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Tick
* All ticks are parasitic at some time in their lives.
* All ticks are parasitic, and require several blood meals throughout their life cycle
  - feeding on the blood of mammals, birds, and reptiles
  - can carry disease
* All ticks feed on the blood of the host and then drop off onto the pasture
  - warm-blooded animals by attaching themselves to the skin using their mouthparts
* All ticks have four pairs of legs as adults and have no antennae
  - three pairs of legs during the immature stage and four pairs as an adult
  - know when prey is near
* Any tick can carry and potentially transmit disease.
* Many ticks can live as long as three to five months between each stage
  - never become infected because some hosts transmit the bacteria inefficiently
* Most ticks feed and then molt to the next stage in their life cycle
  - live in the nest and burrows of their hosts
* Remove tick with tweezers.
* Some ticks are quite small, usually the size of a pin-head or freckle
  - attach quickly while others wander looking for thinner skin such as on the ear
* Some ticks can be vectors for more than one kind of pathogen
  - transmit diseases to humans, so check for ticks after every trip in the woods
* Some ticks feed on only one host throughout all three life stages
  - type of host, while others suck blood from many different animals
  - go through many nymphal stages, while some only have one
* Some ticks secrete a cementing material to hold fast to the host
  - nerve poisons that can potentially cause death
  - serve as carriers of serious diseases to pets and humans
* act on instinct.
* also bite, and occasional life-threatening reactions to ticks have been reported
  - ingest whatever disease-causing microbe that happens to be in their blood meals
* appear as brown or white parasites attached to a pet's skin
  - dark spots between the scales
  - mostly in the spring when the weather warms
* arc the most common known vectors of the disease.
* are a good vector as well as a reservoir and the most common source of infection for man
  - adapted to feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals such as humans, dogs or livestock
  - all parasitic
* are also a problem in the brush during warm times of the year
  - capable of transmitting diseases such as anaplasmosis to cattle
  - insect relatives
  - prevalent in many country areas
  - among the most efficient arthropod vectors
  - an essential food source for many reptiles, birds, and amphibians
  - another group of insects that can be found on reptiles
* are arachnids, as are chiggers, spiders and mites
  - closely related to spiders and mites
  - in the same family as chiggers, spiders and mites
  - like spiders
  - within the larger group of arthropods
  - arthropods an eighth of an inch long or more that suck blood and carry disease
  - bigger than lice and can be as big as a fingernail
* are blood feeders, and infected ticks transmit the disease as they feed
  - feeding external parasites of mammals, birds, and reptiles throughout the world
* are blood sucking ectoparasites that are often found on wild caught animals
  - parasites that attach to the skin
* are blood-feeding ectoparasites that transmit a wide range of pathogens
  - parasites of animals found throughout Colorado
  - blood-sucking ectoparasites , mostly of mammals and birds
  - bugs that attach themselves to a passing animal whenever they are hungry
  - carriers for blood parasite disease, which can be a very dangerous disease for dogs
  - common arthropod parasites that feed entirely on blood
  - considered harmful because they transmit diseases
  - currently under investigation as possible vectors of a West Nile-like virus
  - easier to spot against light-colored clothing
* are easier to spot on light colored clothing than on dark
  - white or khaki socks, pants and shirts
  - effective and potent transmitters of disease
  - eight legged arachnids that are related to spiders
* are especially common in tall grass and other dense vegetation
  - prevalent in wooded, brushy and grassy areas
  - external parasites on mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians
  - found all over the world, they are arachnids, members of the spider family
  - generally most numerous late spring to early summer
  - hard to kill
  - important disease vectors in many regions of the country
  - in the arachnid family
  - just harder to kill than fleas
* are larger than mites and are important because they are parasites of man and animals
  - then their relatives, the mites
* are located in countrysides
  - meadows
  - mattresses
  - members of the arachnid class that includes spiders and mites
* are more active during the warmer days of winter and early spring
  - closely related to spiders than insects
  - resistant to drying out than other insect pests
  - most active in spring and early summer
* are most active in the spring and summer
  - spring, summer,and fall
  - summer when people are stripping down to shorts and bare feet
  - common in the summer and spring
  - likely to burrow into legs and ankles
  - much larger than mites, some females as big as a nickel
  - nationwide and carry many diseases
  - obligate parasites that attach to a host for a blood meal
  - of concern because of their potential to transmit diseases to humans and other animals
  - one of the primary external parasite concerns of the pet owner
  - out mainly during spring and early summer, and are more common in grassy areas
  - parasites, that burrow their mouthparts into their host to feed on their blood
  - parasitic blood feeders of animals and humans
  - persistent bloodsuckers
  - primary parasites, with a slightly higher tick burden in males than females
  - relatives of spiders, scorpions, and mites
  - saclike acarines with a leathery appearance
  - significant carriers of serious human and animal diseases
  - slightly larger, appearing brown, black, or gray in color
* are small external parasites found on birds, reptiles, and mammals
  - round arachnids with eight legs and can have either a soft or hard body
* are small, blood-sucking arachnids
  - wingless, bloodsucking parasites closely related to the mites
  - spider-like creatures, found in woodland or areas of rough vegetation
  - suscecptible to dehydration
* are the main carriers of many protozoan diseases, including piroplasmosis
  - most prevalent insect problem
  - number of milliseconds between text changes
* are tiny and can hide in the most unusual places
  - brown or black bugs which feed on blood
  - ectoparasites that feed on the blood of mammals
  - tiny, harmless-looking little suckers, but they can transmit a variety of diseases
  - transmitters of many diseases of man and domestic animals
  - typically active whenever insects are active
  - uncommon, especially if the hedgehog is kept indoors
  - vectors for tularemia, and infected ticks have been found on jackrabbits in the West
* are vectors of a number of diseases that affect both humans and other animals
* are very active in the spring and early summer
  - difficult to remove once they have anchored themselves in place
  - important parasites
  - resistant to insecticides, but there are effective repellents on the market
  - small, and many are hard to see
* aren t nearly as common or problematic as their cousins - mites.
* attach themselves only with their mouth parts and feed on blood.
* attach themselves to the skin in pursuit of a blood meal
  - surface of the skin and then begin to feed
  - to areas that are warm and moist
* attach to the skin and feed on the animal's blood
  - take blood meals from people droping off when they are engorged
  - to feed on blood
  - when people brush against vegetation
* basically appear when the cold weather goes away.
* become bloated as they feed, fade to pale gray, and can triple in size.
* begin as eggs and hatch into the six legged larval form.
* bite infected mice and later transmit the disease to other animals, including people and dogs
* can also affect many other wildlife species, domestic livestock and humans
  - be temporary nest parasites
* can also carry and transmit disease
  - other disease, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
  - detect the carbon dioxide given off by warm-blooded animals
  - attach themselves to clothing or skin
  - be dangerous to humans, as they can carry diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
* can be very difficult to find on an animal
  - thick in the grasslands
  - become infected if they feed on small animals that are infected
* can carry a number of diseases that can cause serious disability and, occasionally, death
  - and spread diseases with their bites
  - cause irritation where they are attached to the animal
  - feed on a variety of animals including birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals
* can feed on humans and other mammals, reptiles, birds or even frogs
  - at any stage, but most often the nymph transmits the spirochete
  - get a lot bigger than spiders
  - grow from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a marble
  - live in the house for a few days depending on the humidity
  - look like a scale when they're small
  - maintain pathogens in various ways
  - pose a health hazard
  - remain alive for many months in the absence of a blood meal
* can store enough oxygen to complete feeding
  - their feeding
* can survive in empty poultry housing for years
  - long periods of time between meals
  - under a variety of conditions as long as adequate moisture is available
* can transmit a disease within two hours of biting the animal
  - the disease both transstadially and transovarially
* can, however, develop resistance to acaricides.
* carry many diseases that can be harmful to humans
  - numerous diseases that are harmful to man
* cause the loss of meat, wool, milk and leather.
* climb onto vegetation to wait for a host to pass by so they can grab on.
* cling to their host using an anchor located just below the mouth.
* come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all are parasites
  - contact with their victims by climbing up vegetation to await a passing host
* complete their life cycle from eggs to adults in approximately two years.
* congregate around wooded areas and animal trails.
* crawl to their desired spot on the body, sometimes from the foot to the scalp unnoticed
  - very slowly, and can travel distances only by attaching to a person, animal, or bird
* die before attachment and repels further for up to three months
  - if unable to find a host
* do carry a host of diseases.
* drop off of birds as well as deer and small rodents
  - on their victims, where fleas jump up from the ground
* enjoy feasting on the blood of giraffes, and oxpeckers like to eat the ticks.
* feed at various times of the year, including winter
  - by inserting their mouth parts into the skin of their host
  - off hikers
  - on a range of animals such as fieldmice, voles, sheep, deer and horses
* feed on blood and insects
  - by inserting their mouth parts into the skin of a host animal
  - blood, and infected ticks transmit the disease as they feed
  - the blood of animals, and infected ticks transmit the disease as they feed
* feed on the blood of the animals they attach themselves to
  - host in which they live
  - fluids of animals as do spiders
* feed, of course, on the blood and tissue fluids of their host.
* generally have to be attached for some time to transmit diseases
  - live within three feet of the ground
* grab onto feet and legs and then climb up.
* have a four-stage life cycle
  - life cycle incorporating incomplete metamorphosis
  - simple life cycle
  - unique system for finding animals to attack
* have an equally bad reputation for transfer- ring diseases from one animal to another
  - interesting life history, which is more or less similar for all species
  - difficulty grabbing on to tightly woven slippery materials such as nylon
* have eight legs like spiders
  - receptors that respond to light
  - six legs during their first stage
* hide on the leaves, branches or grass of wooded areas and fields and jump on passing prey.
* latch onto skin where they feed on blood.
* like to feed on the back of the head at the base of the skull
  - hide in underbrush and shrubbery, especially during spring and early summer
  - live in areas that are dark and damp
* live in and near wooded areas, tall grass and brush
  - low bushes and tall grass
  - the shrubby understory of the forest
  - wooded areas and low-growing grassland
* look like a small flattened spider, they have eight legs and two body segments.
* love damp slightly cool weather conditions.
* make contact with their hosts when the host brushes against a blade of grass or shrubbery.
* make-up an important group of parasites of wild and domestic animals.
* mature in four stages, moving from egg to larva and nymph to adult.
* molt into mature adults in the fall.
* often attach at body folds, behind the ears and in the hair
  - to hairy areas of the body, especially the head and neck
  - hang from overhead branches and drop when they sense body heat below
* pick up the spirochete by sucking the blood of deer or other already-infected animals.
* populate in piles of fallen leaves.
* pose a greater health risk than mosquitoes, and are a bit frightful for children
  - health threat to both pets and people
* position themselves in spots wine they can attach themselves to the largest host possible.
* prefer areas with tall grass, brush and trees
  - the cool, moist woodlands where they have a better chance of finding an animal host
  - to live in dense woodland where there is little air movement and high humidity
* present a considerable problem for outdoor workers in wooded areas
  - some unique problems when trying to treat yards, pets and homes
* proliferate in the woods that surround all the camps.
* receive no sustenance from plants.
* require a blood host to survive and reproduce.
* require blood as a source of protein for egg development
  - meals during certain phases of their life cycle
  - high humidity and moderate temperatures
* require several hours to attach themselves, and in the meantime can be washed away
  - become firmly attached
* satisfy all of their nutritional requirements as ectoparasites , feeding on a diet of blood.
* seek a blood meal from specific hosts.
* seem to love greyhounds, probably because of their relatively thin skin.
* spend the winter as adults, crawling under bark and leaf litter to withstand the cold.
* suck blood from cattle and most require more than one host during their lifetime
  - the tortoise while they inhabit the neck of the tortoise
* take several days to complete feeding.
* tend to be host specific
  - live in low bushes and grass
* then cling to the host and crawl upwards to find a place to attach and feed
  - feed on the mammals and pick up the bacteria when they take their blood meal
* thrive in tall grass and brush.
* transfer infection only after they have fed for several hours and are engorged.
* transmit diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever , tularemia , and equine encephalitis
  - pathogens that cause disease through the process of feeding
  - spirochetosis
* transmit the disease when they feed on raccoon, dogs, opossums, deer, horses and humans
  - organism to vertebrates primarily by their bite
  - tick fever
* trick the host with their ability to suppress immunity.
* typically drop onto animals and they are extremely easy to pick up in the woods.
* usually attach themselves to long grass to await a passing animal or human
  - begin their ride from low levels
  - crawl about for several hours before biting
  - live in woods or tall grasslands in various regions of the country
  - require several hours of attachment and feeding before they transmit a disease
* vary on where they attach to the body.
* wait for a host by perching on leaves or other surfaces with their front two legs extended
  - host animals from the tips of grasses and shrubs
* wait on grass for a host to brush against the vegetation
  - plants such as grasses until a mammal walks by
+ Acarina, Ticks: Arachnids :: Parasites
  * Ticks are blood-sucking ectoparasites, mostly of mammals and birds. They wait on grass or bushes, and jump onto passing animals. They are quite serious pests, and can be hard to get rid of. They are vectors, carrying diseases such as Lyme disease.