(Ixodes ricinus)
Biology:
The wood tick (often just called “tick” in common parlance) belongs to the shield ticks and lives mainly on grasses and low shrubs in mixed forests and wetlands. The females lie in wait there for potential host animals and drop onto them as a result of a vibration stimulus. They cling to passing hosts such as wild animals, domestic animals and humans and after a while start sucking. This preferably takes place in warm, moist areas of the body with thin skin, such as the groin, the back of the knees, in the hairline and sometimes behind the ears. Once the blood meal is finished, the female wood tick (males do not suck blood) drops to the ground, having sucked its fill of blood.
The absorption of blood is necessary for the development of the animals. Depending on the degree of development and saturation, they are 2 to 14 mm in size, yellowish-brown, reddish-brown or grayish-brown.
Damage:
Tick bites lead to swelling and severe itching. If not removed properly, parts of the mouthparts can remain in the skin and lead to inflammation.
Ticks pose a major health risk as carriers of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection(Borrelia burgdorferi), and TBE (tick-borne encephalitis), a viral infection.
Tip:
When staying in tick-prone areas, it is advisable to cover as much of your body surface as possible with clothing. You should also check your body for ticks after a walk in the countryside and remove them as quickly as possible.
In the case of tick bites, it is important to look for changes in the skin around the bite site and consult a doctor if necessary.
In the case of an infection with borrelia, a circular inflammation often forms around the bite site, which slowly increases in size (erythema migrans, “migratory redness”). However, this reaction can also be completely absent.
If you are staying in areas where TBE is widespread, you should seek advice from your doctor as to whether a preventive vaccination might be advisable.
