do not pull so that the proboscis does not remain under the skin!
Hands
If the situation requires a quick solution, you can pull out the tick with your hands, or rather, with your nails. Carefully grab the insect closer to the proboscis and twist it, as in the previous methods of removing the bloodsucker with tweezers or thread. Be careful not to squeeze the tick with your fingers. Otherwise, it may inject even more poison into the skin.
Syringe
This is another way to safely remove a tick. To implement it, we will need a regular medical syringe without a needle. You need to cut off the top part of the syringe where the needle is attached. The cut should be as even as possible in order to fit more tightly to the body. Carefully place the cap on the insect and then pull back the plunger. A vacuum will form inside the syringe, which will remove the bloodsucker.
Tweezers
When you pull out a tick, it is important to remember that you need to do this carefully and carefully, so that its proboscis comes out completely and does not come off and remain in the skin. A medical clamp works best for this. It has sharp edges that can tightly grip an insect. Instead of a clamp, you can use simple tweezers, which can be found in every woman’s cosmetic bag, even when traveling. Squeeze the tick tightly, but not too hard, otherwise you may simply crush it. Grab the bloodsucker closer to the proboscis. There is no need to pull it out; the screwed-in trunk can simply come off. You need to carefully twist the insect around its axis to remove it along with the proboscis.
Today, the pharmacy has special devices in the form of curved tweezers. They are designed to safely remove ticks. When going on a hike or outdoor recreation, do not forget to put this necessary item in your travel first aid kit.
After extraction
Remember that the entire procedure should be as safe as possible for you. Before removing a tick using improvised means, you need to disinfect all devices that will come into contact with the open wound.
After removal, you need to disinfect the wound. To do this, treat it with iodine, potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or other antiseptics. If, when extracted, part of the tick (its head or proboscis) remains inside the skin, you need to take additional measures. To do this, take a disinfected needle and carefully remove it from the skin. foreign body like a thorn. Treat the wound and consult a doctor to eliminate the possibility of infection with serious diseases carried by ticks.
The insect itself can be burned, drowned, or taken for research. To do this, it is placed in a jar with a small amount of water so that the bloodsucker survives to the laboratory.
Is it possible to fill a tick with oil?
There is an opinion that in order to catch a tick, you need to flood it vegetable oil. At the same time, he suffocates and lets go of the skin. Indeed, a tick cannot be without air for a long time and it does not like this procedure. However, doctors do not advise using this method of extracting insects.
The fact is that when a tick drinks vegetable oil, it can simply regurgitate it. And since its proboscis is in your skin, the oil along with the poison is injected into your blood. This is extremely dangerous. Also should not be used to remove ticks. ammonia and other compositions.
How to protect yourself from tick bites
To avoid getting caught by this bloodsucker, you need to take some precautions. When going outdoors, wear closed clothes, tie your sleeves with ribbons, tuck your pants into your socks, put a scarf around your neck, and don’t forget to put on a hat. Regularly inspect your skin and clothes; the tick's path is quite long and you can throw it off before it has time to drink your blood. If you have children with you, check their skin and clothing every hour. After all, children catch these insects most easily because they walk on the grass and not along the path.Be sure to lay down a blanket before sitting on the grass. For a picnic, use special sprays, ointments and lotions that will help you repel ticks and other annoying insects.
And further. Before the summer season, it would be a good idea to get vaccinated against encephalitis. It will help you protect yourself from possible diseases spread by ticks.
Forewarned is forearmed. Knowledge about where ticks live, why they are dangerous and how to remove them from human skin is priceless. Take all precautions, act correctly and quickly to protect yourself and your children from tick bites.
Video: how to remove a tick correctly
Spring came. Nature wakes up, and with nature comes all sorts of harmful insects. For example, such as a tick. We suggest you read this article carefully in order to be prepared for a sudden intervention of this harmful and nasty mite, if it suddenly happens.
When there is a tick on a person’s body that has already burrowed into the skin, a natural question arises about how to get rid of dangerous insect. To remove a tick, a variety of methods are used, but not all of them are safe for health. The insect penetrates the skin by screwing it in, like a screw. In the process of improper removal of an arthropod, part of it may remain inside skin human, which is very unfavorable for health. The tick is a carrier of viral encephalitis, but you should not be afraid of it.
If you find a tick on your body, you need to immediately take measures to remove it. It should be noted right away that if you have no experience in performing this procedure, then it is better not to experiment and consult a doctor to avoid negative consequences.
The procedure for removing a tick from a person must be carried out very slowly and carefully. The main thing in this process is to prevent the insect from breaking into two parts, one of which will remain in the skin. You will have to make special efforts if a small tick has attached itself to the body. There is always one positive aspect in the process of removing arthropods - the procedure is painless for humans.
How to remove a tick at home?
Method 1
You can try to unscrew the tick. This must be done in a counterclockwise direction, since the insect penetrated the skin in the opposite direction. To do this, you need to carefully grab the tick with a large and index fingers hands and slowly scroll through it. If the arthropod is too small or there is no desire to touch it, you can use tweezers. It is necessary to grab the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible to avoid tearing it.
Method 2
The area of the body where the tick has embedded itself can be lubricated with vegetable oil or other fatty substance. This action will create a suffocation effect for the insect and it will independently leave the skin, getting out. Then it can be easily removed from the body.
Some experts, on the contrary, do not recommend using this method of removing ticks. They claim that when the oil clogs the insect's respiratory tract, it dies, but can regurgitate its internal contents into the wound. This increases the risk of contracting an infection.
Method 3
You can also remove the tick using a strong thread. To do this, you need to make a loop out of it and place it around the tick. You can make a couple of turns around the insect with the thread, and then tighten it. When the tick is captured, you need to start pulling it out with light movements. This process can take more than one minute. It is not recommended to use it if the tick is small, as it will be quite difficult to grab it.
Method 4
Actions after tick removal
After the tick is removed from the skin, the site of its penetration must be treated with an antiseptic, such as iodine. There should not be a lot of it, otherwise you can burn the skin. The instrument used to remove it and your hands should be thoroughly washed.
If during extraction arthropod insect His head is still in the wound, you shouldn’t give in to panic. Nothing wrong with that. If the head with the proboscis protrudes even slightly from the skin, then you can try to remove it with tweezers or by contacting a surgeon at the clinic. If part of the tick remains deeper, then a small abscess may appear around it. Soon the remains of the insect are evacuated out with purulent liquid.
1. You must remove the tick very carefully, avoiding breaking off the proboscis, which is firmly and deeply attached inside the skin.
2. You need to grab the tick with your fingers wrapped in clean gauze (pieces of bandage) or with tweezers closer to its head. Holding the insect exclusively perpendicular to the skin, you should rotate its body around its axis and thus remove it.
3. It is necessary to disinfect the bite site with any suitable means(cologne, alcohol, iodine or others).
4. Wash your hands thoroughly.
5. The extracted tick should be poured with boiling water or burned.
6. If the head or trunk of an insect comes off during the process of removing it from the skin, a black dot remains on the body. It needs to be lubricated with iodine and left alone until it eliminates on its own.
7. Also, those ticks that are removed from the skin can be sent to a laboratory for testing to determine whether the insect has viral encephalitis or not.
Rules for submitting a tick to the laboratory:
The insect must be alive;
- do not lubricate it with any preparations or oils;
- the tick must be placed in a container with paper soaked in water to create the necessary humidity (so that the insect does not die during transportation);
- delivery of the tick to the laboratory must be carried out no later than two days from the moment of extraction.
When removing a tick from a person’s body, experts recommend using tweezers specially designed for this purpose, which are sold in pharmacies. This is not only convenient, but also prevents the insect from being torn apart. People who live on summer cottages or visit them frequently, it is especially recommended to have such a device in your home medicine cabinet.
