Editing Tick (section)

====Ixodidae====
{{main|Ixodidae}}
Ixodidae ticks have three different life cycles. Depending on the species, Ixodids can either possess a one-host life cycle, two-host life cycle, or three-host life cycle.

===== One-host ticks =====
In one-host ticks the tick remains on the host through the larval, nymphal, and adult stages, only to leave the host to lay eggs. Eggs laid in the environment hatch into larvae, which immediately seek out a host in which to attach and feed. Fed larvae molt into unfed nymphs that remain on the host. After engorging on the host's blood, the nymphs molt into sexually mature adults that remain on the host in order to feed and mate. Once a female is both fed and ready to lay eggs, only then does she leave the host in search of a suitable area to deposit her eggs. Ticks that follow this life cycle are called one-host ticks. The winter tick ''Dermacentor albipictus'' and the cattle tick ''Boophilus microplus'' are examples of one-host ticks.<ref name="Sonenshine_1991">{{cite book | vauthors = Sonenshine D | date = 1991| title = Biology of Ticks | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = New York }}</ref>

The life cycle of a two-host tick often spans two years.<ref name="CDC - DPDx - Ticks"/> During fall the pregnant female tick will drop off her second host and lay her eggs. The eggs hatch during winter, the following spring the larvae emerge and attach to their first host. Newly hatched larvae attach to a host in order to obtain a blood meal. They remain on the host then develop into nymphs. Once engorged, they drop off the host and find a safe area in the natural environment in which to molt into adults, this typically occurs during the winter. Both male and female adults seek out a host on which to attach, which may be the same body that served as host during their early development but is often a larger mammal. Once attached, they feed and mate. [[mwod:gravid|Gravid]] females drop from the host to [[Oviparity|oviposit]] in the environment. Ticks that complete their life cycle in this manner are called two-host ticks, like ''Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum''.<ref name="Sonenshine_1991" />

===== Three-host ticks =====
Most ixodid ticks require three hosts, and their life cycles typically span three years. The female tick drops off its host, often in the fall, and lays thousands of eggs.<ref name="CDC - DPDx - Ticks"/> The larvae hatch in the winter and emerge in the spring. When the larvae emerge, they attach and feed primarily on small mammals and birds. During the summer the larvae become engorged and drop off the first host to molt and become nymphs, this often occurs during the fall. The following spring the nymphs emerge and seek out another host, often a small rodent. The nymphs become engorged and drop off the host in the fall to molt and become adults. The following spring the adult ticks emerge and seek out a larger host, often a large mammal such as cattle or even humans.  Females will mate on their third host. Female adults then engorge on blood and prepare to drop off to lay her eggs on the ground, while males feed very little and remain on the host in order to continue mating with other females.<ref name="SamuelPybus2001" /><ref name="Sonenshine_1991" />