Virtually all spirochetes in the midgut of an unfed nymph tick express OspA. Fed larvae molt into unfed nymphs that remain on the host. Under laboratory conditions unfed larvae may survive for 162 days. Under laboratory conditions unfed nymphs can survive for 275 days. An unfed nymph is under two mm long. If unfed for extended periods of time, the hero becomes hungry and loses health. Around 80 men were kept in two Sibley tents unfed overnight. Children in this field of work were often unfed and poorly clothed. The tick itself is naturally black when unfed. They either stay pale ivory or yellow if unfed in the protonymph stage. However, males will mount unfed, flat females on occasion. "Greenwich" was ransacked, and the crew left unfed. Money is squandered in gambling or on drink and tobacco, and children go unfed. Unfed adult ticks have been observed to survive for over one year without their host. If the food ran out, the women and children remained unfed.