The deer tick is found in high grassy areas, open fields, and in woods with a shrubby understory. Ticks live in the shrubby understory of the forest. Following a blood meal, the tick swells to twice its normal size, and drops to the ground. Each stage requires a different host animal and feeds only once.
Deer ticks take two years to complete their life cycle.
They feed in late summer, near ground level, on mice, shrews, chipmunks, voles, and other small animals. Larvae can pick up the disease from an infected animal. Nymphs - are the size of a poppy seed. They are biege, sometimes appearing transparent with a dark head. Adults - are the size of a sesame seed.