The deer tick, also known as the blacklegged tick, prefers the white-tailed deer as its host to feed on. The western blacklegged tick, found mainly in the western U.S. and Canada, chooses Columbian black-tailed deer.
Other differences between these two ticks include when they prefer to feed, which affects their life cycles. Western blacklegged ticks are active during the late winter to summer, which means their young will feed during the spring and summer. Adult blacklegged ticks are most active in the spring and summer, with the larval stage occurring from June to September. Larvae will overwinter if they feed late in the year and molt into nymphs the following spring.
Blacklegged ticks will attach to hosts of different sizes throughout their life stages. White-footed mice and other small mammals are hosts for the first stage. As the tick grows, it will seek out larger hosts, such as skunks or dogs. Eventually, as an adult, it will find deer to feed on. The western blacklegged tick will seek out lizards as its hosts for the first life stages, then work its way up to larger mammals.
Blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks are known to be the primary carriers of Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a debilitating illness in humans. It can also be found in dogs and cats. Symptoms of Lyme disease may not present themselves until 6 weeks after a bite occurs.
If bitten by a tick you suspect may be a carrier of Lyme disease, seek a doctor's care. After removal, preserve the tick, if possible, in rubbing alcohol. Knowing which species of tick has bitten you is the easiest way to be sure that symptoms can be attributed to the correct disease, and for proper treatment to be administered.