Your pet may be a host, you may want to prevent Ticks from becoming a concern in the first place, or you’re simply curious. We’ve spent our time to effectively research what eats ticks and give you the summary.

Birds that Eat Ticks

Ticks have a diverse amount of predators – from a variety of different birds and other animals. A chicken, for example, is one bird that ventures to consume ticks on a daily basis. However, they aren’t always the best option because they are known to cause harm to the ground, and potentially even crops. Wild turkey’s, another type of bird, are more effective as a tick consumer than chickens. They can consumer around 200 ticks on a daily basis! 

Another bird that snacks on ticks are the guinea hens. Originating from Africa, they are able to quickly adjust to new environments and live in many other places. They enjoy eating insects and won’t mind nibbling on ticks every now and then. To conclude, another tick-eater, from the bird family, is the oxpecker. They are known to eat ticks when granted the opportunity. 

Insects that Eat Ticks

Drifting away from birds, let’s discuss the insects that eat ticks. Ticks are known to eat, or suck, the blood of humans, pets, and animals. If you, or your pet, are hosting ticks then to have these insects eating them may be nerve-racking and in my opinion, not the best choice. After all, to replace ticks with insects is only slightly better. Nonetheless, the insects that prey on ticks are: centipedes, spiders, ants (fire-ants), and beetles. Ticks to them are a quick snap and a source of protein. 

Other Tick Predators

Ticks are eaten by a variety of things as shown above. I personally would like to steer as far away from them as possible. I’m sure others feel the same. Insects and animals, on the other hand, don’t. If there’s an abundance of ticks, they snack on them like they’re popcorn. Those insects and birds mentioned aren’t the only answer to: What eats ticks? There’s more.

Just about anything that consumes insects will also eat ticks (if they’re visible to them of course). Though hated by pets and humans, who knew they’d be beneficial to other animals!

Where do Ticks Come From?

It’s good to know where ticks come from so you can either prevent any coming into your household or or to satisfy your curiosity. Ticks can come from many different sources that you may have not even been aware of. For example, some raccoons may be visiting your home and transferring the ticks on them over to you (you can learn how to trap them here). Ticks can also come from yards depending on if you have anything there that they may occupy and live in.

One more major source of ticks may be you. If you’ve been resting on a log or have been anywhere that a tick may live in, you could have been the reason a tick has entered your home. To get into that, details on where ticks live can be found below.

Where Ticks live

Ticks live in many places you may have not considered. Essentially a tick will live in a climate that’s moist and/or humid. Woody and grassy areas are preferred to a tick and so that’s where many will live. To get into specifics, ticks can easily be found on wood (whether it’s a log, tree bark, or something else). You can even encounter ticks on trails and near shrubs so they’re found in many places.

If you’re not a fan of ticks then it’s good to do inspections every once in a while to ensure you limit their stay in your home. With that in mind, you can also avoid walking on shrubs and resting on logs or trees so you have a smaller chance of becoming a source.

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