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CourtesyAmerican Lyme Disease Foundation |
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The life cycle of a deer tick takes approximately 2 years to complete. Their development is dependent on both environment and availability of hosts. They may, however, be capable of developing in less than one year.
All three of the development stages require a blood meal from hosts. Deer ticks attach themselves to and feed on a single host during their larval stage, another during nymphal stage,
and the third during adult stage.
The tick larvae and nymphs both molt after feeding.
After laying eggs, the female adult deer ticks will die.
One female is capable of laying up to 3,000 eggs.
Six-legged larvae emerge from the eggs & begin search for a host.
A larvae then feeds for about 4 days before dropping to the ground to molt and become a nymph.
Nymphs have eight legs and once again search or hosts. They will the feed and molt into an adult.
Larvae
Larval and nymphal stage deer ticks prefer small hosts and are most likely to feed on rodents. Adult ticks are fond of white-tailed deer and sometimes feed on human hosts. Diseases are transferred to humans and animals during their nymphal and adult stages.
Eggs
Females lay eggs in suitable areas close to vegetation. Emerging as larvae, they immediately begin to search for hosts, which tend to be small, e.g., mice. During these early feeding stages is when ticks contract diseases such as Lyme.
The diseases are transmitted to hosts during future feedings.
De-ticking clothes is best accomplished by throwing everything into a hot dryer for 15 minutes, even before washing.
Washing clothes first does not kill them but drying does.
