Tick Questing

“Questing” is the term that defines a tick’s method of hunting prey, a highly specialized technique essential to the life existence of a tick.

While some ticks can detect color and movement, they do not look for hosts and move toward them, their strategy is quite the opposite. Ticks position themselves on loose leaves, branches, or blades of grass, waiting with their legs outstretched, perched in position, patient as can be. Ticks hitch a ride on you as you move past their location, brushing against the spot they were lying in wait. Once upon your body they will move to a desired position and insert their mouthparts, engorging themselves on your blood.

A questing tick is one waiting in position to grab a passing host animal.

Ticks determine questing locations primarily by detecting the carbon dioxide that animals produce when they exhale. Any trail or woodland pathway trafficked often by any type of breathing life form is at high risk for ticks, they will be waiting on the edges of the track. Ticks will get as close to where you might be as possible, which is one of the often-unforeseen dangers of ticks. You do not need to venture deep into the woods to be at risk, brushing past the one blade of grass closest to a path can often doom you, that is exactly where they are going to be waiting.

Short makeshift routes that animals create to and from a body of water are a good example of an extremely dangerous tick prone location.

While most ticks will complete a mission to quest by grasping a passing animal at waist level or lower not all are limited to this methodology, some ticks have been known to quest in the trees above, dropping onto a victim like a paratrooper.

An unfed tick could be questing at any time, there is no way to reduce your risk of encountering a questing tick by venturing outdoors during a certain part of the day or amidst any weather condition. Ticks quest in the morning, at night, in the sun, in the rain, they can be waiting for you anytime, anyplace, so take precautions.

Protect yourself! Apply a quality natural tick repellent and learn how to perform a thorough tick check, two easy steps that can help you escape the danger of the questing tick and the dozens of debilitating and fatal diseases they carry.