Ticks

Deer TickIdentification: Ticks have 2 major body regions including the anterior capitulum, containing mouthparts, and the idiosoma, which contains the four pairs of walking legs. When the tick ingests the blood from the host, the blood enters the open cavity called the hemocoel. This is the sac that fills with blood from the host.

Life Cycle: Deer Ticks are active whenever temperatures are above freezing.  These pests prefer habitats that are heavily wooded. Female Deer Ticks lay their eggs in spring. They go through 3 active stages which are larva, nymph and adult. Deer Ticks feed primarily off blood during all stages of development. Deer ticks are most likely to pass on Lyme Disease to the host during late spring a summer and they are about 2.7 mm, approximately the size of a sesame seed.