

1. Another Common Name for Black-Legged Tick Is Deer Tick

2. Black-Legged Ticks Are Small
Black-legged ticks can take about 2-3 years to complete their life cycle. After hatching, they spend roughly the first year of its life as larvae. In the second year of life, they become nymphs before they molt to the adult stage. Even though they drink blood, black-legged ticks spend most of their time in the environment and not attached to a host. In fact, most black-legged ticks will only have 3 blood meals in their entire lives.1
Female black-legged ticks typically lay their eggs in mid-May. The eggs hatch and larvae emerge in the late summer. At this stage, the tick larvae feed on smaller animals such as rodents or birds. By springtime, the larvae develop into nymphs and start attaching themselves to larger hosts such as cats, birds, opossums, raccoons, rodents, deer, and humans. After taking their first blood meal, the nymphs will mature into adult ticks. Adults can be found year-round but are most active from October-May. Female adult ticks will lay masses of eggs, typically in broods of 1500 to 2000, starting the process all over again.2

4. Black-Legged Ticks Can Transmit Lyme Disease

5. Black-Legged Ticks Are Found Across the Country

6. Black-Legged Ticks Don’t Jump or Fly
References
- 1. Ticks. Minnesota Department of Health. Accessed Aug 18, 2022. https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/tickborne/ticks.html
- 2. Blacklegged (Deer) Tick. Tick Encounter: The University of Rhode Island. Accessed Aug 18, 2022. https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/species/blacklegged-tick
- 3. Pennisi, E. Lyme-carrying ticks live longer—and could spread farther—thanks to warmer winters. Science. Accessed Aug 18, 2022. https:// www.science.org/content/article/lyme-carrying-ticks-live-longer-and-could-spread-farther-thanks-warmer-winters#:~:text=borrelia%20makes%20ticks%20more%20active,spread%20disease%2C%E2%80%9D%20Ferguson%20says
- 4. Asher, C. Lyme disease–carrying ticks are now in half of all U.S. counties. Science. Accessed Aug 18, 2022. https://www.science.org/content/article/lyme-disease-carrying-ticks-are-now-half-all-us-counties
- 5. Tick Geographic Distribution. Center for Disease Control. http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/geographic_distribution.html. Accessed October 16, 2020.