Black Legged Tick (Deer Tick)

Wooded areas, tall grass, and leaf litter where host animals are present.

Obligate blood-feeders, consuming blood from mammals, birds, and occasionally reptiles.

They exhibit questing behavior, where they climb to the tips of vegetation and wait for a host to brush by to latch on.

Major risk as a vector for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis; they provide no significant benefits to humans and are considered a public health hazard.