   
A common question is, do ticks jump? Another common question is, do ticks fly to find a host? Ticks are a species that cannot fly because they do not have wings.
It is amazing how such a tiny insect can go from the plants and grass to our armpits and groin area and not fly.
What are the Life Stages of Ticks?
Most ticks go through four stages:
- egg
- six-legged larva
- eight-legged nymph
- adult
After hatching from the eggs, ticks must eat blood at every stage to survive.
Most ticks die because they don't find host animals for their next feeding. Ticks requiring many hosts take up to 3 years to complete their full life cycle.
How Long does it take a tick to mature?
The deer tick matures in approximately two years; a young tick is about the size of poppy seeds. Its survival rate depends on the environment and available hosts.
During freezing temperatures, they find shelter beneath leaf litter to remain hydrated.
When Can Ticks Transfer Lyme Disease?
As the ticks transition to the nymph stage of development, their last set of legs will grow.
In addition, the nymph stage is when ticks transfer tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease because of their tiny size.
Are Tick Bites Serious Risks?
While tick bites are a fairly frequent occurrence for those that like to spend a lot of time outdoors, they can still pose serious health risks to people and pets.
It is extremely rare for ticks to transmit certain tick-borne diseases in some regions.
Do Ticks Have Wings?
Juvenile ticks or nymphs, do not develop wings when they transition from their larval state. These ticks cannot fly because they have no wings.
Nymph ticks are particularly dangerous because they are so small it is difficult to detect them.
In the larval stage, they can be mistaken to be other insects because of their six legs. Ticks have eight legs when in nymph and adult forms.
Can Ticks Fly?
Do ticks fly? This a common question because of how quickly they move. it appears that ticks fly.
However, these tiny insects have no wings and are incapable of flight. It's a commonly mistaken belief that ticks fall from trees to land on a host.
Ticks can live up to 3 years
The female of the species lay as many as a thousand eggs. Adults seek a host animal to engorge itself before mating.
Typically eggs are laid in sheltered areas, like a wood pile, beneath rocks, or crevices of walls and structures.
Ticks do not require a lot of water to stay hydrated. Questing for several hours in dry areas returning briefly to rehydrate on damp leaves or small pockets of water.
How do Ticks Find a Host?
Ticks find a host by questing. It accomplishes this by holding two of its eight legs outstretched on the grass or leaves along the third and fourth pair of legs.
They hold their first pair of legs outstretched as they await a host to climb onto.
How the tick connects to a host
When an unsuspecting host brushes against the area the insect is waiting it allows the insect to climb aboard.
A tick's first pair of legs are called the Holler's organs. These first pair of legs allow the insect to recognize sensory signals.
The black-legged tick is much smaller than the American Dog Tick and Deer Tick
The American dog ticks are larger tick species than black-legged ticks. The American dog tick or Lone Star tick, Brown dog, and deer tick are known for carrying Lyme disease.
A Brown dog tick is known to spread bacteria which creates the Rocky Mountain spotted fever in various southwestern regions.
Blacklegged ticks feed on amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. At every stage of a tick's life, they require a new host.
Certain species prefer the same hosts to feed from during all phases of life. The adult ticks look for a host to engorge on the blood before they mate.
Why Ticks Appear To Jump From Host To Host
Ticks on dogs cannot jump or fly. It is an incorrect belief that ticks fly or jump. However, weevils are often a common misconception for being flying ticks.
A tick's bite is often known to cause Lyme disease. The bite is more of an annoyance and will make you sick.
When a tick finds a host, it burrows its head beneath the skin, using its barbed mandibles as a feeding tube.
They are commonly found in tall grasses during the early summer months. They will grab onto the host while hiding in tall grass, brush, or bushes.
Call a Professional to Get Rid of Ticks
To avoid the bite of one of these insects, you should keep your entire body covered by wearing pants and long sleeves. If lots of vegetation grows near stone walls, you might be at risk for an infestation.
Contact A.N.T. Pest Control to get rid of and avoid ticks and other small mammals that attract them.
