Camping and Ticks

Ticks are relatives of spiders and like spiders have eight legs. Unlike insects they do not bite and run but attach themselves to the host and feed for days. These nasty little creatures feed slowly and as they feed they may pass a myriad of diseases to animals and humans. Only mosquitoes pass more diseases to humans than ticks, but in US ticks actually cause more illness than mosquitoes.

When fed tick will fall away and then look for another host with blood. They need blood to develop into adults (from nymph) and then again to reproduce.  When settled in ticks attach themselves to the host with a feeding apparatus and feed on average for two to five days. As they feed they pass germs to the new host, so it is crucial to remove them as soon as possible. Check your kids twice a day, especially their heads, where ticks would not be easily visible.

Tick removal:

Grasp the tick near the skin with tweezers and pull right out with one move. Do not squeeze the tick as it will release more germs in the process.