A female tick can lay anywhere from 1000 to 8000 eggs at one time.
Ticks are related to mites, scorpions and spiders. Because they are parasites, their survival will be dependent on human and animal hosts and they will feed on body fluids and blood. This feeding on a host is closely associated with their reproduction, and is necessary for their egg production to take place. A male and female tick will normally mate while they are attached to their host. The female tick then takes one meal of blood that increases her weight by more than 100 times. This blood will be converted into her eggs for a massive single egg laying session. This is called 'oviposition'. After she has finished mating, the blown up female will detach from her host so that she can rest and also incubate her eggs that are inside her for at least two weeks. She will then lay her eggs on leaves. Once the female has finished laying her eggs, she dies. In unfavorable conditions the female tick will delay her egg laying by going into a state that is called 'diapause'. This is when her metabolism will decrease and there is a delay in reproduction, development and growth.
There are two specific types of ticks, with sub categories in each type. The two types are soft ticks and hard ticks. All ticks undergo four stages of their development.
· Stage 1: This is when the ticks begin their lives as eggs.
· Stage 2: These eggs then hatch into tiny six-legged larvae that will already start feeding on any nearby host.
· Stage 3: After experiencing a molt, the larva transforms into an eight-legged nymph.
· Stage 4: The nymph will molt again and become an adult who will feed and then reproduce.
A tick lives for about a year. In that short year it is capable of transmitting lethal diseases to animals. Humans are capable of building up antibodies. Immediate medication must be administered to domestic animals.
Ticks are related to mites, scorpions and spiders. Because they are parasites, their survival will be dependent on human and animal hosts and they will feed on body fluids and blood. This feeding on a host is closely associated with their reproduction, and is necessary for their egg production to take place. A male and female tick will normally mate while they are attached to their host. The female tick then takes one meal of blood that increases her weight by more than 100 times. This blood will be converted into her eggs for a massive single egg laying session. This is called 'oviposition'. After she has finished mating, the blown up female will detach from her host so that she can rest and also incubate her eggs that are inside her for at least two weeks. She will then lay her eggs on leaves. Once the female has finished laying her eggs, she dies. In unfavorable conditions the female tick will delay her egg laying by going into a state that is called 'diapause'. This is when her metabolism will decrease and there is a delay in reproduction, development and growth.
There are two specific types of ticks, with sub categories in each type. The two types are soft ticks and hard ticks. All ticks undergo four stages of their development.
· Stage 1: This is when the ticks begin their lives as eggs.
· Stage 2: These eggs then hatch into tiny six-legged larvae that will already start feeding on any nearby host.
· Stage 3: After experiencing a molt, the larva transforms into an eight-legged nymph.
· Stage 4: The nymph will molt again and become an adult who will feed and then reproduce.
A tick lives for about a year. In that short year it is capable of transmitting lethal diseases to animals. Humans are capable of building up antibodies. Immediate medication must be administered to domestic animals.
