Acarina is the taxanomic subclass name for groups of parasitic insects that are most commonly known as mites and ticks. Mites and ticks are a very diverse species of arachnids and are very close to spiders. Mites and ticks are best known for their impact on crops and people. They are also the main carriers of lyme disease in America.

Ticks (Acarina)

Ticks are not insects. They are arachnids belonging to the group – mites. They are bigger than all other mites. There are hundreds of species of ticks in the world and they are capable of spreading more than 65 diseases, many of them serious.  Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever and tularemia are a few. If someone made a list of the top ten most dangerous pests, ticks would be close to the top of the list.  For some reason, they receive almost no attention compared to bed bugs which are absolutely harmless.  Ticks mostly feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals, but some species feed on reptiles. They can be found in lawns, yards with trees and shrubs and, occasionally, inside homes.  They prefer the shaded areas of your yard.

Most of the ticks listed below are only found in the woods and remote areas and won't infest your homes. We are listing them because they can be serious vectors of disease if you should encounter them.

Life Cycle
Reproduction in mites and ticks is very variable with some species mating through the direct transfer of sperm via coupling of the genital regions. Other species transfer sperm indirectly with the male placing a sperm droplet on the genital opening of the female with his legs or chelicerae. After fertilisation the female will usually lay her eggs in the substrate where they are left to hatch. The first free-living stage is called a larva and has only 3 pairs of legs. After the first moult it will gain its fourth pair of legs and will moultseveral more times before becoming a mature adult.