Ticks Part I

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Ticks! Everyone knows what a tick is right? They are small parasites that feed on blood as their main food source. We all have heard the horror stories of a friend of a friend that caught Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or worse from a tick bite. The thought of ticks crawling around makes me itch.

Most people think that ticks are insects. They look bug-like. They are small and due to their blood thirstiness one would think they are a cousin of the Mosquito; Maybe once or twice removed. Ticks are not insects! They are actually arachnids like scorpions, spiders and mites. All members of this group have four pairs of legs as adults and have no antennae. That makes sense if you think about it.

Growing up Tick: Ticks go through 4 life stages just like Mosquitoes do. They start out as an egg then go into the six-legged larva stage. These tiny larva are often called “seed ticks”. Once they reach “seed” stage they begin to feed on blood from a host. Seed Ticks are often found in a cracks and other small places where they hatched from. Seed ticks will feed in groups, one study involving dogs and their pens showed seed ticks can attack in numbers up to 3,000. If you have one seed tick on you it is highly likely you have more.

They molt (shedding of their skin, like a snake does) after feeding in seed tick phase they grow into an even larger nymph. As nymphs they continue to seek out hosts and feed until they can molt again. After this final molt they are adults! Both Female and Male ticks feed off of hosts. The female can lay eggs after feeding.

Ticks feed on everything. They are not too picky about who or what their host is as long as they can get the blood that they need. Ticks can be found on livestock (goats, chickens, cows, sheep), humans, dogs, cats, lizards, birds, deer and even snakes. The main reason why deer season is in the cooler months of the year is because it is in the hopes that the deer will not be infested with ticks and mites. Many ticks are dormant in the cooler months of the year. Even though that is the norm that does not mean exceptions can’t happen.

Ticks cannot fly or jump. They wait. They prefer tall grasses and shrubs. They will hang out on a blade of grass until a host passes by then they will hitch on. They have been known to fall off of their waiting place and fall onto their host (ever wondered how you got that tick on your head?). Ticks can also be found in abundance on animal trails and around water sources where they find their prey most often at.

Ticks track or stalk their prey. Teenie tiny stalkers, creepy huh? They track their hosts by carbon dioxide output. Some professional pest control companies actually use dry ice (The foggy effect it has when exposed to air is actually it melting and releasing carbon dioxide)to lure the ticks into a trap so they can be exterminated. This is a safe way to clear pet pens, barns and other animal related areas of ticks.

Ticks start coming out once the weather is a steady 45 degrees Fahrenheit. That means as early as March ticks can start coming out. Did you know that some ticks can live up to years, and many of them can do that without food. They go into a hibernation state until they are given the signal by Mother Nature that it is a good year to be active.

Ticks! Is such a long topic I've made two different posts so I can include all the info I can. Knowledge is power. Keep reading for Ticks! Part TWO!

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