Scientific Name: Ixodidae
Description:
There are about 825 species of Ticks and they are known as parasitiformes. Ticks are generally 1 cm long when they are well-fed. They vary in colour according to the species. Their body is divided into two sections and one part of the body contains the head and the mouthparts while the other part of the body contains the legs and the other organs. Ticks species are fond worldwide, but, they are most common in warm and humid countries.
Ticks strictly feed on human blood. They extract blood from the host by piercing the skin of the host with their sharp mouthparts. Blood is a necessity for ticks to survive and if they cannot find a host they will die. They are incapable of jumping or flying, but, the position in which they remain is called, questing. Ticks find their hosts by sniffing breath, body odor, body heat, moisture and vibrations of the host. They also consider the thickness of the host’s skin.
Ticks are pathogens of many severe health threats. Lyme disease, Relapsing Fever, Tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tick-Borne Meningoencephatitis are to name few common diseases spread by Ticks. Tick bites can also induce allergies to red meat. Therefore, it is needed to control Ticks by destroying their eggs to avoid their harm for humans.
