Feeding Tests with Several Species of Mites on Different Kinds of Blood and Blood Components1

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Abstract
Adults and nymphs of both the tropical rat mite, Ornithonyssus bacoti (Hirst, 1913) and the tropical fowl mite, o. barsa (Berlese, 1888), were given opportunities to feed through silk membranes on the whole bloods of rat and chick, and on the red blood cells, plasma, and serum of each, at 95°F and 28%–73% RH. The mites did not show a preference for whole blood of the natural or that of the unnatural host, but the rat mites fed less on the plasma and the bird mites fed less on the red cells. Three laelaptid species, Echinolaelaps echidninus (Berlese, 1887), Laelaps nuttalli (Hirst, 1915), and Haemolaelaps glasgowi (Ewing, 1925), also were subjected to feeding tests on whole blood of rat, mouse, and chick, and on components of each. They did not demonstrate a significant trend in feeding.