iwitness user: igot2havemore Ticks are irritating arthropods
that prey on our pets. Their goal in life is to find a warm-
blooded creature so that they can feed. Veterinarians and pet
owners have been battling these tiny parasites for decades and
the war continues. Ticks are members of the Acarina order and
are not insects. Ticks and mites are in a class all by
themselves. In the transmission of disease, mosquitoes and ticks
are the primary concern, with ticks being the most dangerous.
Ticks are divided into 3 different families. Only 2 of these
families are present in the US, the Ixodidae (hard tick) family
and the Argasidae (soft tick) family. Within the Ixodidae, there
are about 60 different species that have been reported in the
US. Within the Argasidae family, there are only about 20
reported US species. Life Cycle of the Tick There are 4 stages
in the life cycle of a tick: egg, larva, nymph and adult. This
life cycle can be completed within as little as 2 months. The
larvae, nymph and adults all feed on