Quick answers
| Question | Answer | Scope | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where they live | Wood ticks are usually found in wooded areas. | Wood ticks only (blacklegged or deer tick, lone star tick, American dog tick); South Carolina page | Clemson Cooperative Extension | |
| Where they live (a coastal park) | At Fire Island, mostly in the back dunes and forest, in tall grass and shrubs. | Blacklegged, dog and lone star ticks at Fire Island National Seashore (New York) | NPS, Fire Island National Seashore | |
| What they eat | Blood, at every life stage, from people, other mammals, reptiles, birds or even frogs. | Ticks in general, Clemson page | Clemson Cooperative Extension | |
| Life cycle | Egg, larva, nymph, adult over about two years, with a blood meal at each stage after the egg. | Ticks at Fire Island National Seashore | NPS, Fire Island National Seashore | |
| How many blood meals | Three: one as a larva, one as a nymph and one as an adult. | Hard ticks at Shenandoah National Park (Virginia) | NPS, Shenandoah National Park | |
| What they do in winter | They shelter under leaf litter and slow down in the cold. | Ticks at Fire Island National Seashore | NPS, Fire Island National Seashore | |
| Are ticks insects? | No. They are relatives of scorpions, spiders and mites. | All ticks | Clemson Cooperative Extension | |
| Do tick bites make you sick? | Ticks can pass on diseases such as Lyme disease, but most bites do not lead to illness. Ask a doctor about any bite that worries you. | Ticks in general, Clemson page | Clemson Cooperative Extension |
In the sources’ own words
Where they live
Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center), Ticks Around Your Home“The name wood tick is used for many ticks including the blacklegged or deer tick, lone star tick and American dog tick. These are usually found in woodland areas.”
Scope: Wood ticks only (blacklegged or deer tick, lone star tick, American dog tick); South Carolina page
Where they live (a coastal park)
National Park Service, Fire Island National Seashore, Ticks“All three species are most often found in the back dune and forested areas, in tall grasses and shrubs.”
Scope: Blacklegged, dog and lone star ticks at Fire Island National Seashore (New York)
What they eat
Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center), Ticks Around Your Home“Ticks can feed on humans and other mammals, reptiles, birds or even frogs. All life stages of ticks feed on blood.”
Scope: Ticks in general, Clemson page
Life cycle
National Park Service, Fire Island National Seashore, Ticks“Ticks progress through their two year life cycle, from eggs to larvae to nymphs to adults, by taking a blood meal from vertebrate hosts.”
Scope: Ticks at Fire Island National Seashore
How many blood meals
National Park Service, Shenandoah National Park, Ticks“Ticks require three blood meals to complete their life-cycle one meal each as larvae ("seed ticks"), nymph and adult.”
Scope: Hard ticks at Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
What they do in winter
National Park Service, Fire Island National Seashore, Ticks“Ticks can survive under the cover of leaf litter and enter a state of reduced activity during low temperatures.”
Scope: Ticks at Fire Island National Seashore
Are ticks insects?
Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center), Ticks Around Your Home“Ticks are closely related to scorpions, spiders and mites. They are not insects.”
Scope: All ticks
Do tick bites make you sick?
Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center), Ticks Around Your Home“Ticks can transmit several diseases, such as Lyme disease, rocky mountain spotted fever, tick paralysis, and others, but most tick bites do not result in illness.”
Scope: Ticks in general, Clemson page
What these sources do not say
- Where soft ticks live. The habitat lines above are about wood ticks and the three species at Fire Island.
- How long an adult tick lives on its own. The two-year figure is the whole life cycle at one park.