TICKS ARE NOT INSECTS
Ticks are eight-legged, wingless parasites related to
mites and spiders. Ticks do not fly or jump; they wait
for a host to brush up against them.
EVEN IMMATURE TICKS SUCK BLOOD
There are four stages to the tick life cycle: egg, larva,
nymph and adult. The larva, nymph and adult all suck
blood.
TICKS THRIVE ON FREE RIDES
To feed, ticks attach themselves to warm-blooded animals
and bite - they do not burrow under the skin. After
feeding, the tick drops off its host, molts or lays
eggs, and then waits for another host. Many tick species
feed on more than one host and can transmit disease
between animals and humans.
DEER TICKS ARE TINY
The deer tick, known to transmit Lyme disease, is about
the size of a pinhead in its nymphal stage. Adults
are much smaller than the common dog tick.
BE AWARE IN WARM WEATHER
Ninety percent of all cases of Lyme disease are from
nymphal-stage tick bites. This nymphal stage occurs
during the spring and summer.
