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Cattle grazing behavior regulates tick populations

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  • Ethology, Ecology, Natural Product Chemistry
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Summary

Analysis of field population data showed that host-seeking larvae of the tickBoophilus microplus were less successful in attaching to their hosts when larval densities were high. Experimental results showed that cattle hosts detected and avoided high densities of larvae in pasture. The finding reveals a previously unknown population-regulating mechanism for ticks, which are important pests of livestock.

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Literature

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Entomology, CSIRO, Private Bag, No. 3, 4068, Indooroopilly, Queensland, Australia

    R. W. Sutherst & R. B. Floyd

  2. Division of Mathematics and Statistics, Long Pocket Laboratories, CSIRO, Private Bag, No. 3, 4068, Indooroopilly, Queensland, Australia

    A. S. Bourne

  3. Division of Entomology, CSIRO, P.O. Box 1700, 2601, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    M. J. Dallwitz

Authors
  1. R. W. Sutherst
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  2. R. B. Floyd
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  3. A. S. Bourne
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  4. M. J. Dallwitz
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Additional information

Acknowledgment. The authors wish to thank G. Maywald, D. Stegeman, R. Tozer, A. Voll, G. Milne and J. Osborne who helped with the observations. The Australian Meat Research Committee (AMRC) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) provided some financial support for the project and A. Edwards assisted greatly with the photography.

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Sutherst, R.W., Floyd, R.B., Bourne, A.S. et al. Cattle grazing behavior regulates tick populations. Experientia 42, 194–196 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01952465

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01952465

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