Ticks can't jump, but static electricity can throw them onto hosts

Static electricity that is naturally produced by animals,
humans included, can attract ticks onto their hosts.
(Video by England and Lihou, Current Biology)

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

One more thing to know as you work to guard against the influx of ticks in Kentucky this year: Static electricity that is naturally produced by humans and other animals can cause a tick to be pulled onto them, a new study shows. 

“Until now, we had no idea that an animal could benefit from static electricity in this way, and it really opens up one’s imagination as to how many invisible forces like this could be helping animals and plants live their lives,” lead author Sam England of the University of Bristol said in a news release.

The findings, published today in Current Biology, are the first known example of static electricity being implicated in the attachment of one animal to another, the release says. 

The study also offers an explanation for how ticks make contact with hosts that seem beyond their reach, because ticks are not capable of jumping.

The researchers first tested the potential of static electricity to help ticks bu using electrically charged rabbit fur and other materials. They found that the ticks were pulled through the air for several millimeters or even centimeters toward the charged surfaces. (One inch has 2.54 centimeters.)

They said the distance the ticks were pulled, compared to their size, was like humans being pulled up several flights of stairs. 

The study also determined that the minimum strength of a static-electricity field needed to attract a tick was comparable to the field between a charged animal and grass, suggesting that this is a likely way some ticks end up on their hosts. 

The researchers suggested that these findings likely apply to other parasitic animals, like mites, fleas and lice.

They also say this study could lead to new ways to prevent tick bites, like creating anti-static sprays.

For now, you can protect yourself from ticks by wearing an insect repellent, such as diethyltoluamide, or Deet, when outside. And for those who don’t like to wear Deet, you can use oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR 3535, or picaridin. All of these products are readily available at stores.

Other ways to protect yourself from ticks include wearing light-colored clothing, so ticks can be spotted more easily; tucking pants legs into socks or boots and shirttails into pants; taping the area where pants and socks meet, so ticks can't crawl under your clothes; walking in the center of trails, and avoiding other tick-likely areas.

It's also important to check for ticks every time you come inside from being outdoors, even for just 10 minutes. And if you’ve been out longer, you should disrobe and check your whole body, especially around ankles, waist, navel, armpits and the nape of the neck. And check pets for ticks.

And if you get a tick, it's important to remove it properly by grasping it as close to the skin as possible with a pair of tweezers and pulling it straight out with gentle, even pressure.