Ever wondered how ticks have an uncanny ability to find you, even in the vast expanse of the great outdoors? The answer to exactly how these creepy crawlers pull off their sneaky maneuvers might just shock you – literally! You see, as it turns out, ticks can actually fly through the air and magnetize themselves to you using static electricity – giving a whole new meaning to the term “tick magnet”.

In this blog post we’re going to explore this fascinating phenomenon and most importantly – cover what you can do to protect yourself from these blood-sucking buggers.

Ticks: What Exactly Are They?

Ticks are a type of arachnid – a class of creepy crawlers that also encompasses spiders and scorpions. Ticks can range in size from as small as a poppy seed to as large as a small pea, depending on the species and life stage. Ticks have a flattened oval or teardrop-shaped body and have four pairs of legs with claw-like structures at the end.

And these claw-like structures play an important role for ticks – allowing them to grasp onto their food sources. You see, ticks are what’s known as ectoparasites – parasites that live on the outside of the bodies of animals and feed on their blood. It’s this blood-sucking capacity that makes ticks so troublesome. 

The Trouble With Ticks: How Harmful Are They Really to Humans?

Not only can tick bites be icky and uncomfortable, but they are also notorious for transmitting a host of tick-borne diseases such as:¹

• Anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis
• Babesiosis
• Bartonella
• Lyme disease (more formally known as Borrelia burgdorferi)
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
• Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever

Tick-borne illnesses can be particularly troublesome because they are typically not well understood in conventional medicine. Which is one of the many reasons I’m committed to helping provide education and resources around these complex conditions. To dive deeper into Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, I recommend checking out the following YouTube episodes: 

• #37: Dr Jill Interviews Dr Richard Horowitz on Lyme Disease Treatment – YouTube
• #56 Dr. Jill interviews Dr. Dan Kinderlehrer on Recovery from Lyme Disease – YouTube
• #68: Dr. Jill Interviews Dr. Darin Ingels, ND on Successful Treatment of Lyme Disease – YouTube
• #139: Dr. Jill interviews Dr. Marty Ross on “Hacking Lyme Disease: An Action Guide To Wellness”. – YouTube

With such potentially serious consequences for your health, you’re probably curious how exactly ticks find you and latch onto you in the first place.

How Do Ticks Find You?

To find their next meal, ticks employ a behavior known as questing – in which they climb up vegetation (such as grass, shrubs, or tree branches). Once atop this perch, ticks wait in this questing posture with their front legs outstretched, waiting to detect and latch onto a passing animal. 

Ticks detect a suitable food source via a few different sensory structures including:²

• Chemical sensors: Ticks can detect chemical cues, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), body odors, and pheromones, which are emitted by animals, including humans.
• Heat sensors: Ticks can sense infrared radiation emitted by warm-blooded animals, which helps them detect the heat signature of a host. 
• Movement and vibration detection: Ticks can detect vibrations and movements in their environment, allowing them to sense the presence of a host as it approaches.

Ticks are not particularly fast-moving creatures, and they must rely on their ability to sense and latch onto hosts when they come into close proximity. But to counter their inability to move quickly or jump onto hosts, ticks have one more impressive trick up their sleeve to help them “hitch hike” their way onto their next meal – electrostatic charge.

How Ticks Use Electrostatic Charge To Latch Onto You

Electrostatic charge, often simply referred to as static electricity, is a form of electrical charge that results from the movement or transfer of electrons between objects. Most of us have experienced the mild electric shock sensation or spark of static electricity when touching a metal doorknob, another person, or an electronic device. 

That’s because animals and humans naturally carry a low level of electrostatic charge – with things like movement, friction of materials, and different environmental conditions all ramping up the amount of “static electricity” zooming around in your body. And as it turns out, ticks can actually use this electrostatic charge to not only sense your presence, but to essentially magnetize themselves to you.

In fact, studies have found that ticks are able to quite literally hitch a ride via the electrostatic charge generated by humans and animals – allowing them to zoom through the air as far as several millimeters away. While that may not sound like much at first, that’s the equivalent of you being lifted across gaps of air three to four times your own body length!³

So what do you do if a tick is able to catapult themselves onto you via this remarkable phenomenon?

What To Do If You Get A Tick

Finding a tick crawling on you can be unsettling. But finding one that's sunk its teeth into you can be particularly perturbing. If you do happen to find that one of these creepy crawlers has taken a bite out of you, it’s important to promptly and properly remove it using the following steps:

1. Retrieve a pair of fine tweezers and use them to grip the tick. Aim to seize it as close to your skin's surface as possible.
2. Employ a gentle, yet steady and firm, pressure as you slowly draw the tweezers backward. Avoid any sudden jerking or twisting motions.
3. Maintain the gentle pressure while pulling to prevent squeezing, crushing, or puncturing the tick, as it could potentially contain various disease-causing microbes.
4. Once you've successfully removed the tick, make sure to meticulously cleanse the bite area and your hands using soap and water.
5. If the tick's mouthparts are lodged in your skin, it's best to leave them undisturbed – as attempting to remove them can potentially cause significant trauma to your skin. These parts will naturally dislodge as the bite heals.
6. After extraction, submerge the tick in rubbing alcohol, sealing it within a bag or container. Placing the tick in alcohol serves the dual purpose of killing it and preserving it for potential identification and testing should you experience any symptoms following the bite.

If you suspect you’ve been bitten by a tick, it’s important to keep an eye out for any new or strange symptoms. If you do begin to experience symptoms or feel unwell, it’s imperative to seek out the guidance of an experienced Integrative and Functional Medicine Practitioner. 

Unfortunately, many conventional medical doctors are not well versed in the complexities of tick-borne illnesses. So, employing the expertise of an Integrative and Functional Medicine Doctor can shortcut your path to healing from any infectious organisms that may have made their way into your body via a tick bite. 

Is There A Natural Way to Prevent Ticks?

The answer to this question is – absolutely. While you can’t prevent a tick bite with 100% certainty, there are some simple and effective ways you can protect yourself and prevent ticks from finding their way onto you. Here’s what I recommend:

• Avoid tick-prone areas: If possible, stay out of areas where ticks are known to be particularly prevalent – like dense woods, tall grass, and leaf litter. If you need to be in such areas, take extra precautions and try staying in the center of walking trails when possible. 
• Wear protective clothing: Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and tuck your pants into your socks to create a barrier. It can also be helpful to wear light colored clothes to make ticks easier to spot. 
• Perform regular tick checks: After spending time outdoors, check your body, clothing, and gear for ticks. Pay close attention to areas like the hairline, behind the ears, under the arms, and between the legs.
• Check your pets: Be sure to also examine your pets for ticks, as they can carry ticks into your home.
• Shower after being outdoors: Showering can help wash off any unattached ticks and make it easier to spot and remove ticks that may be crawling on your skin.
• Maintain your yard: Especially if you live in a rural or tick-prone area, it can be helpful to keep grass and vegetation well-maintained. And if possible, create barriers like gravel or wood chips between your lawn and wooded or overgrown areas.
• Tick-proof your home: Ticks can sometimes hitch a ride into your home. So tick-proof your home by regularly vacuuming and cleaning your home to reduce the risk of ticks indoors.

But understanding how ticks use electrostatic charge to launch themselves onto us gives us some new insight into how we can better protect ourselves from these creepy crawlers.

How to Reduce Your Electrostatic Charge to Prevent Tick Bites

Some ways you can reduce your electrostatic charge and subsequently reduce your tick-magnetizing properties include:

• Wear natural fabrics: Clothing made from natural fibers like cotton, silk, and wool is less likely to generate static electricity than synthetic materials. Opt for natural fabrics when possible.
• Reduce cling: Reducing static cling in clothing can help reduce your electric charge. But many dryer sheets come with a laundry list of harmful toxins. So I recommend checking out Branch Basics wool dryer balls to reduce cling without the chemicals.
• Anti-static spray: Using anti-static sprays on your clothes or on your pets can reduce electrostatic charge. You can use commercial anti-static sprays or make your own by mixing a small amount of fabric softener with water in a spray bottle and lightly mist – just be sure to look for low-tox brands.

Taking steps to be proactive in keeping ticks at bay is hands down your best defense against these little creatures.

How Concerned Should I Really Be When It Comes To Ticks?

Tick bites are no laughing matter. These little blood suckers can carry some serious germs that can have major consequences for your health. But that doesn’t mean that these creepy crawlers have to put a damper on your life or cause you to steer clear of the great outdoors.

Simply investing a little time and effort into prevention and protection is always your best bet. And that goes for not only tick bites, but all aspects of your health and well-being. Putting a little time and effort into protecting and preserving your health is the best investment you’ll ever make. 

That’s why I’m dedicated to empowering you with the knowledge and resources you need to truly invest in your own well-being. You can find hundreds of free resources on my blog and YouTube Channel, tons of cutting-edge products on my online store, and some of my most trusted recommendations on products I love. And if you want to take it even deeper and learn how I’ve used the Functional Medicine approach and all of these tools and strategies to transform my health and happiness from the inside out, you’ve got to check out my newly released book Unexpected: Finding Resilience Through Functional Medicine, Science, and Faith.

Now it’s time to hear from you. Were you surprised to learn that ticks can use static electricity to “jump” onto you? What are your favorite tick-preventing tips? Leave your questions and thoughts in the comments below!

Resources:

1. What Are Ticks and What Diseases Do They Spread? (webmd.com)
2. How ticks spread disease | Ticks | CDC
3. Static electricity passively attracts ticks onto hosts (cell.com)