Ticks must balance their need to find a host with the risk of drying out while waiting in the environment. This behavior, known as questing, occurs when a tick climbs vegetation and waits for a passing host to brush against it.
Questing is the behavior ticks use to locate hosts. A tick climbs onto grass or brush and waits with its front legs extended until an animal or person passes by.
Most research on tick questing behavior has been conducted in laboratory settings. “Ticks must balance the need to quest for blood meal hosts with the risk of desiccation, all on a fixed energy budget,” writes Thomas from Washington State University.¹
Thomas and his team wanted to investigate questing patterns in natural habitats. “We measured questing activity of nymphs and larvae throughout the day and night and over several weeks in enclosures across a range of suitable tick habitats within a site in the Northeast,” he writes.
[bctt tweet=”A new study finds some ticks quest most of the time, regardless of weather conditions or time of day.” username=”DrDanielCameron”]
Tick questing behavior in natural habitats
The investigators found that nymph activity increased slightly during dawn and dusk, while larvae showed the opposite pattern. However, these findings were not consistently replicated at other sites.
Questing behavior also appeared largely unaffected by temperature, relative humidity, light–dark cycles, or energy reserves.
“Rather it appears a fraction of ticks were questing most of the time, regardless of conditions,” Thomas writes.
“Our study suggests neither climatic conditions nor light–dark cycles have appreciable influence on tick questing behavior.”
When Are Ticks Most Active?
Many people ask when ticks are most active. In the northeastern United States, black-legged ticks are typically most active during the spring, summer, and early fall. Nymphal ticks—responsible for many Lyme disease infections—are particularly active in late spring and early summer.
However, research suggests that some ticks may quest for hosts throughout much of the day and under a wide range of environmental conditions.
Understanding tick behavior is important because ticks searching for hosts may transmit infections including Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
What This Means for Outdoor Exposure
Because ticks may remain active under many environmental conditions, individuals spending time outdoors should remain cautious in tick-endemic areas and take steps to prevent tick bites.
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References:
- Thomas CE, Burton ES, Brunner JL. Environmental Drivers of Questing Activity of Juvenile Black-Legged Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae): Temperature, Desiccation Risk, and Diel Cycles. J Med Entomol. 2019.
Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH
Lyme disease clinician with over 30 years of experience and past president of ILADS.
Symptoms • Testing • Coinfections • Recovery • Pediatric • Prevention
It would appear from the complexity of treating Lyme Infected patients, that prevention education would help to stem the epidemic affecting some 700,000 victims, each year in the United States. How is it that the education is so lacking. The corona virus is receiving huge attention from the President Of the United States, but little news bulletins on the upcoming tick attack season.
Any time it is above freezing temperatures. The reports are based upon when folks show up in the emergency room, or when doctors report the case. Only ten percent of doctors report. Most reported cases were evidence of tick bites 30-60 days before the arrival at the medical Office. That growth in statistics has a lot to do with human activity out of doors , more than the activities of questing ticks. No people, No bites. Properly educated and protected outdoor activity is not reported either. No Bite, No Sick.