Tick Control

• In warmer climates where rainfall is present all year round and there is a constant high relative humidity, tick activity may be constant throughout the year

• If there is a limited vegetation mat, tick activity will mainly be influenced by seasonal rainfall and the vegetation transpiration

• In temperate climates there is usually 2 distinct periods of tick activity coinciding with warmer temperatures
  • E.g. spring and autumn

• Some temperate climates only have 1 distinct period of tick activity in the spring

Control methods

Killing ticks on the ground

• Altering micro-climate
  • E.g. Pasture improvement
• Starving (spelling) pasture
  • Only useful if ticks do not feed on other hosts
• Burning pasture to kill off ticks on the ground

Separate the host from the infection

• Stock management
  • Removing stock from infected pasture when ticks are most active
• Fencing off infected areas

Killing ticks on the host

• Acaricides
• E.g. Dipping, spraying, pour-on solutions
• For more information on acaricides see here

Enhancing host resistance

• Stock hybridisation
  • E.g. Breeding the higher resistant Bos indicus with the less resistant Bos taurus
• Vaccination against the hidden antigens in the tick's gut

Test yourself with the Ticks Flashcards

Ticks Flashcards