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Hard Ticks:
- Hard ticks have a dorsal plate.
- Males and females look different in appearance.
- Blood fed females get enormous-the size of a grape.
- Females lay 2,000 to 18,000 eggs, the eggs hatch in 30 days and the female dies.
- Some remain on the animal after feeding, they reattach and feed again.
- Adults mate on the animal and engorged females drop off and lay their eggs on the ground.
- Hard ticks go through a larval stage (seed tick), they then fall to the ground and turn into 8 legged nymphs. The nymphs seek a host, drop to the ground and molt into adult ticks. the life cycle is then complete.
- The mouth parts are toward the front of the tick and are visible from the back.
- Hard ticks’ eyes are on the backsides of the bodies.
- Hard tick habitats include brush, woods, or weed areas where deer, cattle, dogs and small mammals are present.
- They prefer high humid conditions and breezy areas.
- Their skin contains a waxy layer that prevents water absorption.
- Hard ticks attach to host by forming a cement cone around the mouth parts and the skin of the host.
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Soft Ticks:
- Leathery texture and have no dorsal plate.
- Males and females do not look different.
- Soft tick mouth parts are not out in front and cannot be seen from the back.
- Eyes, if present are located in the folds of the tick above the legs.
- Adult females feed and lay eggs several times during their life time.
- Soft ticks undergo more than one nymphal stage before adulthood.
- Soft ticks don’t firmly attach to their host for long periods of time, because they adapt to feeding rapidly and leaving the host.
- Soft ticks are found in burrows, dens, bat caves, and poor quality human dwellings.
- Soft ticks thrive in hot, dry conditions.
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Deer Ticks:
Also known as the Black Legged tick and the Western Black Legged tick. These ticks are capable of spreading diseases such as Babesiosis, Erlichiosis, and Lyme Disease.
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American Dog Ticks:
Typical of the Rocky Mountain Wood tick and the Pacific Coast ticks. These ticks are capable of spreading Colorado Tick Fever, erlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, and tick paralysis.
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Lone Star Ticks:
The Lone Star tick is capable of transmitting erlichiosis, Lyme, tularemia, tick paralysis, and spotted fever Rickettsia bacteria. |
