Most people think ticks are insects. They are not.
Ticks are arachnids — closely related to spiders and scorpions. Technically classified as arthropods, they are blood-sucking parasites that feed on animals and people, and they are one of the most dangerous creatures you'll encounter in the Australian bush.
ANATOMY OF A TICK 
A tick's body is designed for one purpose — to find a host, attach, and feed.
The adult tick has four pairs of legs, each covered in short spiny hairs with a tiny claw and adhesive pad on the end — perfect for gripping onto skin, fur, grass and branches.
On its back sits a tough shield called the scutum. In males, the scutum is large. In females, it is smaller — this allows the female's body to expand enormously as she takes her blood meal and prepares to lay up to 3,000 eggs.
The tick's mouthparts include a large serrated feeding tube called the hypostome, which anchors itself into the skin with backward-facing barbs.
WHAT DISEASES CAN TICKS CARRY?
Ticks are disease vectors — meaning they can carry and transmit disease from one host to another. After mosquitoes, ticks spread more illnesses to humans than any other parasite.
A single tick bite can deliver multiple disease-causing organisms, including:
• Borrelia — associated with Lyme-like disease
• Bartonella — also known as cat scratch disease
• Babesia — a parasite affecting red blood cells
• Rickettsia — causes tick typhus
• Tick paralysis toxin — injected through tick saliva, potentially fatal in pets
WHY TICKS ARE SO DANGEROUS
Think of a tick as a tiny germ-filled balloon. Squeeze it too hard, and all the germs get pushed from the back end toward the front — straight into you through its straw-like mouthpart.
This is why correct removal technique matters so much. Never squeeze, burn or twist a tick. Always use fine-pointed tweezers and pull upward with steady pressure.
BE TICK AWARE — it only takes one bite.
Learn how to remove a tick safely → https://tickease.com.au/pages/education
Shop TickEase tick removal tweezers → https://tickease.com.au/collections/all