Ticks do not fly, jump or actively pursue a host. Nymphs are the most important vectors of Lyme Disease to humans because they are difficult to detect due to their small size, relatively short feeding period, and because humans are most active outdoors during the summer. The nymph feeds for 5-6 days, drops from the host, and again finds shelter under leaves or other vegetation. By late summer, nymphs molt to the adult stage. Adults occur in the fall and in the spring where they also may be found questing on vegetation.
Males are smaller than females and uniformly dark in color.
The adults prefer to feed on deer, but will readily attack humans and dogs as well as other medium to large-sized animals. Deer are often present in large numbers in wooded sites and a preferred host on which the female mates and acquires necessary blood for egg development. To protect yourself against Lyme disease, avoid tick infested areas whenever possible. If warm spells occur in winter, however, ticks again become active. Ticks must feed for 10 or more hours before the disease is transmitted.