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Larval Stage
The adult female will lay its eggs on a host animal where they will hatch as larvae. To the naked eye, the larvae will appear to be about the size of a period at the end of a sentenc. Larvae will not move on to the next stage until it has its first meal of blood from a host animal.
Nymphal Stage
Once a larva feeds, it will molt. Molting is a process in which the larva sheds its old shell in order to grow. The nymphal tick is only slightly larger than the larva. It is only about the size of a poppy seed, and looks like a "speck of dirt or freckle" if found on a human, says the Minnesota Department of Health.
Adulthood
The adult deer tick is much easier to recognize, but it is still small. Adult females are less than half a centimeter in width, but are larger than males. After molting a second time, females will develop a red or an orange color on the anterior of the body. Males are typically darker.
Engorgement
Engorgement refers to the appearance of the tick after it has fed for a few days and becomes swollen with the blood it has consumed. Before feeding, the deer tick has the appearance of a tiny spider. After feeding, the tick's eight tiny legs are barely visible beneath its swollen, brown body. The head is also very tiny and can break off if the tick is removed hastily from a host.