Seasonal Activity of Immature Ixodes Dammini (Acari: Ixodidae)1

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Abstract
To define the seasonal activity of immature Ixodes dammini ticks, the vector of human babesiosis and Lyme disease pathogens, we estimated tick abundance on small mammals at 1 location in Massachusetts, USA, throughout a 2-year period. Small mammals were live-trapped monthly on each of five 0.4-ha (7 × 7 trap) grids. Larval and nymphal ticks attached to White-footed Mice and Meadow Voles were each present in a unimodal seasonal pattern; larvae were most abundant during late summer and early fall, and nymphs during late spring and early summer. Changes in host density did not affect tick seasonality. Appropriate methods for estimating tick abundance are reviewed.