Although they both might seem alike to you, being vermin and all, the flea and tick are actually two very different creatures. They are both external parasites sure, but other than that they are not related in any way. While the flea is a wingless insect, the tick is an arachnid. While the flea lives close to its hosts, the tick is most commonly found in the wild nature. While the flea has a phase in its lifecycle where it isn’t a parasite, the tick finds hosts to feed on no matter what phase they are in. No, the flea and tick is not very alike at all. They are both parasites and they both feed on blood, that’s it.

Flea and tick – The life cycles
Although both fleas and ticks have different phases during their lifecycle does not make them similar. The phases are quite different between fleas and ticks and their lifecycles are not really alike. The flea will be hatched from an egg in form of larvae, this is not a parasitical phase as the flea larva will not need a host in order to survive, instead feeding on dead skin, hair, feathers, and other organic debris. As the flea larvae is an eating machine It will by accident eat tapeworm eggs making them carriers of the tapeworm parasite. Once full the flea larvae will spin cocoons and go into a phase of pupae. This phase can differ a lot in time since the adult flea inside the cocoon won’t activate until the presence of a host is felt. The flea will then get onto the host and form colonies, living on the blood of the host, mating and laying eggs in the hosts hair. While ticks also are hatched out of an egg in form of larvae, they will need to feed on blood in order to survive. Usually the hosts of the tick larvae are vermin which makes them also carriers of diseases. Once the larva is full it will drop of its host and transform into a nymph, the process will be repeated but this time humans and their household pets are suitable hosts. Once the nymphs are full they will also drop off and transform, this time into an adult fully-fledged tick that feeds on pets, livestock and deer. In order to mate the tick needs to drop off its host and the eggs are laid not even near humans. Sure some things about the flea and tick are alike but they are most often not worth mentioning when there is so much with the flea and tick differ.

Flea and tick – Where are they hiding?
The only place fleas and ticks have in common while hiding is their host, but while fleas more or less can live and spend their entire lifecycle on a host, the tick will need to go into hiding in order to transform. If you are looking for a flea-infection, look no further than the possible host and its surroundings. A dog will have fleas in its fur and in its comfy basket, humans will find them in their hair and probably on their bed. Tick by the other hand will be found in nature, living wild, and hanging out on branches and in high grass waiting for a suitable host to pass on by. Once it has grabbed on to a host the tick will find a dark and moist spot for feeding. The hollows of the knees, the armpits and the groin area are common places to find a tick.

Ticks and Flea Articles:

Tick and flea removal
Deer tick
Deer tick bite
Flea bite
Flea bite treatment
Removing ticks
Removing ticks on dogs
Removing ticks on humans
Tick bite
Tick bite symptom
Tick bite treatment