Facts About Ticks and Mosquitos

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The Truth About Ticks

Ticks are Not Insects
Ticks are eight-legged, wingless parasites related to mites and spiders. ticks do not fly or jump; they wait for a host to brush against them.

Even Immature Ticks Suck Blood
There are four stages to the tick life cycle: egg, larva, nymph and adult. The larva, nymph and adult all suck blood.

Ticks Thrive on Free Rides
To feed, ticks attach themselves to warm-blooded animals and bite -- they do not burrow under the skin. After feeding, the tick drops off its host, molts or lays eggs, and then waits for another host. Many tick species feed on more than one host and can transmit disease between animals and humans.

Deer Ticks are Tiny
The deer tick, know to transmit Lyme disease, is about the size of a pinhead in its nymphal stage. Adult deer ticks are much smaller than the common dog tick.

Be Aware in Warm Weather
Ninety percent of all cases of Lyme disease are from nymphal-stage tick bites. This nyphal stage occurs during spring and summer.

The Mosquito Menace

Vectors of Heartworm
Canine heartworm disease is spread by mosquitos. It can be found throughout the world, wherever mosquitoes breed. After a mosquito bites an infected dog, heartworm can be passed on to other dogs that the mosquito bites.

Prevention is the Best Protection
The best way to prevent heartworm is to keep a dog from being bitten by mosquitoes.

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