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#46: Ticks


Litinsects #46: Ticks
Month of Mites 2
Today I’m talking about TICKS, which are actually a subset of mites that live an ECTOPARASITIC lifestyle (outside the body) and feed exclusively on blood. Most people think of mammals when they think of tick victims (tick-tims? 😂) but birds, reptiles, and even amphibians can get ticks too!
The group is divided into hard and soft ticks. HARD TICKS have an inflexible plate, or SCUTUM, on their backs and, when viewed from above, you can see their mouthparts. SOFT TICKS don’t have a scutum and their mouthparts are hidden when viewed from above. Hard ticks (the ones you’ll generally encounter) are usually found in fields, vegetated areas, and woodlands, while soft ticks are found in animal dens, burrows, or caves.
  • Ticks possess HALLER’S ORGANS, which are sensory structures located on their first pair of legs that detect body heat, exhaled carbon dioxide, moisture, and vibrations, all of which they use to locate hosts. Ticks will crawl up stems or tall grass and extend their front legs (a behavior called QUESTING) in which they “smell” the air and wait for a host to come by. They can even smell the ammonia in your sweat so you pretty much can’t hide from them
  • Tick mouthparts consist of PALPS (that fold out to the side when feeding) and a barbed HYPOSTOME that anchors them into a host’s skin (see photo). Some ticks produce a sticky substance with their saliva called CEMENTUM, which glues them in place while feeding, prevents the host’s blood from clotting, and numbs the area to make detection more difficult
  • Ticks usually require a blood meal to grow and molt to the next life stage; some stay on the same host to molt while others drop off, molt on the ground, and then seek out a new host. Ticks may live up to 3 years
As you probably know, ticks can carry and transmit an array of diseases so it is important to always check yourselves thoroughly when necessary. I recommend reading up and giving yourself a refresher on the proper way to remove embedded ticks because some removal methods you may be familiar with are outdated or might actually increase your risk of infection by a pathogen in the tick’s saliva!
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