 Ticks
Ticks can carry unpleasant and dangerous diseases such as tick borne encephalitis. They are not insects, but they belong instead to the arachnid family. There are about two dozen species of ticks, of which eight are of medical importance and are responsible for transmitting diseases to humans.
Ticks do not have wings and they cannot jump. Instead to find a donor they settle on grass, ferns or the underside of leaves and bushes. They can wait for several months for a suitable host. If they detect a host, they drop on to it and find a convenient place to suck blood, after which they will then drop off the host.
The bite itself is usually not noticed, since pain-killing secretions are released and often the site of the bite is only slightly red. If worried, always ask your GP for further advice.
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