A tick (Ixodes ricinus) is an arachnid a few millimetres long and dark in colour; it bites people and feeds on blood. Ticks may spread diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), tularaemia, and borreliosis. You can remove a tick attached to the skin yourself.
Ticks are prevalent in the whole of Finland and the tick season lasts from April till November all over the country with the exception of the northernmost regions. Ticks are usually found in grass, shrubs, hay and undergrowth. Ticks can also be carried by an animal. A small number of ticks spread diseases such as borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis, and tularaemia which may be transmitted also to humans.