About the infectious Critters and images

Adult Tick

Hello all,

One thing I have omitted from this blog is pictures of the Critters that cause Lyme disease.
Of course other biting insects do to from fleas to bed bugs,nits even worms and slugs  carry BB!

Adult Tick

Ticks come in a variety of forms and there are many different species, the European Tick is different to the USA ticks or the lone star tick (USA)

Ticks can sit and wait for thei host for many years.

The Tick also varies in size from the size of a poppy seed to the above pictures.

Ticks can feed off one or two or even three hosts.

They start as Ioxdids they can take up to six years and this involves four stages the egg, larva, nymph, and adult.

When it hatches from the egg the larva seeks out a host they feed then drop off after the blood meal then moults into the nymph stage, the nymph seeks out another host for another blood meal the nymph then drops off the host and moults into the adult stage.the female tick after blood meal seeks out a male and then lays her eggs. The adults reproduce on another host.All through this different hosts are sourght out and the eggs are laid on the ground.

The Ixodes ricnus tick is the sheep tick, it is the most common to infect livestock, domestic pets and humans.

Other host species are:mice, voles, rats, squirrels, hedgehogs, hares, badgers, foxes, carrion crows, magpies, blackbirds, starlings, pheasants, grouse, reptiles, cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats and humans. All stages may occur on one host concurrently.

Horse Fly

Yes I was bitten by a horse fly and that is how I got a vector bourne disease that disabled me for 30 years.
Horse flys are of no benefit to humans and can feed on many different species of animal and pick up many diseases that can be passed on to humans.
The female horse fly is the one that sucks the blood the males eat nectar, plant sap and pollen.
Horse flys are bigger than the common or garden house fly.
A bite from ahorse fly can cause wheezing, rashes and hives as well as the diseases that they carry.
Horse flys are not active in the nighttime hours and they do not like windy days.
They have a razor sharp bite with their six different mouth parts. When they bite their pray and suck the blood that is when the diseases are passed on.
Horse flys pose a threat to humans and animals.


Lyme girl