Community identification
Tick
Ixodida (order)
- Order & Family
- Order Ixodida, Families Ixodidae (hard ticks) or Argasidae (soft ticks)
- Size
- 1 to 5 mm (unfed), though they can expand significantly after a blood meal
Natural Habitat
Wooded areas, tall grass, leaf litter, and shrubs, often hitchhiking on host animals into residential areas
Diet & Feeding
Obligate hematophages; they feed exclusively on the blood of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians
Behavior Patterns
They exhibit 'questing' behavior by climbing to the tips of vegetation and waiting for a host to brush by. They undergo four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.
Risks & Benefits
Major public health risk as vectors for diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Anaplasmosis; they provide little ecosystem benefit but serve as a food source for some birds and reptiles