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Ixodes scapularis

Black Legged Tick, Deer Tick

Ixodes scapularis

Ever wonder how such a small insect like a tick can carry such a major disease? The deer tick is one of the major transmitters of Lyme disease in the Eastern United States. They are typically found in the woods, and wait for a host to pass by for them to attach onto for feeding. Your animals may bring these ticks into your home without you knowing it.
RISK LEVEL:
LOW
MEDIUM
HIGH
Risk is defined as how much damage each pest can be to you, your family, or your home
Deer Tick
  • Examine your body after working or playing in high likelihood areas (wooded lots, high brush, and shrub-filled areas).
  • Cut grass that is above the ankle in your yard perimeter to reduce harborage of ticks.
  • Remove yard debris that can harbor mice (leaves under decks, wood piles, construction debris).
  • Inspect sheds, boats, and other items in your yard to ensure no mice have taken residence.
  • Stop feeding conducive wildlife such as deer and eliminate food items that are feed upon by deer (spilled birdseed, unfenced vegetable garden, etc.)
  • Pull your socks over your pants, use long-sleeved shirts, and CDC-recommended repellents when working in high tick population areas.
Class: Order: Family:
Arachnida Acari Ixodidae
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.
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.
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.
Geographic Range: Black legged/deer ticks are primarily found in the northeastern, midwestern, and southeastern states in the United States, but extend into Mexico.
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.
Ixodes scapularis

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