They are arthropods that are more closely related to spiders. Adult ticks have eight legs while insects have six legs. Ticks are ectoparasites which means that they must have a host for each stage of their life cycle in order to survive and reproduce. The tick life cycle includes an egg, larval, nymphal, and adult stage. The larval stage of the tick has six legs, but when it molts to the nymphal stage there are eight legs.
Ticks are more resistant to drying out than other insect pests.
Larvae, nymphs, and adults are commonly found on dogs but rarely on humans. Some species of ticks can carry disease-causing agents. Sixty-eight per cent of all ticks recovered from humans are the Lone Star tick. While the Lone Star tick species is a known carrier of disease, each individual tick is not infective. This concept is true for other tick species that have been confirmed to carry disease-causing agents.