What do household ticks feed on? - briefly
Household ticks obtain nourishment by piercing the skin of warm‑blooded hosts and ingesting their blood, typically from humans, dogs, cats, or other mammals that enter the indoor environment. Occasionally they may also feed on birds that roost inside homes.
What do household ticks feed on? - in detail
Domestic ticks obtain nourishment exclusively from the blood of vertebrate hosts. The feeding process varies with the tick’s developmental stage:
- Larvae: After hatching, they seek small mammals such as rodents, shrews, or juvenile birds. Occasionally, they attach to household pets like kittens or puppies when these animals roam indoors.
- Nymphs: Larger than larvae, nymphs target medium‑sized hosts, including house mice, rats, and domestic cats. They may also feed on humans who inadvertently disturb infested areas.
- Adults: Female adults require a substantial blood meal to produce eggs. Common indoor hosts are dogs, cats, and humans. Male adults may feed briefly or not at all, focusing on mating instead of nourishment.
Feeding duration ranges from several hours to several days, depending on species and environmental conditions. During attachment, the tick inserts a hypostome equipped with barbed structures, secretes anticoagulants, and releases immunomodulatory compounds to facilitate prolonged blood ingestion.
Species frequently encountered inside homes include Ixodes scapularis (black‑legged tick), Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick), and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (brown dog tick). Each species exhibits a preference for particular hosts but can adapt to available indoor mammals, birds, or humans when preferred wildlife is absent.
Blood meals serve not only as a nutrient source but also as a vector for pathogens. Pathogens transmitted during indoor feeding may include Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky Mountain spotted fever), and Ehrlichia canis (canine ehrlichiosis). The risk of transmission increases with longer attachment times and repeated exposures.
Control measures focus on eliminating host access, maintaining low indoor humidity, and applying acaricides to infested areas. Regular inspection of pets and prompt removal of attached ticks reduce the likelihood of successful feeding and subsequent pathogen transmission.