Ticks don’t usually enter your home, rather they search for a host to feed themselves. They are especially active during the months of summer and spring. These ectoparasites live outside the body of the host and thrive from feeding off the blood of a host organism. While humans and animals are potential hosts of ticks, they harm the host and spread severe diseases in the process. But when it comes to how long can a tick live without a host, the answer can vary a lot. While some sources suggest that a tick can live for only 24 hours or a day, other sources say that its lifespan can be approximately 2 years without food. So, which one to trust? In reality, a tick can live from 24 hours to 2 years, depending on its species, conditions, and lifecycle stage.
How Long Can a Tick Without a Host?
Some species of ticks need food frequently to survive. While other tick species can live for a longer period of time without a host. Ticks have a life cycle of four stages- egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Apart from eggs, in each stage of their lifecycles, they attach to a different host for survival. This is why ticks are called a three-host species. Hence, their survival rates significantly depend on their lifecycle stages. So, let’s understand the lifecycle stages of ticks in detail-
Lifecycle Stages of Ticks
- Egg Stage: After feeding on a host, a female tick lays thousands of eggs and the eggs can take a few weeks to several months to hatch. Eggs do not need a host for feeding.
- Larva Stage: After hatching, the larva comes out of the egg. Larvae need hosts to feed on them to grow. A larva can live up to several months.
- Nymph Stage: After feeding the blood of a host, a larva turns into a nymph. Nymphs also need hosts to feed on and grow into the next stage. They can survive from several months to one year.
- Adult Stage: Nymphs turn into adult ticks after feeding. Adult ticks need larger hosts to get enough blood meals for their survival and reproduction. Depending on the availability of hosts and other conditions, adult female ticks can live for several months to a few years, while adult male ticks survive a shorter period of time.
How Long Can Ticks Live Without a Host (Depending on Their Species)?
American Dog Tick
The American dog tick can live longer than most other types of ticks. The larvae of this species can live for up to 540 days without feeding on a host, while the nymphs can live for up to 584 days without feeding. Whereas an adult American dog tick has a more impressive survival rate of 2-3 years or up to 1053 days, without a host.
Blacklegged Tick or Deer Tick
Blacklegged Ticks usually feed on the white-tailed deer when they become adults. Thus, they are called deer ticks. In the larvae stage, the deer ticks need a single feeding from June through September. If the larvae do not get hosts during this time, their survival rate reduces to less than a year. On the other hand, deer tick nymphs feed during the summer months and they can live for only two more seasons if they don’t find a host in the first season. During autumn, they become complete adults and live on a host until the spring. An adult deer tick can live for less than a year without a host.
Brown Dog Tick
An adult female brown dog tick can lay 1000-3000 dark brown, tiny eggs at a time. After hatching, the larvae of this species can go up to seven to eight months without water and food. A brown dog tick nymph can live for three months without a host. An adult brown dog tick usually chooses a dog as its host and can live for up to 18 months without a blood meal.
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick
An adult female Rocky Mountain wood tick lays approximately 3000-5000 eggs at a time. The eggs take 7-38 days to hatch and after hatching, the larvae try to find any nearby host as soon as possible. A Rocky Mountain wood tick usually requires feeding within 30 days, however, sometimes, it can survive for up to 117 days without a host. In contrast, the nymphs can live for more than 300 days without attaching to a host. Adult Rocky Mountain wood ticks can go up to even longer, approximately 600 days.
Lone Star Tick
Like Rocky Mountain wood ticks, a female lone star tick also lays 3000-5000 eggs on an average, at a time. After hatching the larvae can survive for up to 279 days. The lone star tick nymphs can live for more than a year- usually up to 476 days, without attaching to a host. Whereas, the adults can survive for up to 430 days without feeding.
| Tick Species | Larvae | Nymphs | Adults |
| American Dog Tick | Up to 540 days | Up to 584 days | 2-3 years or up to 1053 days |
| Blacklegged Tick / Deer Tick | Less than a year | Two seasons | Less than a year |
| Brown Dog Tick | 7-8 months | 3 months | Up to 18 months |
| Rocky Mountain Wood Tick | 30-117 days | More than 300 days | Approximately 600 days |
| Lone Star Tick | Up to 279 days | Up to 476 days | Up to 430 days |
Diseases from Ticks
Some serious diseases that ticks transmit to humans and animals are Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, and Ehrlichiosis. Lyme disease can make a human seriously ill and recovery can take weeks or even months. Some people may suffer from Lyme disease for several years. Like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is another serious illness that ticks transmit and causes fever, headaches, and even a rash from tick bites. Therefore, the diseases from ticks can pose severe health threats without proper treatment.