BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2025
For a female tick, fall is the last best chance to be in prime egg-laying condition for next spring. To successfully reproduce, the female tick needs a male tick to fertilize her eggs, a full meal of blood and a spot under the leaf litter to spend the winter in a dormant state. The result of this dormant state can be quite startling, because the female tick can survive the entire winter without a host. There are examples of people placing ticks in jars for weeks, or even months, only to see the insect suddenly start to lay eggs after all that time.