Ticks are not insects. They are arthropods that are more closely related to spiders. Adult ticks have eight legs while insects have six legs. The tick life cycle includes an egg, larval, nymphal, and adult stage. Some species of ticks can carry disease-causing agents. The Lone Star tick is a confirmed carrier of human ehrlichiosis. Sixty-eight per cent of all ticks recovered from humans are the Lone Star tick. The "black-legged tick" (commonly called the "deer tick"), is associated with Lyme disease. The preferred host for the adult  deer ticks is white-tailed deer. Small rodents and lizards are suitable hosts for the larval and nymphal ticks. The bite from a nymphal stage tick is most often associated with Lyme disease because the nymph is small and may go undetected. The American dog tick is the most common carrier of the disease-causing agent for Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A few cases of this disease have been reported in Alabama. Dogs are the preferred host for adult ticks of this species. Larval and nymphal ticks readily attach to rodents.