Generally, adult female hard ticks breed while on the host animal and then drop to the ground to lay eggs. These poly-ticks can also have multiple partners of any gender. Isn't tick-jealousy an issue? According to entomologists, the answer is "No." An adult female hard tick has to do the hard work of negotiating and setting clear expectations with each partner before laying several thousand eggs at a time, which will eventually hatch into the larval stage, known as seed ticks.