Larvae prefer to feed on blood from small mammals, like mice and birds. In the spring of their first year, eggs hatch into larvae. During their entire lifetime, they will only have up to three blood meals. The picture below shows that the life cycle begins when the female lays eggs. As the egg matures, it develops into a larva (right-middle), then a nymph (top-middle) and finally, an adult male or female (bottom-right). Most of their life is spent out in the environment rather than on a host or in a host’s nest. The lone star tick is shown in the upper left of this photo and is a little smaller than the American dog tick but larger than the blacklegged tick Blacklegged Tick Life Cycleīlacklegged ticks live for about two to three years. The blacklegged tick, shown in the lower right, is much smaller than the American dog tick, shown in the upper right. Lone star ticks are rarely found in Minnesota, but can spread diseases such as ehrlichiosis and tularemia. American dog ticks may spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. People in Minnesota are often bitten by American dog ticks but they rarely spread diseases. The blacklegged tick causes by far the most tickborne disease in Minnesota. Three types that people may come across in Minnesota are the blacklegged tick (aka deer tick), the American dog tick (aka wood tick), and the lone star tick. In Minnesota, there are about a dozen different types of ticks.

Tick with white dot