After feeding, they drop from the host and lay clusters of thousands of eggs in ground litter. Males die soon after mating with one or more females and females die soon after laying eggs. There may be overlapping generations, with peak adult and nymphal activity occurring from March through May and again from July through August. Larvae occur in mid-June or July. It often takes up to 3 years for a tick like the lone star tick to complete its life cycle.
Mouthparts are for piercing and sucking.
Lone star ticks live in wooded areas with underbrush, along creeks and rivers near animal resting places. All three stages will feed on humans. All ticks feed on warm-blooded animals by attaching themselves to the skin using their mouthparts. The bite of a tick is not initially felt. Fo r additional information, contact your local Texas extension service agent, or search for other state extension service offices.