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(Ixodes scapularis)
The Blacklegged Tick is also known as the Deer Tick. All three active stages of the
Blacklegged tick will
feed on a variety of hosts including people. After the eggs hatch
in the spring or summer, the very tiny larvae feed primarily on white-footed
mice or other small mammals or birds. The following spring or
early summer, the larvae molt
into pinhead-sized, brown nymphs that will feed on mice, larger
warm-blooded animals and people. In the fall, they molt into
adults that feed primarily on deer, with the females laying eggs
the following spring.
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