The insects in the animal world feed on many different things. Some are vegetarian eating only plant material. Some are predators eating other insects. Even others are scavengers feeding off dead plant and animal material cleaning up forest floors. But insects such as ticks are blood feeders. These insects attach them selves to animals and feed off of their blood. How do you ticks lay eggs? After mating, the female tick will feed and then fall off of the host and lay her eggs on the ground. Once hatched these larva will find a new host and begin the process again.
Male ticks are generally smaller than their female counter part. This is because feeding is more for the purpose of attraction of a mate than having enough energy to lay eggs as the female does. Once a male has attracted a female, they will mate on the host. After mating, the female will take a large blood meal lasting 7 to 14 days. This meal will give her enough energy to lay the eggs.
LIFECYCLE
A ticks life cycle is considered an incomplete metamorphosis. After laying her eggs both the male and female will die. The eggs will hatch, and lava will emerge. These larva are a six legged version of the adults. They will immediately search for a host. Once finding this host they will feed and begin to grow. Once they’re fed, they will begin to develop into nymphs. A nymph will have eight legs in the smaller version of the adult. Once again this tick will seek out a host and feed. The process will repeat again resulting in an adult tick. Upon this last feed, the tick were seek out a mate and the mating process will begin.
Most ticks fall into two different categories. Some ticks are considered one host ticks. These ticks will find a single host and live their entire life on them. Other ticks are considered a three host tick. These ticks will remove themselves from their host after every lifecycle. So after hatching from the egg, a tick will attach to any host and feed. After this they will fall off and digest their meal. The larva will become a nymph and search for a new host. After the second feeding they will fall off again. This time digestion will result in an adult tick. The adult will search for its final host and complete its lifecycle. An Oklahoma exterminator can help.
TICK DISEASES FOR YOUR PET
Ticks spread a number of diseases. Your pets are particularly susceptible to these diseases. The highest on the list is Lyme disease. This disease affects dogs and can be transmitted to humans. Rocky Mountain fever is another dangerous disease that your dog can get. This disease is also very transmittable to humans. It is very important to make sure that your dog has all ticks removed after being outside. These diseases are treatable if caught in time.
There are multiple diseases that can be transmitted to your cat from ticks as well. Cat scratch fever is a well-known disease that affects felines. Anemia is also a possibility when large numbers of ticks have attacked a cat. Elderly cats or small kittens are usually most susceptible to anemia. When your cat or dog is being attacked by a tick this can some times cause itching. This makes the cat or dog bite the area, often swallowing ticks. Swallowed ticks can also transmit disease. Contact your Tulsa pest control company for more details.
FINDING A HOST
After hatching from the egg, the larva must find a host to feed off of. In order to do this, the larva engages in a process known as questing. The larva will climb onto a plant leaf and grab the leaf with its rear legs. It will then extend its front two legs and wait for a host to walk by. Once an animal walks past, the larva will grab onto the new host and hold on for dear life. Some ticks will feed directly on the site that they connected with. Other ticks will find a more advantageous spot, such as behind the ear or in an armpit.
The place where you or your pets will be the most susceptible to ticks are in tall grass. Tall grass and large plants are a breeding ground for ticks. These places give ticks a great place to quest from. A single host tick will only quest during the larva stage. A three host tick will quest three different times in its lifetime. A tick can find its host by detecting its breath, body odor, heat, moisture, or vibrations. Some species can even detect a host by its shadow. Your Oklahoma pest control company can treat for ticks and other pests.
FEEDING AND DISEASE SPREAD
Ticks can take a long time to feed. Depending on the species, they can take between 10 minutes and two hours just to prepare to feed. Once a tick has found a spot in which it wants to feed, it will cut into the skin. The tick will then insert a feeding tube and secrete a glue like substance to keep it attached to the host. The feeding tube also has barb’s to hold it in place.
A small amount of saliva will also be injected back into the host animal. The saliva has an anesthetic property to it. This will help to keep the host from knowing that it is being fed upon. As the tick continues to feed, the nutrients from the blood will be separated from the water portion. The water portion will be injected back into the host. It’s these two injections into the host that can carry pathogens and diseases.
GETTING RID OF TICKS
Ticks are not an undefeatable foe. They can be eliminated with experience and expertise. If you’re finding yourself in a situation where you or your pets are being attacked by ticks then it may be time to call in a professional. Contact your local Tulsa exterminator for help. Here at TermMax Pest Control we service the Tulsa area including Broken Arrow, Claremore, Coweta, Catoosa, Jenks, Bixby, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Pratville and more. We’re here to help!