Ticks are arachnids, the body of a hungry tick is flat and resembles a small coin. Rear end Brown, while 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 ticks after saturation can significantly increase in size, becoming similar to beans. Female mites stick to the skin and to remove it from the body, you should 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 by itself.
tick bites
Symptoms of bites from infected ticks:
- Heat;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Headache;
- Redness of the face and neck;
- weakness and pain in the muscles.
Such symptoms are observed after a bite encephalitis tick, they may appear after 4 to 14 days, because incubation period the virus can last long enough.
How to remove a tick
How to pull out a tick at home should be known to every person who plans a trip to nature.
Before using repellents, carefully read the instructions for use.
In early May, grass is already everywhere, the first spider bugs and ... dangerous insects - ticks appear. What the meeting with them leads to, how to properly remove the insect and treat the wound, you need to know in order to prevent the serious consequences of a bite.
What ticks are dangerous to humans
There are over 150 thousand species of these small arthropods, whose body length barely reaches 5 mm, but only a few of them are dangerous, because they carry the following diseases when bitten:
Ticks have 6 pairs of paws, of which the first anterior is called chelicerae, the second is called pedipalps. They form a piercing-cutting oral structure, and the rest are used for movement.
The first pair of tick limbs also serves as a thermal imager and is used to search for prey.
Of the variety of ticks, the following types bite a person:
How ticks bite and how to protect yourself from them
Precautions in nature
If you are going out of town in spring or early summer, no matter how warm the weather is, remember that ticks are dangerous until mid-July. Therefore, the clothes should be completely closed - sweaters with long sleeves and a tight-fitting collar, a scarf so that ticks do not get on the body through the hair, pants tucked into socks.
All clothes can be processed by special means from insects Prevention measures at home
Ticks living in apartments love heat, moisture and dirt. To prevent their occurrence, follow the rules of hygiene:
- If the tick is not 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, the development of inflammatory processes is possible, 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 saw a tick on yourself and could not pull out its head, immediately run to the doctor.
Extraction with saliva
If there is nothing at hand, use this method:
- Salivate your finger and run it over the tick so that it and the area around it are completely in saliva.
- Take the insect by the body and begin to rotate in any direction. The main thing is to do it quickly and not tear the head off the body.
- The insect finds itself in a vacuum and does not receive oxygen, it gets dizzy from the 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 with vegetable oil
All actions are the same as described above, but using vegetable oil. This provides even better gliding, creates a film on the surface, which makes it impossible for the tick to survive. Not all doctors think safe ways where the tick is 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 the tick to get out on its own. Using thread
You can pull out the tick with a thread:
- Make a loop and throw it over the body of the insect near the very base of the head so that it fits snugly against the skin.
- Pull it a little and slowly twist it, make sure that it does not move out.
- After making 2-3 turns, gently pull the ends - the tick will easily come out.
When twisting the thread, the front limbs of the insect are folded, with which it is held in the skin. If you pull on the body immediately, they will remain in the skin.
Special pincer tweezers look like a hooked 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 should come out with the tick toxic substances, which the insect managed to inject during a bite.
It is advisable to cut off the top of the syringe evenly so that air does not enter through jagged edges. What to do if the head remains in the skin
- Heat a needle or pin over a fire.
- Wipe the bite site with a damp cloth to see it clearly (looks like a black dot).
- Tear the skin over it and pull out the head.
- Treat this place so that there is no infection.
If you are not sure that you will pull out the trunk with a needle, see a doctor. You can treat the wound with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green or iodine. No need to stick it with adhesive tape or bandage it: if the skin breathes, it will heal faster.
How to remove a tick with a syringe
There is another alternative way, allowing you to easily get rid of an unexpected guest. To implement it, you will need a knife and a syringe, preferably insulin, but you can use a syringe with a capacity of 2 cubic centimeters.
After removing the tick with a syringe from the human body, 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 I Use Tick Removal Oil?
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 so. And that's why:
- the tick breathes with its back, it will suffocate in a drop of oil and remain in the body;
- frightened, the animal will throw out everything into the host's body harmful substances that are in his digestive system and pathogens of infectious diseases, if any.
Thus, it is best not to experiment and try to pull the oil tick out.
What to do with a tick after removal
The above methods for removing a tick at home, if performed correctly, ensure that the insect remains alive. Only in this case will it be accepted for analysis for borreliosis, the most common infection carried 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 not to damage 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. What to do in this case, read in.
With the advent of warm days, few of the townspeople are in no hurry to go to nature. Parks, forests, gardens and groves - these are the favorite places that each of us loves to visit. However, outdoor recreation brings not only joy, satisfaction and fun. Picnics are often overshadowed 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 shrubs. Most often, ticks are located along the paths along which people and pets walk. The insect feels 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, he already knows about your approach. The tick is conveniently located at the ends of the blades of grass and, when touched, tightly hooks on your clothes.
A tick does not bite a person immediately, 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, choosing appropriate place, firmly digs into your skin. His proboscis is like the thinnest bolt that is screwed into the skin, getting to the tasty blood. A person does not feel the bite, because painkillers are present in the saliva of the tick. 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 gets drunk on blood, it itself falls off the skin. 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. The disease at the very beginning is similar to a common cold - aching joints, weakness, fever. As the disease progresses, it affects nervous system, paralysis may occur, signs of epilepsy appear.In addition to encephalitis, a person after a tick bite can become infected with monocytic ehrlichiosis, 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 individually respond to an insect bite. An allergic reaction can be manifested by vomiting, rash, fever. That is why it is so important to seek immediate medical attention after a tick bite. And if possible, bring the insect to the laboratory for research.
How to pull out a tick yourself
Of course, the doctor is the best person to deal with this task. However, most often ticks stick to a person 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 get a tick out of a person at home?
Thread
Sometimes in field conditions there are neither tweezers nor a clamp at hand. Then fit ordinary thread. Make a small loop and drape over the tick. Tighten the loop so that it is at the very base of the insect's proboscis. After that, 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 the tick out 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 extracting the bloodsucker with tweezers or thread. Be careful not to squeeze the tick with your fingers. Otherwise, he can inject even more poison into the skin.
Syringe
This is another way to safely remove a tick. To implement it, we need a regular medical syringe without a needle. At the syringe, you need to cut off the upper part where the needle is attached. The cut should be as even as possible in order to fit snugly against the body. Gently place the cap on the insect and then pull back on the plunger. A vacuum will arise inside the syringe, which will remove the bloodsucker.
Tweezers
When you pull out a tick, it is important to remember to do it carefully and carefully, so that its proboscis is completely out, and does not come off and does not remain in the skin. The best way to do this is with a medical clamp. It has sharp edges that can tightly capture the insect. Instead of a clip, you can use simple tweezers, which can be found in every woman's cosmetic bag, even in field conditions. Squeeze the tick tightly, but not too hard, otherwise you might just crush it. Grab the bloodsucker closer to the proboscis. It is not necessary to pull it out, the screwed-in trunk can simply come off. It is necessary to carefully scroll the insect around the axis in order to remove it along with the proboscis.
To date, the pharmacy has special devices in the form of curved tweezers. They are designed to safely remove ticks. If you are going on a hike or outdoor recreation, do not forget to put this necessary thing in your first-aid kit.
After extraction
Remember that the whole procedure should be as safe as possible for you. Before removing a tick with improvised means, you need to disinfect all devices that will come into contact with an open wound.
After extraction, the wound must be disinfected. To do this, treat it with iodine, potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or other antiseptics. If, during extraction, part of the tick (its head or proboscis) remained 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 splinter. Treat the wound and consult a doctor in order to exclude the possibility of infection with serious diseases that the tick carries.
The insect itself can be burned, drowned or delivered 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 fish out a tick, it must be poured vegetable oil. At the same time, he suffocates and releases the skin himself. Indeed, a tick cannot be without air for a long time and he does not like such a procedure. However, doctors do not advise using this method of extracting an insect.
The fact is that when a tick gets drunk on vegetable oil, it can simply spit it out. And since its proboscis is in your skin, the oil, along with the poison, is injected into your bloodstream. This is extremely dangerous. Also, do not use to remove a tick. ammonia and other compounds.
How to protect yourself from tick bites
In order not to get caught by this bloodsucker, you need to follow some precautions. When going out into nature, wear closed clothes, tie your sleeves with ribbons, tuck your pants into socks, put a scarf around your neck, and do not forget to wear a hat. Inspect your skin and clothes regularly, the tick's path is long enough and you can throw it off before it has time to drink your blood. If you have children with you, check their skin and clothes every hour. After all, children most easily catch these insects, because they walk on the grass, and not along the path.Before you sit on the grass, be sure to lay a blanket. 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 the likely disease that ticks carry.
Forewarned is forearmed. Knowledge about where ticks live, why they are dangerous and how to get them out of human skin is priceless. Take all precautions, act correctly and quickly to protect yourself and your children from tick bites.
Video: how to pull out a tick
Spring came. Nature wakes up, and with nature all kinds of harmful insects. For example, such as a tick. We suggest that you carefully read this article in order to be prepared for the sudden intervention of this harmful and nasty tick, if it suddenly happens.
When there is a tick on the human body that has already dug into the skin, a logical question arises about how to get rid of dangerous insect. A variety of methods are used to extract a tick, but not all of them are safe for health. The insect penetrates the skin by screwing in, like a screw. In the process of improper removal of the arthropod, part of it may remain inside skin human, which is very unhealthy. The tick is a carrier of viral encephalitis, but you should not be afraid of it.
Having found a tick on your body, you must immediately take measures to remove it. It should immediately be noted that if you do not have experience with this procedure, then it is better not to experiment and consult a doctor in order 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 try especially if a small tick has stuck to the body. In the process of removing arthropods, there is always one positive moment - the procedure is painless for humans.
How to get a tick out at home?
Method 1
You can try to unscrew the tick. This should be done in a counterclockwise direction, since the insect was introduced into 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 it. If the arthropod is too small or there is no desire to touch it, you can use tweezers. Grab the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible to avoid tearing it.
Method 2
The area of \u200b\u200bthe body where the tick has stuck can be lubricated with vegetable oil or other fatty substance. This action will create an effect of suffocation for the insect and it will leave the skin on its own, 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 argue that when the oil clogs the respiratory tract of an insect, it dies, but at the same time it can burp its internal contents into the wound. This increases the risk of infection.
Method 3
You can also remove the tick with 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 may 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, for example, iodine. It should not be much, otherwise you can burn the skin. The tool that was removed and hands should be washed thoroughly.
If during extraction arthropod insect his head remained in the wound, one should not panic. Nothing wrong with that. If the head with a proboscis protrudes even slightly from the skin, then you can try to remove it with tweezers or by contacting a surgeon in a clinic. If part of the tick remains deeper, then a small abscess may appear around it. Soon, the remnants of the insect are evacuated to the outside with purulent fluid.
1. It is necessary to remove the tick very carefully, avoiding breaking off the proboscis, which is strongly and deeply fixed inside the skin.
2. You need to grab the tick with your fingers wrapped in clean gauze (pieces of bandage) or tweezers closer to his head. Holding the insect exclusively perpendicular to the skin, one should rotate its body around the axis and, thus, remove it.
3. It is necessary to disinfect the bite site with any suitable remedy(cologne, alcohol, iodine or other).
4. Wash your hands thoroughly.
5. The extracted tick must be poured with boiling water or burned.
6. In the event that the head or trunk of an insect is torn off in the process of removing it from the skin, a black dot remains on the body. It must be lubricated with iodine and left alone until self-elimination.
7. Also, those ticks that are removed from the skin can be sent to the laboratory for research to determine whether or not the insect has viral encephalitis.
Rules for transferring the tick to the laboratory:
The insect must be alive;
- Do not lubricate it with any preparations and 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 date of extraction.
Experts recommend using tweezers specially designed for this purpose, which are sold in pharmacies, when removing a tick from a human body. This is not only convenient, but also prevents the insect from tearing apart. The people who live on summer cottages or they are often visited, it is especially recommended to have such a device in the home first aid kit.
