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During the larval, so-called seed tick stage, ticks have 6 legs and are about as large as a poppy seed. Three species of hard ticks are commonly encountered in Missouri: Lone star tick ( Amblyomma americanum ) — Females are easily identified by the white dot in the center of the back.
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- Overview
- What is a seed tick?
- What do seed ticks look like?
- Are they dangerous?
- Tick bites
- How to get rid of seed ticks
- Prevention
- Different types of tick
- When to see a doctor
- Frequently asked questions
A seed tick is a tick that is in the larval stage of its life. The larval stage occurs just after the tick hatches from an egg, but before it finds its first blood meal.
Ticks are tiny parasites that survive by drinking the blood of humans and other animals.
Ticks are a type of parasite that survives by feeding on the blood of various animals, including humans. Ticks belong to a class of creatures called arachnids, which also includes spiders, mites, and scorpions.
A seed tick is a tick that is in the second stage of its life cycle. There are four life stages in total. These are:
•Stage 1: the egg stage
•Stage 2: the larval stage
•Stage 3: the nymph stage
•Stage 4: the adult stage
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tick larvae range in size from 0.5–1.5 millimeters.
Ticks in the larval stage appear pale in color and have only six legs, whereas ticks in the nymph and adult stages are darker in color and have eight legs.
Seed ticks are in the earliest active stage of their life cycle. During this stage, they are capable of attaching themselves to humans and other animals.
According to a 2019 case study, seed ticks often attack in large groups. If they come into contact with a human, they can cause pustules and papules to form on the skin. However, it is not clear whether seed ticks are capable of spreading disease-causing pathogens.
Once a tick has attached itself to a host, it may crawl around in search of a suitable place to bite. Ticks will typically search for places where the skin is thinner and easier to penetrate.
According to the CDC, once the tick finds a suitable entry point, it creates a small cut in the skin. It then inserts a feeding tube into the cut. Some tick species have barbed feeding tubes that help anchor them in place while feeding. Others secrete a substance that keeps them attached to the skin.
When they are attaching, some ticks secrete a small amount of saliva into their host. The saliva has anesthetic properties that prevent the host from detecting the presence of the tick.
Once attached, the tick will slowly suck the blood of its host. It may continue feeding for several days. During this time, if the tick is carrying a pathogen, it may transmit the pathogen to its host.
Ideally, people should remove ticks as soon as possible to help reduce the risk of disease. There are several tick removal methods that people claim to be effective.
However, the CDC warn against tick removal methods that involve trying to suffocate the tick, such as applying nail polish or petroleum jelly. Instead, they recommend removing ticks using a pair of fine tipped tweezers.
Click here to learn how to remove a tick.
During removal, the tick’s mouthparts can remain lodged in the skin. Where possible, a person should remove the mouthparts with tweezers. If this fails, they should simply leave the area alone and allow the skin to heal.
Seed ticks are most active during the months of July, August, and September. Therefore, a person is most likely to encounter seed ticks during the summer months.
When seeking a host, ticks will typically wait in leaf litter or on grasses or thick brush. It is possible to pick up ticks in any outdoor area where such vegetation is present. These areas include forests, parks, and gardens.
The CDC offer the following advice to help prevent ticks in the yard:
•Remove leaf litter, tall grass, and brush.
•Trim trees and bushes around yard edges to encourage sunlight to hit the ground.
•Keep grass mowed and trimmed.
There are about 900 species of ticks throughout the world, and experts only know of a few that bite humans.
There are several species of tick in the United States. According to the CDC, the three species most likely to bite humans in the U.S. are:
•blacklegged tick
•dog tick
In some cases, a person may not realize that a tick has latched onto them. When the tick detaches, the person may have an itchy spot that feels like a regular bug bite. The person may not visit their doctor until they start to show symptoms of a tick-related illness.
Click here to learn more about some tickborne disease and their symptoms.
With each type of illness, a person may develop a distinctive rash. The rash will differ according to the type of tickborne illness. The CDC provide the following examples:
•Lyme disease: About 70–80% of people who develop Lyme disease will develop a rash in the early stages. The rash typically resembles a bull’s-eye that expands across the skin. However, some people have reported solid, crusty, or blistering lesions.
•Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI): A person may develop an expanding bull’s-eye rash, similar to that of Lyme disease.
•Tularemia: A person may develop an ulcer at the site of the tick bite, along with swelling of the lymph nodes around the groin or armpit.
Will a shower remove seed ticks?
Unattached seed ticks may fall off in the shower. According to the CDC, showering within 2 hours of coming indoors can reduce the risk of Lyme disease and other tickborne illnesses.
Do seed ticks leave a rash?
Not all ticks pass infections to humans, so not everyone develops a rash after a tick bite.
What does a tick rash look like?
Tickborne infections can cause rashes that vary in appearance. Lyme disease can cause a pink or red circular rash resembling a bullseye around the bite area. Other infections can cause splotches or pinpoint dots.
- Rabbit Tick. Haemaphysalis leporispalustris. Adults are tan to reddish-tan. Females are darker on the body and larger than males.
- Winter Tick. Dermacentor albipictus. Adult females are reddish-brown with a creamy white shield on their backs behind their heads.
- Brown Dog Tick. Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Both sexes are reddish-brown and have an elongated body shape. Males only take small blood meals while females can take large meals, which makes them increase dramatically in size.
- American Dog Tick. Dermacentor variabilis. Dark reddish-brown body. Flat and oval-shaped with brown and creamy white markings.
Ticks are close relatives of mites, spiders and scorpions. Ticks pass through four stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, nymph and adult. All stages except the egg are blood-sucking parasites. Tick larvae hatch from the eggs, are small, have only six legs, and are often called seed ticks.
Jul 24, 2023 · It’s tick season — and they're a problem all throughout Missouri, not just in rural areas. And there's a real risk of tick-borne illnesses like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease...
Aug 1, 2013 · This guide provides general information about ticks, tick-borne diseases and tick management practices for important biting ticks in Missouri.Ticks are arthropods that are closely related to mites and spiders.
Ticks Commonly Found in Missouri DEER TICK OR BLACKLEGGED TICK (IXODES SCAPULARIS)-Although only the size of a sesame seed, deer ticks are best known for transmitting Lyme Disease. They live two-three years and must have three blood meals to survive each phase of life. Deer ticks are very slow feeders and will feed for three-five days.
