What hosts do *Ixodes pacificus* larvae typically seek for their initial blood meal?

Small rodents and lizards

The feeding strategy of the Western Blacklegged Tick is highly dependent on its current developmental stage, and larvae exhibit a distinct preference for smaller hosts for their crucial first blood meal. They predominantly target small vertebrates, specifically including small rodents and lizards. This preference for ectotherms, like reptiles, introduces a unique dynamic into the pathogen cycle. Since many disease-causing agents struggle to survive or replicate effectively within cold-blooded hosts, a larval meal taken from a lizard may result in the tick acquiring fewer or no pathogens, which contrasts sharply with the host preferences of later life stages. This initial feeding choice significantly shapes the early pathogen acquisition profile of the tick population.