One female can lay hundreds, sometimes thousands of eggs. Like many other insects and invertebrates, life begins with a tiny egg. Usually a fertilized female lives through the winter, and with the warming of spring, she lays her egg, then dies. The eggs hatch in about a month, and the little hatchlings are called larva. They have six legs and are hungry to find a host.
Many larvae often hatch out in close proximity to one another.
Together they migrate to the top of tall grasses or brush. When a likely host wanders by, they all extend their tiny legs and grip on. Several hundred may get brushed onto the host at one time. They begin feeding as soon as they can but feeding is a long, slow process, taking at least four to eight hours in many species and as long as several days in others. After feeding, the larval tick drops from the host and rests, allowing the meal to digest.