Black Legged Tick (Deer Tick)
Ixodes scapularis
Class: Arachnida
Order: Acari
Family: Ixodidae
American Pest Management's Integrated Tick Management Program uses sound integrated control strategies to effectively reduce tick populations in your yard.
Size: Larvae are about 1/32" (0.7-0.8mm) long, with 6 legs. Nymphs measure about 1/16" (1.1-1.8mm) long, with 8 legs. Adult females are about 1/8" (2.7 mm) long; males are smaller by about 1/16"/ 2 mm. Sizes are larger after a blood meal.
Characteristics: The black legged/deer tick body is oval, dorsoventrally flattened (top to bottom), and is not hard-shelled. Eyes are lacking. Toothed median mouthpart is sharply pointed and visible from above.
Color: Adult female body is orangish brown, but the abdomen is darker when engorged. Legs, mouthparts and scutum (dorsal shield just behind mouthparts) are dark reddish brown. Adult males are reddish brown overall.
Geographic Range: Black legged/deer ticks are primarily found in the northeastern, midwestern, and southeastern states in the United States, but extend into Mexico.
Comparison with other species: The scutum (dorsal shield) of the Pacific/ western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) is almost round (subcircular). Soft ticks (Argasidae) lack a scutum, and their mouthparts are not visible from above.
Habitat: Blacklegged/ deer ticks climb grass and shrubs to wait for a passing host, and move very little laterally. They concentrate on such vegetation located in transitional areas/zones (called ecotones) such as where forest meets field, mowed lawn meets unmowed fence line, a foot/animal trail through high grass or forest. Because these transitional areas or edge habitats are where most animals travel at some time each 24-hour period, this is where the ticks are most likely to acquire a host.
The other habitat most likely to harbor ticks is the den, nest or nesting area of its host such as that of skunks, raccoons, opossums, but especially the white-footed mouse. The white-footed mouse prefers woody or brushy areas. It nests in any place that gives shelter such as below ground, in stumps, logs, old bird or squirrel nests, woodpiles, buildings, etc.
Food: Blacklegged ticks require blood meals to complete each stage of their life cycle. They feed from a wide range of hosts.
Biology: The lifecycle of the black legged/deer tick (egg to egg) is usually completed in two years. Eggs laid in the spring hatch several weeks later into six-legged larvae, which can be found June through September. They feed for 3-9 days but only once, usually on small mammals such as mice, chipmunks, voles, etc., but the preferred larval host is the white-footed mouse. Larvae feeding before September molt promptly and overwinter as 8-legged nymphs; those feeding later will molt the following spring.
In year 2, the nymphs seek the next blood meal to molt into an adult tick. They feed for 3-8 days but only on one host during the summer, usually on mice or larger mammals such as squirrels, raccoons, opossums, skunks, dogs, and humans, or on birds. Nymphs can be found from April through August, with the population usually peaking in June or July. These fed nymphs then require 25-56 days to molt into adults in autumn.
The adults attach primarily to the white-tailed deer, engorge, and mate. The male tick dies after mating but the female continues to feed until egg development is completed and remains on the deer until spring, when she drops off to lay up to 3,000 eggs. Shortly after her eggs are laid, the female dies.
Damage: Tick-borne illnesses - the blacklegged tick is a major vector for Lyme Disease, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, and babesiosis. A single blacklegged tick can be co-infected with two or even all three of these disease organisms, and therefore has the potential to transmit more than one infection simultaneously.
Environmental Policy
The employees of American Pest Management are committed to improving the quality of life for all of our customers by providing the safest and most effective treatment for the management of pests which pose a threat to their health, property, and food supply. History has shown that neglecting to control pests such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, rodents, and ticks, and the misapplication of pest control products are equally dangerous.
