Soft ticks have no hard shells on their bodies. . They have a tough exoskeleton to protect them. Soft ticks are found in caves and nests, and can attach themselves to birds and bats. The common fowl tick and the relapsing fever tick are the best-known species of soft ticks.
The common fowl tick is found in poultry houses and on various birds. These ticks are about 1/8th of an inch in size. Females need to feed before they lay their eggs. The female common fowl tick will lay between 500 to 700 eggs in small cracks in structures. The eggs are laid in groups of 25 to 100. Between laying each group, the tick must eat from a host. The eggs will hatch in 10-28 days, and the larvae will then search for a host. The common fowl ticks will molt through several stages until they reach adulthood. Adult common fowl ticks usually live about a year, but some have been found to live 3-4 years.
Another soft tick species is the relapsing fever tick. This tick is a carrier of relapsing fever, which is common in the southern U.S. The relapsing fever tick is usually found in caves or on rodents. Humans will come in contact with the relapsing fever tick if they are in the tick's habitat, usually a cave or near rodent burrows. If bitten by a relapsing fever tick, the victim may experience fever-like symptoms. These symptoms will last for a few days, then subside and return, hence the name “relapsing fever.”
Soft ticks can be dangerous disease vectors. When removing a soft tick, use a pair of bent-nose tweezers. Try to remove the complete tick to ensure protection from disease. Also, be careful not to puncture the soft tick. This could cause more bacteria to be released.