Fowl mites feed on the blood of poultry. An anchoring structure in the tick's mouth enables it to embed its entire head under the skin of the host, where it sucks the host's blood. If a tick is pulled off the host the head usually remains embedded in the skin. Members of the family of soft ticks, with a membranous outer covering, hide in crevices and come out at night to suck blood. Hard ticks, with thickened outer plates made of chitin , remain attached to the host for long periods.
Ticks transmit diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever , tularemia , and equine encephalitis .
Mites and ticks belong in the phylum Chelicerata , class Arachnida, order Acarina.