BROWN DOG TICK

Identification, Facts, & Control

Latin Name

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Appearance

Uniformly red-brown

Brown Dog Tick

Brown dog ticks occur primarily around urban and suburban areas where dogs are numerous. They feed almost exclusively on dogs. Each life stage of the ticks hosts is a dog. Humans are seldom attacked. The red-brown color of the brown dog tick is distinctive and no other tick you will encounter inside homes will be uniformly red-brown.

A residence may become infested with brown dog ticks even though a dog is not kept there. And infested dog might visit the residence. Remember that the larva and the nymph both drop off the dog after a blood meal, and they can drop off wherever they dog might be at the time.

The number of eggs laid varies from a few hundred to 5,000. The average is about 1,600. They usually are laid in batches between boards, under plaster or carpeting, or in cracks and crevices. When the eggs hatch in about 3 weeks (several month if it’s cool and/or dry), the larvae move to the lower parts of walls where they wait for a dog to come by. They can live 8 months while doing so. When a dog brushes against them, or lies down near them (remember their sense of ( smell referred to earlier), they crawl on and begin to feed. They attach anywhere on the dog, but most often on the ears and neck. The larvae feed for about 3 days and then drop off.

The tick prefers a warm, dry indoor environment. It seldom develops heavy infestations outdoors and does not live in the woods. Instead, it has its habitat wherever dogs occur.

Click on a species of ticks below to learn further information.

American Dog Tick