The Engorged Tick: The Over Eater of the Insect World
October 18th, 2009 Posted in Spiders & Other Arachnids 
Ticks feed off of blood. A lot of times they feed off of you and your pet’s blood, unfortunately. Once fully satisfied their bodies grow 3 times their regular size filled to the brim with blood.
This is when a tick has become engorged. There are many different ways you can help prevent this from happening to you today and in the future.
Ticks are very small and very hard to detect. Normally, a tick is about the size of a grain of pepper, but once their stomach is full of blood, they can be much more easily seen.
They become the size of a very small pebble when they’re engorged. The blood they steal from you fills their bodies up and it expands them like a balloon.
They’re full to the point where there is no more room in their body to process all the incoming blood. After becoming engorged, they can’t really move. Their body is exerting so much energy into digesting, that they can barely move a muscle until their body returns to a normal size.
Once a tick bites you, there is the chance for disease and infection. Most tick don’t carry diseases, but some engorged ticks do.
Some transmittable diseases that ticks carry are analplasmosis, Lyme disease, Colorado tick fever, and rocky mountain spotted fever, just to name a few. A tick isn’t able to pass a disease unless it has become engorged by your blood, thus it is very uncommon to be infected after getting bitten.
Some preventive measures for getting bitten include wearing tight clothing, using tick repellent, and inspecting your skin often. To help lower your chances of being infected after being bitten, removing the tick from your body is key. The proper way to remove a tick is by using a pair of tweezers. First, grip the tick as close to the skin as possible.
Do not use a match, liquids, or soap to remove the tick because if irritated it will behave like a syringe, and inject with you with its own bodily fluids. I don’t think it can get any grosser than that happening to you, thus proper removal is very important. Begin by pulling backwards, gently using steady pressure, and making sure not to jerk or twist.
If you jerk the tweezers around, you run the chance of irritating the tick. Don’t puncture the body of the tick either because it will react in the same way, injecting the bite with its bodily fluids. After you remove the tick, wash the bite on your skin with soap and water.
If any part of the tick’s mouth remains in the skin, it should be left alone. It will be expelled on its own by your body, thus removing it will cause unnecessary skin trauma.
Another vital way to help deal with ticks is by using EcoSMART’s organic insect repellent. Effective and safe around pets and children, you can help protect your skin and the environment all at the same time.
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21 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!
By Emma on Oct 23, 2009
Ticks are a big problem around my neighborhood. I would love to have a good no hazardous solution.
By dan stiver on Oct 23, 2009
I would love to try your products . In May I got a tick . I got Lymes disease . The doc said they got it quick enough and I feel better . But I’m paranoid about getting it again . I work outside . so I would love to test your products .
By Amin Nasreddine on Oct 23, 2009
I spent the whole summer working to green my yard. Insects, including ticks, are my next big problem to tackle. I would love to test out your products
By BlindKarma on Oct 23, 2009
I always heard about ticks related to hiking and pets, but never experienced a problem until we moved out to the wine country. I recently found an engorged tick attached to my dog’s neck. Yuck! It was huge and the wound was bloody. Fortunately, removal with tweezers was not too difficult if you follow the advice and grab the head. More importantly, I started researching more about ticks. After seeing photos of the tell tale bites on humans, I realized I had been bitten by ticks before but always thought they were insect or spider bites. Wish I had known as it would have explained other symptoms such as flu-like symptoms and lethargy, and I might have sought medical attention.
By Yenni on Oct 23, 2009
I’d love to test your products. I have been looking for a good product which will effectively work against ticks.
By Tami Lewis on Oct 23, 2009
thinking of moving to the woods has started me thinking i might need this!
By Laurie on Oct 23, 2009
My moms neighbor & their neighbor’s yards are totally filthy, they have pets & its hot year round so those little buggers breed all the time!Your products sound like a great way to keep them buggers off of us & our property!
By beverly on Oct 23, 2009
I’m looking for a tick repellent that isn’t toxic to me and my pet. This is the season for then now – usually they are scarce in the summer around here (upstate NY).
By Marlene A Cooper on Oct 23, 2009
I live in a heavily wooded area where ticks are all around. I’d love to try and find something that’s safe for my dog and myself alike. this sounds like this may be just what i’m looking for. My dog has had several ticks in the past few years. Don’t know why it was getting so bad till I read this article. I’d love to try some of this and also become product tester.
By Helen on Oct 24, 2009
Ticks are horrible things. I would love to use your products to prevent these.
By Myrna Woolsey on Oct 24, 2009
We live on a very wooded lot. We humans seldom get ticks on us, but the dogs and cats frequently must have ticks removed from them.
We would be very interested in an organic repellent.
By pam sullens on Oct 24, 2009
I have 4dogs incuding a huge st bernarso i worry about ticks a lot. would loveto be tester
By Debbie on Oct 24, 2009
Ticks are a problem in our area, which is well wooded and frequent visits from deer, fox, coyote and others. I found a tick on me one time and removed it in time; also found ticks on my cat on several occasions. Would love to try a product that is eco friendly.
By Nancy Reddinger on Oct 24, 2009
There is no more harmful to pet than the tick they carry so many things that can harm pets and people as well. We have always used nail polish to stop them and take them off
By Jackie on Oct 24, 2009
I would love to test the tick repellant. We are still in the tick season here in NC. The organic aspect is such a plus.
By amy neunaber on Oct 25, 2009
Our chickens usually keep the tick population down, but this fall has been awful, constantly finding the on the pets and my son, who ended up with Lyme
The kids love to play in the woods, and I would love to try repellent to keep them safe from ticks without pesticides and chemicals
By nicole on Oct 25, 2009
Living in the woods we have problems with ticks especially on our dogs we would like a green soultion to this ….its so annoying
By dianne c on Oct 25, 2009
Ticks are rampant here in NC. Everyone says there’s nothing that can be done…The only answere is to use toxic sprays…I would like to see if your environmentally safe product does the trick for my ticks!!
By Lindsey on Oct 25, 2009
Ugh…. ticks are really gross!
By Amanda on Oct 26, 2009
These are something you have to deal with when your in the woods all the time.