A Convenient Method for Controlling Populations of the American Dog Tick, Dermacentor Variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae), In the Natural Environment

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Abstract
The “baited pesticide treatment station” technique for reducing natural populations of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis , is described. In laboratory and field trials, small mammals attracted to a baited container coated themselves with dust or oil containing small quantities of pesticide, resulting in highly significant reductions in the numbers of immature ticks on animals in the treated area as compared to animals in the control area. Immature ticks on small mammals in the experimental area were reduced by 81.2% compared to small mammals in the control area in one of the field trials, and by 97.8% in another field trial; no immatures were found on animals in the experimental area in a 3rd field trial. The potential usefulness of this technique for area control of American dog ticks, particularly in areas of high human population densities, is discussed.