Abstract
A longitudinal survey was carried out during a 2 year period in Western France to assess the infestation level of grazing pastures byIxodes ricinus ticks. Four farms were visited once a month and each of the grazing pastures was sampled in the centre and at the border using the blanket dragging method. A total of 3562I. ricinus (34 adults, 900 nymphs and 2628 larvae) were collected and the infestation was significantly higher during the first year (p<0.0001). The infestation level byI. ricinus varied between grazing pastures and farms. Grazing pastures in the vicinity of forest were more infested than the others, all through the study. The seasonal distribution of ticks showed peaks, with low fluctuations between farms, years and stages. Tick abundance could not be related to vegetation, but only to the vicinity of woods.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abacus Concepts 1992. Statview. Abacus Concepts, Inc., Berkeley, USA.
Aeschlimann A. 1972.I. ricinus, Linné, 1758 (Ixodoidea; Ixodidae). Essai préliminaire de synthèse sur la biologie de cette espèce en Suisse. Acta Trop. 29: 321–340.
Arthur D.R. 1948. Some aspects of the ecology of the tick,I. ricinus L., in Wales. Bull. Entomol. Res 39: 321–337.
Carroll J.F., Russek-Cohen E., Nichols J.D. and Hines J.E. 1991. Population dynamics of American dog ticks (Acari; Ixodidae) along park trails. Environ. Entomol. 20: 922–929.
Edward E.E. and Arthur D.R. 1947. The seasonal activity of the tick,I. ricinus L., in Wales. Parasitology 38: 72–85.
Gilot B. and Pautou G. 1982. L'évolution des populations de tiques (Ixodidae et Argasidae) en relation avec l'artificialisation des milieux dans les Alpes françaises, incidences épidémiologiques. Acta Trop. 39: 337–354.
Gilot B., Pautou G., Moncada E. and Ain G. 1975a. Première contribution á l'étude écologique d'I. ricinus (Linné, 1758) (Acarina, Ixodoidea) dans de Sud-Est de la France. Acta Trop. 32: 232–258.
Gilot B. Pautou G. and Moncada E. 1975b. L'analyse de la végétation appliquée à la détection de tiques exophiles dans le Sud-Est de la France: l'exemple d'I. ricinus (Linné, 1758) (Acarina, Ixodoidea). Acta Trop. 32: 340–347.
Gilot B. Pautou G., Moncada E., Lachet B. and Christin J.G. 1979. La cartographie des populations de tiques exophiles par le biais de la végétation: bases écologiques, intérêt épidémiologique. Documents de Cartographie Écologique, Grenoble 42: 65–80.
Gilot B., Pichot J. and Doche B. 1989. Les tiques du Massif Central (France). 1. Les ixodidés (Acariens, Ixodoidea) parasites de carnivores et d'ongulés domestiques dur la bordure orientale du Massif. Acarologia 30: 191–207.
Ginsberg H.S. and Ewing C.P. 1989. Comparison of flagging, walking, trapping, and collecting from hosts as sampling methods for northern deer ticks,Ixodes dammini, and lone star ticks,Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae). Exp. Appl. Acarol. 7: 313–322.
Gray J.S. 1980. Studies on the activity ofI. ricinus in relation to the epidemiology of babesiosis in Co. Meath, Ireland. Br. Vet. J. 136: 427–436.
Gray J.S. 1991. The development and seasonal activity of the tickI. ricinus: a vector of Lyme borreliosis. Rev. Med. Vet. Entomol. 6: 324–333.
Lees A.D. and Milne A. 1951. The seasonal and diurnal activities of individual sheep ticks (I. ricinus L.). Parasitology 41: 198–208.
Macleod J. 1932. The bionomics ofI. ricinus L., the ‘sheep tick’ of Scotland. Parasitology 24: 382–400.
Macleod J. 1939. The ticks of domestic animals in Britain. Emp. J. Exp. Agricult. 7: 97–110.
Mermod C., Aeschlimann A. and Graf J.E. 1973. Ecologie et éthologie d'I. ricinus Linné 1758, en Suisse (Acarina, Ixodoidea). Première note: fluctuations numériques. Acarologia 15: 197–205.
Mermod C., Aeschlimann A. and Graf J.F. 1974. Ecologie et éthologie d'I. ricinus L. en Suisse. Deuxième note: comparaisons de populations 1972 et 1973. Acarologia 16: 612–620.
Milne M.A. 1943. The comparison of sheep-tick populations (I. ricinus L.). Ann. Appl. Biol. 30: 240–250.
Milne M.A. 1945. The ecology of the sheep tick,I. ricinus L. The seasonal activity in Britain with particular reference to Northern England. Parasitology 36: 142–152.
Milne M.A. 1946. The ecology of the sheep tick,I. ricinus L. Distribution of the tick on hill grazing pasture. Parasitology 37: 75–81.
Milne M.A. 1950. The ecology of the sheep tick,I. ricinus L. Spatial distribution. Parasitology 40: 35–45.
Mohammed A.N. 1976. The seasonal incidence of ixodid ticks in the Netherlands. Tijdschr. Diergeneesk. 101: 408–412.
Perez-Eid C. 1989. Dynamique saisonnière des nymphes et adultes d'I. ricinus en phase libre sur la végétation, dans de foyer alsacien d'encéphalite à tiques. Acarologia 30: 356–360.
Petney T.N., Van Ark H. and Spickett A.M. 1990. On sampling tick populations: the problem of overdispersion. Onderstepoort J. Vet. Res. 57: 123–127.
Spickett A.M., Horak I.G., Braack L.E.O. and Van Ark H. 1991. Drag-sampling of free-living ixodid ticks in the Kruger National Park. Onderstepoort J. Vet. Res. 58: 27–32.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
L'Hostis, M., Dumon, H., Dorchies, B. et al. Seasonal incidence and ecology of the tick Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) on grazing pastures in Western France. Exp Appl Acarol 19, 211–220 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00130824
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00130824