Rocky Mountain wood ticks are actually giant mites that unlike regular mites, ticks can be seen with the naked eye. Ticks survive on only one food source and that is blood. Rocky Moutain Wood Ticks are notorious for spreading Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tick Fever as well as Lyme Disease.

There are two categories of ticks: hard and soft ticks, but there are thousands of different species of these pests. The Rocky Mountain Tick so named because this was the first place it was discovered is mostly known for spreading Spotted Fever. The Rocky Mountain Tick is spread throughout all parts of North America. The tick finds coverage in thick brush, climbing up on the shrubs or trees to wait for a warm-blooded mammal to jump on to hitch a ride for its food. After feasting, the breeding starts and after the mating is finished the female drops off the host animal completely engorged with blood and lays her eggs. In a one month time frame, the female can lay over 6,000 eggs then she dies. In the next thirty to sixty days the eggs hatch and the life cycle begins again.

Pest Control Tips for dealing with the Rocky Mountain Tick-

Keep your pets tick free by using vet recommended flea and tick control products.

If you notice a tick on your cat or dog, don't pull the tick off. This is a dangerous practice as it pulls the head off and causes some major infections.

You can use the spot on tick control from you vet and put one drop on the tick's body. This will cause the tick to pull its head out of the host, and then with a pair of tweezers you can remove the tick and drop it in a jar of rubbing alcohol/liquid soap and water to kill it.

To keep the ticks down in your yard, be sure and mow your lawn regularly and keep your shrubs trimmed down as well. You can spray the lower trunks of the trees with rubbing alcohol and water to help keep the pests away.

Keep your eye on your pet if you remove one tick from him. If there are multiple ticks, get your pet to the vet quickly to have the vet remove the ticks and treat the pet for any disease that the tick might have passed on.

If you are the victim and you experience neck pain, fever, swelling in your joints or you start getting a rash, get to the doctor immediately.