The brown tick, scientifically known as rhipicephalus sanguineus, is also known as the brown dog tick. This is because although it can live on a variety of mammals, the brown tick commonly uses the domestic dog as a host for feeding.
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Stages
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According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, there are four stages in the life cycle of the brown tick. These stages begin with the egg, which hatches into a six-legged larva that molts into an eight-legged nymph and finally becomes an adult brown tick.
Larva Stage
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The brown tick hatches from its egg as a tiny larva after a period of between two and five weeks after the adult female lays its eggs. According to the University of Florida, the tiny larva will find a host to feed on for three to seven days before leaving the host animal and taking around two weeks to become a nymph.
Nymph Stage
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Once the transformation into a nymph has been completed, the brown tick must find another host to provide food for its development. As the brown tick grows in size to the nymph phase it must now feed on the new host for between five and ten days before again leaving the host and taking around two weeks to become an adult.
Adult Stage
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The University of Florida reports that when the transformation to adulthood is complete, the adult brown tick must find another host animal to feed on for around one week. It grows to around half an inch in size before finding a secluded area such as behind a radiator in which to lay its eggs.
Eggs
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The adult female brown tick can lay eggs for between four and 15 days. with the number of eggs laid depending on the size of the female. The range is enormous: between two and 5,000 eggs.
Distinction
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According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the life cycle of the brown tick is unique: It can spend its entire life indoors, returning to the same host animal for each of the three phases of its life.
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