21 December 2015

This tick is "questing"


I've known since my childhood that deer ticks position themselves on the tips of blades of grass and wait for passing victims, but I didn't know until last week (hat tip NSTAAF) that there is a speific term for this behavior:
Hard ticks seek hosts by an interesting behavior called "questing." Questing ticks crawl up the stems of grass or perch on the edges of leaves on the ground in a typical posture with the front legs extended, especially in response to a host passing by. Certain biochemicals such as carbon dioxide as well as heat and movement serve as stimuli for questing behavior.
Photo credit via UMaine extension service.

3 comments:

  1. According to Roger Knutson in his book Furtive Fauna....pg.27

    ".....they can wait for months, years, or even decades for the right host to come along. This is called questing behavior."

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  3. Sybil Ann: Please watch your language because children can sometimes be found on this page.

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