Ticks constitute a menace that can cause debilitating diseases in humans and animals. Ticks are not insects, but arachnids. They belong to the same family as mites, spiders, and scorpions. Although they thrive in warm regions, they stay away from direct sunlight. They are parasitic and live on the blood of mammals, birds, and reptiles. Thousands of species of ticks can be found across the world, and in the Unites States alone there are nearly 200 species.

Eggs, larvae, nymphs, and adults constitute the four-stage life cycle of ticks. They generally breed in tall grass, woods, bushes, and lawn grass. Adult female ticks lay eggs raging from 100 to 6,000 per batch, depending upon their species. Similarly, ticks may take less than a year or may take several years to complete their lifecycles.

Ticks carry microorganisms that cause serious diseases in humans and animals. In humans, these diseases are characterized by severe pain, respiratory problems, weakness, swelling, and even paralysis. In dogs and cats, tick-borne diseases cause loss of appetite, lethargy, pain, high fever, vomiting, and paralysis.

As prevention is always better than a cure, certain steps can be taken to prevent ticks from attaching themselves to people and pets. Lawn grass should be mowed regularly, tick-killing pesticides should be applied on pets, and pets