Recognizing a tick bite: These signs indicate a bite

bloodsucker
Recognizing a tick bite: These indications speak for a sting of the arachnids

Ticks are in high demand between March and November: they lurk in the grass, hide in bushes and wait for their next host at the edges of forests and streams. Once stung, they suck the blood out of the wearer – and usually unnoticed.

First things first: ticks don’t bite, they sting. There is only talk of a bite if your skin is injured by the moving mouth parts of an insect. However, the arachnids have a proboscis that they push into their host’s skin – hence the correct term is actually tick bite. But back to the topic: The insidious thing about a bloodsucker attack is that it is painless. Because the saliva of ticks has a numbing effect on the skin of humans and animals. Even worse, however, is the fact that the parasites can transmit dangerous diseases such as TBE or Lyme disease. It is all the more important that you check yourself for a tick bite after every walk in the woods and meadows. You can find out what you need to consider here.

How to recognize a tick bite

The fact that tick bites are initially overlooked in many cases is sometimes due to the fact that the arachnids prefer moist and warm body regions, such as the hollows of the knees and skin folds. But also between the fingers or toes and behind the ears are popular places. And even the intimate area is on their menu. So all hidden areas that do not immediately catch our eye. For this reason, after every outing in the countryside, it is advisable to examine the entire body. This applies to adults as well as children – and dogs. You can protect your pet in advance by giving him black cumin oil against ticks. It has been shown to have a deterrent effect on the arachnids. For people, on the other hand, there are special ones, for example insect repellent sprays or coconut oil against ticks.

Initially, ticks are only a few millimeters in size and therefore rather difficult to spot – unless they catch one red-handed while it is still looking for a suitable hiding place on your clothing or body. In fact, the parasites consciously seek out regions from which they believe they will not be found and removed so quickly. However, once you have bitten, they will begin to suck their fill over time. And you can see that too: After just a few days, ticks have increased in volume so that they can hardly be overlooked. As soon as you have discovered a tick on your body, it must be removed as quickly as possible – for example with a special tick tweezers or tick card. Because the longer the bloodsucker sticks to you, the greater the risk of diseases being transmitted.

How to properly remove a tick

So that the tick can be removed from the skin in one piece and does not get stuck in it with its head, proceed as follows:

How to evaluate a tick bite

After removing the tick, it is recommended to disinfect the sore spot – so that the skin does not become inflamed. After that, it is important to observe the wound carefully: It is not uncommon for a dark bruise to form around the puncture site, which will disappear again over time. However, if the wound starts to itch or if it turns red after a few days (this is called reddening), there may be a Borrelia infection. If you suffer from fever, exhaustion, malaise, headache or body aches after the tick bite, this is also an important indication of an illness with TBE viruses. If any of these symptoms appear, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Even if parts of the tick are still in the skin after removing the tick.

How to protect yourself from a tick bite

When temperatures rise above ten degrees, ticks wake up from a kind of hibernation. For this reason, the arachnids in this country are active between March and November – i.e. from spring to autumn. Since they prefer to stay in the high grass, at the edge of the forest and in the undergrowth, you should check for a tick bite after every walk in nature (whether on foot or on a bike). You can see in which areas the arachnids are more prevalent on the map of the TBE risk areas of the Robert Kochs Institute. To avoid being stung in the first place, you can take the following protective measures:

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