Feeding
Unlike mosquitoes, which are "vessel feeders", ticks are "pool feeders". They hollow out an area of the host's skin, which then becomes filled with blood from ruptured blood vessels.
Most argasids are multi-host ticks, feeding repeatedly from minutes to hours, usually at night. Once their feed is complete, they drop off the host. Larvae feed once, while nymphs and adults feed twice or more.
Ixodids feed once per stage, for several days. Both ixodids and argasids ingest large volumes of blood, several times their body weight. During feeding, saliva is secreted, which serves various purposes depending on the species of tick. Saliva secretion can regulate fluid balance, dissolve the host's tissue, prevent blood coagulation, anesthetize tissue, and in ixodids, create cement for secure attachment.
An embedded tick.
In some species, these injected substances are toxic and can cause paralysis (tick paralysis), which may lead to death in both humans and animals. It is during the feeding process that pathogens can be ingested by the tick and then passed on to another host.
