Adults of most species mate while the female is attached to the host animal. After mating and engorgement, females detach from the host, fall to the ground, digest the blood and produce several thousand eggs. The egg masses are deposited beneath soil debris. A few weeks later, tiny six-legged larvae hatch from the eggs and crawl onto vegetation and upward to await a passing host. In most species, nymphs resemble adult females except for their small size and lack of contrasting color markings.
Nymphs again seek a host, feed, drop to the ground, molt and become adults.
Following is information on the tick species with implications for human health problems in Kansas. American dog ticks are abundant throughout most of Kansas and the United States. Adults are active from March through September. The species is named for the single, bright spot on the female's back. Lone star ticks, common throughout the eastern one-third of Kansas, are most abundant near brushy and wooded sites.