FACTS

1. Ticks have four life stages: egg, larva (infant), nymph (immature) and adult (mature).
2. Ticks are arachnids. This means that they are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than insects.
3. It can take up to three years for a tick to mature to the adult stage and reproduce.
4. Ticks may appear as small dark specks on your pet's fur (larva stage).
5. Ticks feed on the blood of their hosts—humans, birds, reptiles, and wild and domestic mammals.
6. There almost 900 tick species. Ninety of these are found in the continental United States, many of which are capable of transmitting diseases […]

   This content is for Markel policy holders.

   Register