Ticks are blood feeding ectoparasites that undergo a complex life cycle consisting of four stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. With the exception of egg stage, each stage requires a blood meal to progress. Completion of the life cycle is strongly dependent on environmental conditions. The life of a tick typically varies between several months and three years, depending on the species and ecological factors. The environmental conditions that influence tick development, survival and seasonal activity are temperature and humidity. Warmer climates tend to speed up the transition between life stages and prolong the period of tick activity; thereby potentially increasing population densities. Cold weather reduces the survival rate of some tick species. Some tick species contain glycoproteins which provide protection from freezing conditions, while certain species possess adaptive traits, such as quiescence and diapause, which help counter environmental stress. These traits are exhibited to different extents by different tick populations, leading to differing seasonal activities across regions. Knowledge of such developmental approaches and environmental dependencies is critical to account for the impacts of habitat and climate changes on tick abundance and ability to transmit diseases; hence informing control strategies.