Ticks explained simply

“Mom, what’s that crawling on my arm?”

Blood-sucking ticks can even grow to a centimeter in size.

(Bild: diy13/stock.adobe.com)

In spring, ticks crawl out of their hiding places again. As "nature detectives", you can certainly see for yourself what the little "vampires" look like. Here you can read "easy as pie" how to recognize them, what they like and why they can be dangerous.

You look at one of your legs and see a new birthmark. Or do you? You've never had one there before. When your parents look at the new spot, they realize that you have a tick.

You wonder what it is? Ticks are very small animals. If you look at them with the naked eye, they are only two to four millimetres in size. You need a magnifying glass to get a closer look. Only when they are full of blood can they grow to a centimeter in size.

This is what the little enemies look like
Their body resembles an egg, with a dark, almost black head with tiny mouthparts at the tip. They use these to tear a hole in the skin of the so-called host (that would be you in this example). They also have four pairs of legs. You can probably work out that that's a total of eight legs.

Ticks don't like mountains, they usually stay below 1000 meters above sea level. They particularly like high grass, bushes or foliage. They are never found on trees, but at a maximum height of 80 centimeters above the ground. Perhaps the little cowards are afraid of heights.

Ticks feel most comfortable close to the ground.

(Bild: KPixMining/stock.adobe.com)

They are active insearch of a warm spot
from a temperature of around 8 degrees, preferably in spring and fall. So if you like to play outside, you will come across them several times a year - usually without noticing them.

Once a tick has crawled onto your skin, it prefers to find a warm, soft spot, such as the back of your knees, armpits and belly button. In children, the little beasts often bite on the head and neck.

Once one of the little creatures has found its favorite spot on the human body, it tears open the skin with its mouthparts, which work like scissors. This does not hurt because it releases a kind of anesthetic.

The tick as a vampire
The tick then becomes a vampire: it pushes its proboscis into the hole it has made and begins to drink your blood. It lasts for several days. It gets bigger and bigger in the process. When it has had enough of you and your blood, it simply drops off.

Long clothing and special protective sprays can keep the pesky bloodsuckers away.

(Bild: Pavel Kobysh/stock.adobe.com)

But you shouldn't wait for that. The longer the tick remains undetected on your body, the greater the risk of infection with diseases such as TBE (inflammation of the meninges and brain) and Lyme disease (a disease caused by bacteria). Incidentally, there is a preventive vaccination against TBE.

So when you come home after playing in the woods or park, you should always check your skin for ticks with the help of your parents. If you find one - as described at the beginning - ask an adult to carefully remove it as soon as possible.