Ticks: Facts, Identification & Control
Latin Name:
Ixodidae (describes most common ticks)
Appearance:
Ticks vary in color by species. Adult ticks are smaller than a sunflower seed (1/8- to 5/8-inch long if engorged with blood), while nymphal (or immature) ticks are less than 1/16-inch. Common problem ticks include the American dog tick, deer or black legged tick and lone star tick.
Habit:
Often found near wooded and highly vegetated areas. Some species require moisture to survive.
Diet:
All females and males of most species feed on blood of mammals, birds and reptiles.
Reproduction:
There are four stages in a tick’s lifecycle – egg, larvae, nymph and adult. Ticks have only six legs during their larval stage and eight legs during their nymphal and adult stages. They consume blood meals during all stages. Pathogens, or organisms that cause diseases in the animals they infect, can be passed through the stages of a tick’s life cycle.
Deer Ticks
Deer Ticks and Lyme Disease in Animals
Difference between Deer Ticks and Wood Ticks
Difference between Deer Ticks and Western Black-legged Ticks
American Dog Ticks
Dog TicksDog Ticks and Lyme Disease
Other Types of Ticks
Tick Bites
Tick Information
Characteristics of Black-Legged Ticks
Ticks & Ilness
Lyme Disease and Other Tick Borne Diseases
Soft Ticks
