The parasitic phase of the life cycle lasts about 3 weeks. The life cycle consists of two parts, the parasitic part during which the tick feeds on cattle, and the nonparasitic part which the tick spends on the ground. However, during the first 2 days following infestation, feeding is intermittent, and the larvae frequently detach to move about on the host. After 5 to 6 days, they ingest a large meal of tissue fluids and blood, and moult to become eight-legged nymphs. Nymphs also feed on the host's blood, and moult after 6 to eight days to young adults.
Males usually moult first, and can be found lying underneath engorged nymphs and female ticks.
The male is much smaller and more active than the female. The parasitic life of the tick is completed 8 -12 days after the nymphal moult, and the full life cycle is completed in 19 to 26 days. Fully engorged male ticks may either remain on the host or detach with the female. This begins when the fully engorged female tick, the stage most easily seen on infested cattle, falls to the ground and finds a suitable place to lay eggs. The pre-egg laying period is dependent on environmental temperature and relative humidity, and can be as short as 1 to 2 days or as long as 40 days.