Abstract
In order to get a better understanding of the importance of vertical forest structure as a component of Ixodes ricinus tick habitat, an experiment was set up in a coniferous forest on sandy soils in northern Belgium. Ticks were sampled in six control and six treatment plots on various sampling occasions in 2008–2010. In the course of the study period, a moderate thinning was carried out in all plots and shrub clearing was performed in the treatment plots. Thinning had no effect on tick abundance, while shrub clearing had an adverse affect on the abundance of all three life stages (larva, nymph, adult) up to 2 years post-clearing. Our findings are especially relevant in the light of the ongoing efforts to improve vertical forest structure in Belgium and many other parts of Europe, which might create suitable habitats for ticks and change the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases. Also, our results indicate that shrub clearing could be applied as a tick control measure in recreational areas where there is a high degree of human-tick contact.
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Acknowledgments
The authors owe special thanks to the volunteers and colleagues who helped with shrub clearing and tick sampling. We are also grateful to Natuurpunt and the Flemish Agency for Nature and Forests (ANB) for the permission to work in the forests. This study was funded by IWT Flanders, the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Tack, W., Madder, M., Baeten, L. et al. Shrub clearing adversely affects the abundance of Ixodes ricinus ticks. Exp Appl Acarol 60, 411–420 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-013-9655-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-013-9655-0