Fowl Tick
Category: Miscellaneous
Scientific Name: Arachnida/Acari/Argasidae
Identification:
Color: Body is brown and turns bluish when engorged
Size: Body of an adult male is 3-8 mm long, and female is 4-12.7 mm long (oval shaped)
Region: Found throughout the US, mostly in Southern states
Important Considerations:
The name “fowl tick” comes from being an important parasite of fowl (Meats), especially poultry
Other common names are Chicken tick, Adobe tick, Tampan, and Bluebug
These ticks are concerning because they will readily bite humans and animals in poultry houses and structures
Females require a blood meal before laying eggs and may lay up to 100 or more eggs in cracks and crevices of structures (with a total of about 500-700 eggs in their lifetime)
Eggs will hatch in about 10-28 days depending on humidity and temperatures
Normal life span is about 1 year; however some have been known to live 3 or 4 years
Where to Find Them on Your Property?
You will find Fowl ticks on birds, in poultry houses, or any places where there may be poultry. Nymphs are very active and feed only at night, and then return to cracks and crevices of structures during the daytime. Both male and females can become engorged in less than an hour while feeding.