Off The Record

If You See These Eggs In Your Backyard, Burn Them Immediately: Here’s What You Need to Know

Published on April 10, 2024

You might not visualise a tick nest. It resembles a tiny cluster of eggs more than anything else. Tick nests are often located outdoors, but they can also show up in your house, or at the very least, in your shed or garage.

It can be distressing to find a single tick, but what about discovering an entire nest? Ouch!

It’s critical to understand what to do and what not to do if you do come across one.

What is a tick nest?

In contrast to other creatures, which construct nests to contain their eggs, female ticks just lay their eggs in certain spots. Nothing is being done to construct a nest or take over a nest that another creature has already constructed.

A sticky cluster of tiny eggs is all that the female tick does to cling to grass blades, leaves, or other relatively soft surfaces, such as a little patch of dirt. The tick then leaves the eggs behind.

Tick nests can contain hundreds or even thousands of eggs, but the eggs themselves are not very large. Tick eggs measure one inch or less in diameter. After they are placed, the eggs can remain attached for up to two weeks or months until they hatch.

Although they are classified as arachnids, a class of eight-legged arthropods that also includes spiders, scorpions, and mites, ticks are commonly mistaken for insects.

Once a tick emerges from its egg, it becomes a larva with six legs. After that, it develops into an eight-legged nymph and then an eight-legged adult. A tick feeds on a host at each stage and then departs from the host to develop into the subsequent stage.

Nevertheless, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source states that ticks frequently perish before finding a new host to feed on.

Tick nests: where are they found?

Ground-level tick nests are typically located outdoors, frequently close to a trail or a prospective host’s habitat, such as a deer or other mammal.

A 2008 investigationAccording to Trusted Source, mowing, raking, and leaf blowing on a regular basis in the spring can lower the density of nymphal ticks by up to 72%.

Additionally, a 2020 study discovered that the most effective way to lower the population of specific tick species was to remove all fallen leaves from your property as opposed to blowing or dumping raked leaves to the less-trafficked places.

Can a tick have a nest inside your home?

Within a house, a female tick may deposit her eggs on soft furnishings, drapes, or in the strands of carpet.

If there is a tick infestation in your house, nests may be located in the dog kennel, garage, shed, or along baseboards or in other well-sheltered areas. The linings of jackets and other garment items, as well as the pockets, are potential nesting sites for female ticks.

Finding a tick nest in the open, where it can be easily observed or damaged, is exceptional. This makes it quite likely that you will not find a tick nest in your home, together with the small size of an egg clutch.

If you believe you have spotted a tick nest, what should you do?

Tick eggs typically have a glassy look and a colour that is somewhat dark or amber.

Avoid going near anything that appears to be a tick nest outside. Avoid stomping on it or trying to drown it with a hose if it’s in your garden, yard or elsewhere close to your house. Ticks can withstand these kinds of attacks because they are incredibly resilient.

You can attempt to remove the nest and soak it in alcohol by using gloves and tools. Every egg should be killed by this. It is crucial to avoid handling a tick nest due to the possibility of disease-carrying eggs.

You can attempt to hoover up a tick nest if you find one in your house. The hoover bag must then be sealed right away and thrown away.

Examine additional possible nest sites, and look for mature ticks on your body, particularly in your hair.

Make sure your pets are free of ticks every day, especially if they spend a lot of time outside. Check for ticks before entering the house if you, your children or anybody else is in an area where they are known to be present.

In your home, how long can ticks survive?

A tick need a blood host to survive, and their lifespan is only two to three years. Thus, a tick will soon perish if it cannot find an animal to feed on, including people.

How long can a tick stay on you or your animals?

According to a 2020 study, soft ticks feed on an animal for approximately an hour before departing from their host. Eggs are not laid on hosts by females.

Before departing the host, generally to mate or deposit eggs, hard-shelled ticks can continue to feed for up to a month or so.

Once they mate, male ticks frequently die. Shortly after laying their eggs, females pass away.

What kind of risk does a tick nest pose?

Lyme disease is the most well-known health danger associated with ticks.

Nevertheless, only infected deer or black-legged ticks can spread this illness. Going outside is also a concern for people because of a recently identified ailment brought on by a bacteria belonging to the same family as the one that causes Lyme disease.

But adult tick bites are what cause these illnesses. By biting a victim, a tick can transmit disease, but your risk is reduced if you can remove the nest before the eggs hatch. Getting rid of a tick nest that is in or close to your house is crucial.

HOW TO REMOVE A TICK

It’s critical to get rid of ticks as quickly as safely as feasible. The longer a tick that carries a disease feeds, the higher the risk that you may get sick. However, you should avoid just grabbing a tick and twisting it out as this could leave a portion of the tick trapped in your skin.

To properly remove a tick, adhere to these steps:

Take hold of the tick as close to the skin’s surface as you can with tweezers.
Without twisting or bending the tick, carefully remove it from the skin.
Check the bite site. Remove any tick remnants you come across with caution.
Use soap and water to clean the area.
Seal the tick in a plastic bag or container after immersing it in rubbing alcohol.
Consult a physician right away.

To find out if the tick is disease-carrying and whether you need to get treated, you might have to show the tick to your physician.

How can you determine whether you are tick-positive or have been tick-bitten?

A tick bite is typically painless and harmless. Ticks typically search for regions with weaker skin. They can bite anyplace on the body, however they frequently focus on the head or under the arm.

It might be simpler to identify the bite if you experience an allergic reaction or contract an illness from the tick. The bitten location could hurt, swell, and develop a blister, rash, or red patch.

Therefore, you might not even be aware that you were a host until you notice the tick on your skin or get sick.

When to Seek Medical Attention for a Bite

See a doctor as soon as possible if you become ill after being bitten by a tick that is known to spread disease. Some or all of the following symptoms could be present in you:

an area or rash where the bite occurred a rash on another part of the body a headache
stiff neck
discomfort in the muscles and joints
nausea chills fever

In addition to respiratory problems, a strong allergic reaction may cause skin reactions at the bite site. Dial 911 or your local emergency number if this happens.

The bottom line

Eggs are typically laid by female ticks in the spring or summer. This greatly raises the likelihood of getting bitten by a tick.

Recall that most bites from ticks are not harmful. But since many of these arachnids are capable of carrying illness, they ought to be treated carefully.

Tick nests can appear indoors, but they are typically seen outdoors in tall grass or among leaves and other detritus. This typically occurs after a tick feeds on a household member or pet and falls inside the host.

If you’re outside in an area where ticks are common, make sure you properly inspect yourself, and if your pet spends time outside, do the same. Your best line of defence against tick nests appearing inside your house is this.

However, if you do discover a nest, be calm. Before discarding it, carefully seal the bag and hoover it up.

Tick infestations inside can be defended against with specialised powder pesticides; external pest management measures may also be helpful. You may reduce your chance of discovering tick eggs that could develop into dangerous pests by keeping your grass clipped short and removing any potential nesting locations from your property.

Now Trending:

Please SHARE this story with Family and Friends to make them aware of the dangers!

Share on Facebook

Save