3 Facts About Ticks That Greenbelt, MD Residents Will Find Interesting

Many people in Prince George’s County mistake ticks for insects, but they are actually arachnids. What differentiates the two? Insects have 6 legs while arachnids have eight. Moreover, arachnids, unlike insects, don’t have wings at all. This is very descriptive of ticks, the arachnid famous for Lyme disease. There are over 700 species of ticks, but interestingly, only two carry Lyme disease. This tiny creature has several other interesting facts, and three of those are listed below.

Fact #1: As patient as a tick

Perhaps the saying should be: as patient as a tick. These arachnids have proven to be experts in the art of waiting. As they cannot jump like fleas, they have to be very strategic with their hunt. This process goes by the fancy name questing. So, the next time you come home to find ticks on your clothes, just know that they probably stayed in one spot for a very long time waiting for you.

If they weren’t bloodsucking pests, ticks would seem (almost) noble in the way that they go about finding hosts.

Although they can’t hop, fly or run, ticks do have two abilities, for want of a better word: crawling and dropping. And they use these dubious “skills” to their greatest advantage in order to fill their little bellies with blood.

First they crawl up plants, usually grasses and shrubs, until they reach dizzying heights—at least from a tick’s perspective. Then they crawl to even more precarious territory, positioning themselves on the tips of grass blades, the extreme edges of branches, the outermost ends of leaves.

And they wait.

And wait.

And wait. Read more from Owlcation…

Fact #2: Male ticks die after mating

For an arachnid that lives for only three years, the life cycle of a tick is very interesting. For most creatures, the mating period is just one part of a continuous process. They reproduce over and over again. However, for mature male ticks, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; they die after they have mated.

When breeding season arrives, these ticks release a pheromone to find one another. Large numbers congregate, and males mate with as many females as possible. Females produce about a thousand eggs each. After mating, the male dies, and after laying her eggs, the female dies. Read more from Animals Network…

Fact #3: Female ticks are blood-saving gurus

It is said that the secret to financial wealth is saving and investing, but what if there was an arachnid out there better at saving than many men? Well, the female tick needs a lot of blood as she produces eggs. And because she produces lots of eggs, she needs lots and lots of blood. So, right before that, she looks for a host, gets a good gulp, taking in as much as she can.

We all know what it’s like to eat way too much- you feel like you’re about to pop and you swear you’ll never eat another bite for as long as you live. Well, apparently we’re not the only ones who get to that state, because female ticks are all too familiar with that feeling. Females will actually consume enough to become engorged! Their goal is to obtain enough blood to sustain themselves through egg production- shortly after which, they die. A female tick’s growth from feeding depends on her species, but some will more than double in size and increase in weight by over 100 times! Read more from Excel Pest Services…

Clearly, these arachnids leave a multitude of descendant ticks behind when they die. So it very easy to find yourself dealing with a tick infestation if proper measures are not taken. One of the ways people mismanage a tick problem is to turn to the DIY methods they find online. Unfortunately, most end up learning that these methods don’t work when it’s already too late.

The best way to deal with ticks is to consult a local bug control professional in your area ASAP. If you live in Greenbelt, Maryland, you’re in luck! Backyard Bug Patrol is standing by to eliminate every bug menace from your home efficiently. Call us today!