Adult deer tick questing for a host. Adult deer tick seeking a suitable spot to feed. At this time, they resume the quest for hosts in a last-ditch effort to obtain a blood meal allowing them to mate and reproduce. This second activity peak typically occurs in March and early April. Adult female ticks that attach to deer, whether in the fall or spring, feed for approximately one week.
Males feed only intermittently.
Mating may take place on or off the host, and is required for the female's successful completion of the blood meal. The females then drop off the host, become gravid, lay their eggs underneath leaf litter in early spring, and die. Each female lays approximately 3,000 eggs. The eggs hatch later in the summer, beginning the two-year cycle anew. In these areas, information on peak nymphal and adult tick activity can probably be obtained from local universities and health departments.