While ticks can be active all year round, we are at our greatest risk during the summer.  Once the warm weather hits, so do the ticks, and they will begin hunting for their next meal immediately. In order to combat tick encounters and the harmful diseases that they can potentially spread, we need to better understand their life cycles, from egg to adult stage. 

Egg Stage

Ticks have 4 life stages; egg, larvae, nymph, and adult. Female ticks lay thousands of eggs on the ground, which then hatch into larvae, known as ‘seed ticks’. At this stage of life, these small ticks (about 1/8-inch in size) have six legs, instead of the eight legs they will have later on in their lives. Female adults die after laying their eggs.

Larvae Stage

The next stage of a ticks life is its larvae stage. Once hatched, tick larvae remain close to their home and climb up on grass and low bushes so that they may attach themselves to small animals which pass by – such as mice, squirrels, rabbits, and birds. 

After feeding for 2 to 9 days on their hosts, the larvae drop to the ground, digests the blood, and then emerges into the 8 legged nymphal stage. 

Nymph Stage

Just like the tick larval stage, this third stage of a tick’s life cycle also revolves around an active search for food.

After molting, nymphs will attempt to attach themselves to a second host, molting into their eight-legged adult stage soon after eating.

While the nymphs prefer small animal hosts, humans and our pets are also potential hosts. 

Adult Stage

The tick has now moved on from its  teenage stage to become a mature adult. After an adult female attaches itself to a host, it often takes up to a week to complete eating. Once the female has finished, it drops to the ground and mates, although mating can also take place on the host before or during feeding.

Males die after mating, while the females survive through winter and lay their eggs again the following spring. 

The best way for you to attain tick control is to hire The Mosquito Guy and sign up for our tick control services and while you’re at it you mine as well protect you and your loved ones from mosquitoes as well and get your yard sprayed with our mosquito control services as well.

Sign up with The Mosquito Guy today to take your yard back fill out the form on this page today for a free consultation!