Talk:Tick

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[edit] ...

If a tick were expanded, like in a 1940s sci-fi film, so that it were the size of a large house, what sort of gun would u need to penetrate its exoskeleton? Pizza Puzzle

A big one? Seriously, I have no idea. I'm more interested on why you want to know. You're not planning on becoming a mad scientist and genetically engineering giant ticks, are you? --Dante Alighieri 22:21 10 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Im just observing that I can punch a tick repeatedly with my hard knuckle and the thing is still alive. When I was in summer camp, we would impale ticks on tacks and leave them around as warnings to the other ticks. They would live for 3 days despite being impaled. Pizza Puzzle

Don't lie. I know of your fiendish plans... You hope to rule as all with your invincible army of giant ticks. ;) --Dante Alighieri 22:27 10 Jun 2003 (UTC)
Forget trouble with squashing ticks with your hands, I recently had trouble squashing a tick between a ceramic tile and a piece of hard plastic! --Carnildo 03:47, 21 May 2005 (UTC)

No! Don't tell Poindexter! NO! Pizza Puzzle

I have a strange-looking bump on a mole or other large spot (the spot has been there for a long time but the bump on it is a new development) which I suspect may be a tick. Means of identifying ticks, including a picture of one doing its thing on human skin, would be helpful. It might go under "tick removal" but identifying ticks is a separate problem, it just leads to the other. --Furrykef 02:46, 14 Jun 2004 (UTC)

In the research I did, I found no evidence that any tick jumps. Some places said it was physically impossible, as tick legs are not meant for jumping. I am curious to know which Midwestern ticks are reported to jump. What are your sources? Mr. Internet 18:22, Apr 16, 2005 (UTC)


Do ticks have assholes or what, i think they do but im not sure i was just wondering because that question has been bothering me for a while now.

[edit] Effects of a tick

I have a kitten who was severely damaged by a grub on the throat area, exposing a deep hole near the esophagus/trachea area. The pictures I took could help this article, but could also be offensive to some - so I thought I'd ask for suggestions here before uploading something that could be seen as offensive. --Mrmiscellanious 00:52, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Just looked at it. Wow; I sure hope the kitten eventually recovers; doesn't look good. Craig3410

[edit] Tick Removal

Just a request to expand tick removal... comments removed

Please refer to WP:NOT which states:

Instruction manuals - while Wikipedia has descriptions of people, places, and things, Wikipedia articles should not include instruction - advice (legal, medical, or otherwise), suggestions, or contain "how-to"s.

It is a really important policy. I think it applies to talk pages too and hence I have removed the comments in this section.--A Y Arktos 19:37, 11 January 2006 (UTC)


Hi, I'm relatively new so please forgive me! I in good faith posted some instructions on how to remove ticks... while I appreciate that contravened the WP:NOT guideline, do you think some short area on how to remove ticks (even if it's just a line), or at least a link to a wiki.eHow on the subject, would be appropriate? Something like, "ticks are removed using tweezers by pulling directly up from the parasite's mouthpiece". I think it's a case of what ISN'T instructions, because I feel this particular piece of information is particularly important and it's a case of phrasing it as such. People looking at this article in need of advice on this matter wouldn't find anything otherwise, and I was struck by the lack of anything on how to remove them. --Christopher 05:43, 20 April 2006 (UTC)

Putting this kind of thing under something like common ways of would probably be appropriate and describing common methods that other people use to "treat" ticks. your right - it's about phrasing and so long as it's factual info such as common methods employed for removal of ticks i see no problem with it because it's not advice or telling someone what to do

Wikipedia also has guidelines about going easy on newcomers - obviously something the above editor has'nt read yet Goldfinger820 06:35, 20 April 2006 (UTC)

  • With reference to Goldfinger's comment about "going easy on newcomers - obviously something the above editor has'nt (sic) read yet" - I assume he was referring to me - I would like to point out that my comments above about tick removal were pasted here in January. User:Christopher denman failed to read the talk page, his comments were reverted with an explanation. Exactly how does one remove inappropriate additions more sympathetically other than referring to the policy by which they were removed?
I do see something very wrong on so-called "factual info such as common methods employed for removal of ticks" While User:Goldfinger820 may "see no problem with it because it's not advice or telling someone what to do", the policy is quite clear "Wikipedia articles should not include instruction - advice ( legal, medical, or otherwise), suggestions, or contain "how-to"s." Tick removal quite clearly comes within the scope of instructions or "how-to". One person's common methods may not in fact be appropriate.--A Y Arktos\talk 11:21, 20 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Counterclockwise?

The Straight Dope, [1] says twisting counterclockwise is NOT the way to remove ticks. This article recommends this method without citing a reference. If the article is going to give advice of this kind, it should certainly at least give a reference. Ferdinand Pienaar 08:38, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

  • Wikipedia should not give such advice - see discussion above--A Y Arktos\talk 10:08, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Tick Bites

In Brazil, people use a traditional plant extract (Arnica) to treat tick bites. It relieves the itching and seems to have an antiseptic effect. It would be nice to have a section on traditional views on ticks in various cultures, and the way people get rid of them. Not with a "how-to", focus but rather with anthropology/history in mind. Hugo Dufort 06:07, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

i was wondering if a tick could completly cacoon themselves under the skin? Also i was wondering what kind of harmfull results there could possibly be from the remainder of the head in side the skin.

[edit] US-Centricism

I think the article is too US-centric. It should mention more about ticks outside US, and regional differences between species.—the preceding unsigned comment is by 85.226.122.221 (talk • contribs) 19:30, 26 August 2005 (UTC+11 hours )

I concur, though I have added some Australian info, this article probably should be tagged for geographical bias. I know nothing about Africa, but I suspect ticks are a mjor economic and health issue. There is a mention of HIV. Some of the info in this article is species specific, but the life cycle info is useful, and although species specific, needs to be identified as such and informs about ticks more generally. Some other info perhaps should be developed in separate species articles. Australian info is at Paralysis tick.--A Y Arktos 19:45, 11 January 2006 (UTC)
While I was traveling in Brazil (Minas Gerais state), I once was infested by about 50 small red ticks, running all over my skin and under my clothes. It was a frightening situation. There were also large (adult) black ticks which we couldn't crush because their shell was so hard. I wish I could find more information about non-US ticks in this wiki article! Hugo Dufort 02:12, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

This article should more be in the US country article under ... environment? If the level of detail shall be so high in regard to local occurence, while having so little precise information about the subject at hand, this article should not be graded excellent.

[edit] Ticks as spiders

Why don't ticks cast webs?

Probably the same reason a ladybird doesn't cast webs. They just don't....
In all seriousness, although ticks are arachnids, only spiders have the ability to create webs. Other arachnids such as scorpions and solifugids do not make webs either. -GamblinMonkey 13:16, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
Because ticks don't feed off of small insects. Therefore, making a web would be pointless for a tick. BigSciZot 15:35, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Nutalliellidae

Is the third tick family, Nutalliellidae, still a valid family? If so, it should be added to this article. Squamate 04:25, 12 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ticks as disease vectors

A recent edit "removed statement that ticks are vectors of malaria and HIV: where is the reference to support this claim?" A google search came up with this reference http://www.tickner.info/about_ticks.php which supports the claim. I have reinserted.--A Y Arktos 21:53, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

I believe I've heard about research conducted by the National Institute of Health (NIH) which concluded that the probability of contracting HIV from an insect bite is about 1 million to one. That might sound safe until you realize that in one summer alone, there could be hundreds of millions of insect bites in the country, therefore potentially hundreds of opportunities for HIV infection. Landroo 15:09, 27 June 2007 (UTC)


That "reference" is a link to a commercial website. One then has to follow another link to Traveldoctor (http://www.traveldoctor.info/diseases/11.html). Click on the links for "HIV" and "malaria"; you'll see nothing about ticks serving as vectors of either of those diseases. Check Kettle's text "Medical and Veterinary Entomology", Mullen & Durden's "Medical and Veterinary Entomology, and Harwood & James's "Entomology in Human and Animal Health" -- no mention about ticks serving as vectors or malaria or HIV. By "reference" I meant a publication in a refereed scientific journal; something that has passed peer review and documents experimental transmission according to modern scientific criteria. Check as far back as you'd like in The Journal of Medical Entomology, Medical and Veterinary Entomology, The Journal of Parasitology, Acarologia, etc. No evidence exists. I have removed the statement again because it is false. Ticks are NOT vectors of malaria nor of HIV! Squamate 02:10, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] suggestion of another photo

All the photos in the article show hungry ticks. This article needs a picture of a fully fed tick with a big belly. Kowloonese 18:44, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Kitten Picture

I'm not sure I'm buying the kitten picture. Is there any collaborating evidence to support the assertion this wound was caused by a tick? Where was the picture taken? What were the circumstances? Was the animal treated by a vet? I believe an encyclopedia should not publish as fact possibly apochryphal stories. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.57.126.186 (talk • contribs) .

I agree that the image is unclear. It looks more like an abscess or something. Maybe an infection, but I doubt even that (and that wasn't what the caption indicated). I have been around dogs all my life (and a lot of them, believe me) and despite the frequent (weekly maybe) tick bites, I've never seen such a thing. But anyway, as you say there is nothing to verify the accuracy of this image and its caption (vet opinion, etc.) so I removed it. In any case, I don't think it brings anything more to the article (you couldn't see much). IronChris | (talk) 13:32, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Bite symtoms?

Some info on the symptoms of a bite would be useful in this article. Does it itch? Does it cause a rash, inflamation etc.?

See Lyme disease. Should be made a more important point in the article, as that article contains much more precise information on ticks than this article of US ticks. Generally, one would notice a tick after a full body search done right after a trip in the forest. They don't make much of themselves, as they are dependent on having time to find a good ore to suck on. If it has bitten you or your dog or your cat, remove it - either by grabbing it and rotating it before yanking it, or with a pair of tweezers. It is said that one must get out everything, but that is not a very big problem in the whole picture. My only bite has grown a hair, nothing else. Hopefully with my own genes. If you take out the tick within a day , the chance of catching something wicked is small. Check your bite up to a a couple of months after you have been bitten. The moment you feel a fever or have a red spot or several at the bite or somewhere entirely elsewhere, you must go see a doctor. Some who get bitten have a itch, some don't. For some any disease can be quick to discover and quick to cure, for some - neither. Some ticks have borreliosis, smoe don't. More precise numbers must be found, also for those ticks not US.

[edit] Mimetism?

I know a woman who had a tick attached to her arm for 2-3 days before she realized it. She was trekking in a difficult spot and didn't change clothes for that long, only washing face & hands. When she reached the camp, she finally took a shower and only then she discovered the tick. It was cream-colored, although most ticks we had seen had always been black. So we wondered, when ticks mature on a host, can they "take" the color of the host's skin or hair coat? Hugo Dufort 06:12, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Though I'm not a specialist, that sounds rather unlikely. There are many cases of adult polymorphisms in other sorts of mites, but I don't know of any in ticks. I did a quick search for scientific articles on the subject, but nothing relevant came up. It was probably just a different species of tick than those you were accustomed to.
If it turns out that it is indeed some kind of mimetism, then that would be a very interesting discovery, and I promise to change the subject of my Master's to that! IronChris | (talk) 04:13, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
Do you have any explanation about this adult, cream-colored tick, which was found on a woman's upper arm? I am still puzzled (and slightly disgusted) by this strange bug. Hugo Dufort 02:12, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
As I say, I can only think that it's a species that is naturally cream-colored. If you take a look at the images Image:Tick (aka).jpg and Image:Tick 2 (aka).jpg, you'll see that different species come in a wide range of colors.
On a side note, a tick is not a bug :) IronChris | (talk) 03:15, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
I've just found a cream coloured tick on my dog. I've always thought that ticks were usually black because of the colour of blood, which isn't something that they can change. When I squished the tick open, there was a white pus substance inside. Maybe they were eggs? FredTheDeadHead 13:20, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

I can tell you from experience in picking a couple of engorged ticks of my dog here in southern California that the engorged ticks are often a lighter color ranging from pasty grey to that of a golden raisin. They even look like raisins too if they are flly engorged. Disgusting but frequent fact of life for dog owners. They aren't changing color to remain hidden, I think it's just they are stretching so much that the color gets diluted. I will not give instructions for removal but will tell you that most Vets have handouts on the subject or can print one up for you upon request. Some vets even sell a small plastic device that comes with instructions. Now that i know color is an issue, I'll try to snap a digital photo of any engorged ticks I see this season and ask other dog owners to do the same. I'll see if I can find anything citable on the color lightening issue.LiPollis 21:35, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Tick Cement

I'd like to see some mention of Tick Cement here. 214.3.118.1 18:20, 2 January 2007 (UTC)


[edit] External link (Ticks) proposal

http://www.borislavdopudja.net/en/writings/ticks/

--Borislav Dopudja 12:37, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

That's an ecxellent photo of an engorged female and since there are two other ticks in the picture, it offers a very instructive comparison between the normal tick and the engorged tick. it also illustrates that question from above about engorged ticks being lighter in color. I would love it if you would upload the photo to this article. Since you took it, it's yours to do with as you please.LiPollis 20:35, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
Many thanks to Borislav Dopudja for allowing us the use of his very high quality dog tick photos. I have included two in the article which I feel add to the general understanding of ticks and their life cycle. They fill in a gap that existed. Until now, we did not have good comparison photos of engorged females to males nor did we have a photo of an engorged female dog tick still feeding on its host. Tell your doggie he/she was very brave to sacrifice some blood for us in order to get those pictures! thanksLiPollis 05:40, 20 April 2007 (UTC)
I am glad it helps! :) --Borislav Dopudja 16:20, 20 April 2007 (UTC)
One of the photos has been deleted in a recent edit, but the one of the engorged female remains and is immesnely helpful. if anyone else wants to click on Borislav Dopudja 's above links, they'll find some pretty amazing tick photos, even some of ticks mating. Ewwwww!LiPollis 17:16, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ticks

In the article about ticks, it mentions a "paralysis" tick in Australia. In fact, tick paralysis also occurs in the US with the brown dog tick and probably others. It is uncommon, but as a veterinarian, I see about one case every year in dogs. They present with weakness and reduced reflexes in all 4 limbs. Once the tick is removed, they improve within 12 hours. Cmorrill 11:57, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Article layout

What the heck happened here? Classification now runs on and on in the middle before the rest of the article. Seems to me it should be moved to the bottom so as not to disrupt the ease of reading, yes?LiPollis 17:14, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Why not move all this into the taxobox and be done with it? Squamate 09:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What's with the massive copyright tag?

Couldn't an editor simply delete the alleged copyrighted material? LiPollis 01:05, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Removal of Copyvio content

I have removed the offending 'life cycle' section of the article. The rest of the article is not copyvio. I am doing this in keeping with the spirit of WP:CP, specifically the "Article?" box. It was easy to cleanly remove all copyvio content and the best action in the first place would have been to simply remove that content rather than tagging as copyvio. guiltyspark 21:11, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Pictures

This article needs many more photos, of different stages of different species of common ticks. Until then, it needs more links to big galleries of such photos.-69.87.203.120 21:07, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Do not apply heat

"Self-examination is recommended after spending time in infested areas. If an embedded tick is found, it should be removed with fine tweezers by grasping the head and pulling with steady firm pressure. The tick should not be grabbed in the middle of its body because the gut contents may be expelled into the skin. The use of heat (lit match, cigarette, etc.), or petroleum jelly is NOT recommended to force the tick out. These methods will irritate the tick, and may cause it to regurgitate its stomach contents into the individual, thereby increasing the possibility of infection."[2]-69.87.203.120 21:33, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Advertisement

Ok, it looks like some people from some companies decided to advertise on the "Population control" section. There is nothing special about the products, so i don't think we should have the products advertised in the section, or not even have the section at all. --Andrew Hampe Talk 23:05, 24 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Taxonomy

The taxonomy follows an outdated concept. Briefly, to treat the Acarina as an order is misleading (though at least the family orthography is correct in the present article), it is a relic from the times when mite systematics was insufficiently known and there was excessive overlumping. The Acariformes diversity for example cannot be dealt with properly that way. Acariformes and Parasitiformes need to be treated as superorders as it is done in modern works. Dysmorodrepanis (talk) 19:50, 26 December 2007 (UTC)


[edit] wth is..

"The West bob, although originally identified by A.C.Steere as a focus of Lyme disease, has traditionally been viewed as having minimal tick infection rates."

the "West bob"? If that is some arachnology shorthand, just recall that we're not all board certified. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.170.68.234 (talk) 21:16, 19 May 2008 (UTC)