Tllfc; AORICULTUIIAL NEWS 



The Life History 



OP 



The Cattle Tick 



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tATixM rtm 



■Rie Impo.iauM of tccnrat* knowledge on this sxibjeet lies in the fact that before methods of eradication can bo carried ont liit«IHgentIy and §iico««»- 

 fully. It ia neceaeary to know the life history of tbe tick, and tlie influence ol t+'mperature, moisture, and other climatic conditions on the van oiu stages of 

 ll*i existence. In the followin;; notes, whenever tlie term "tick" ctr "catile fick' i.s used it refers to th'? one species. Martjarot/ut annuUUuit the common 

 Cattle Tick, which in so prevalent throughout the West Indies. 



Only '4 part of the development of the tick takes place on the aniniul ho^^t ; the rest of the development occurs on the pasture occupied by the host. 



DEVELOPMENT on the GROUND 



'"HE ENGORGED FEMALE. In tnicing the hfo 

 bisU^rv of the c:ittle tick it will be convenient to betrm 

 witb tne large, plump, olive-green female lick. :ibout half 

 J inch in length, attached to the skin of the host. 

 During the bist few days spent on the host, she has 

 Increased enormously in size, aa a consetiuence of 

 drawing a large supply of blood. 



When fully engorged she drops to the ground, and 

 at once, especially if the weather is warm, begins to 

 Mcarch for a hiding place on moist earth beneath -leaves 

 or any other litter which may serve as a protection 

 from the sun and numerous enemies, or shield her from 

 unfavourable (renditions. The female ti.-k may be 

 -devoured by birds, or destroyed by ants, or may perisli 

 aK a restili of unfavourable conditions, such as low 

 temper.'iture, absence or excess of moisture, and many 

 other conditions: so that many female ticks which (all to 

 the ^ound are destroyed before they lay eggs. 



EGG LAYING. Egg laying begins during tho 

 spring, summer and fall months in from 2 to 20 days. 

 and during the winter months in from 111 to 98 days. 

 after falling to the ground. The eggs are small, elliptical- 

 Khaped boclies, nt first of a light amber colour, later 

 changing' to a dark brown, and are about one-Hftieth of 

 an luch in length. As tht* eggs are laid they are coated 

 with a sticky secretion which causes them to adhere in 

 duster.'* and no doubt serves tho purpose of keepinu' 

 them from drying out. During egg laying, the mothet 

 tick gradually shrink;* in size and finally is reduced to 

 about one-third or one-fourth her original size. Egg 

 ^ymg is greatly intluonced by temperature, being 

 ttarded or even arrested by cold. It is completed in 

 ('rom 4 days in tho summer to 151 days, beginning in 

 the fall. During this time the tick may deposit from 

 H. few hundred to more than 5,000 eggs. After egg laying 

 is completed the mother tick has fulfilled her purpose 

 and dies In the course of a few days. 



"SEED" TICKS. After a time, ranglntf from 19 

 dftya in the summer to 183 days during the fait and 

 winter, the eggs begin to hatch. From eiich egg iHfnieH 

 & small, ovul, sixdeggcd larva or "seed" tlck,.at first 

 amber coloured, later changing to a rich brown. ITie 

 "■aed" tick, after crawling slywly over and about the 

 fttaeU from which it hiu* enuTifed. usually remaimi more 

 or lesa quleMCeot for Revenl uayK. niter which It Hbown 

 sreat activity, eepecially if the weather Is warm, and 

 »«cends the nearest vegetation, such aa gra-m, other 

 herbs, and even shrubs. 



Since each female lays an enormous mass of cms 

 at one spot, thousands of larva will appeai- in fine 

 course of time at the same place, and will ascend the 

 neur-by vegetation and collect on the leaves and other 

 parts of plants, 'lliis instinct of the seed ticks to climb 

 upward is a very iniport;int adaptation of Nature's to 

 increase their chances of reaching their host. If the 

 vegetation upon which they rest is distiu-bcd, they 

 become very active and extend their long front legs 

 upward rn a divergent position, waving them violently 

 in an attemi>t to seize hold of a host. 



The seed tick during its life on tho pasture takes 

 no food, and consequently does not increase in size, and 

 unless it reaches a host to take up the para-^itic portion 

 of its development, it dies of starvation. The endurance 

 of seed ticks is very great, however, as ihey have been 

 ftumd to hve nearly eight months, oven" during the 

 colder part of the year. 



DEVELOPMENT ON CATTLE 



"SEED" TICKS. The parasitic phase of develop- 

 ment begins when tlie larvie or seetl ticks reach a 

 I'avourable host, such as a cow. They cniwl up over 

 the hair of the host, and con>monly .^'ttach themselves 

 to the skin of the escutcheon, the inside of the thighs 

 and Hanks, and to the dewlap. They at once begin to 

 draw blood, and soon increase in size. 



THE NYMPH. In a few days tho young tick 



( nnnges from a brown colour to white, antl in from 5 to 

 12 days nheds its skin. The new form has eight leg« 

 instead of six and is known as a nymph. 



SEXUALLY MATURE TICKS. In from 5 to 11 

 days after the first moult ihe tick again shed'* its skin and 

 becomes sesunlly mature. It is at this stage that males 

 nnd females are with certainty distinguishable for the 

 Ilrst time. 



The Male. The male tick em-^rgos from his skin 

 IS a brown, oval tick, about one-tenth of an inch in 

 lengtli. He has completed his growth and goes through 

 no further development. Later he shows great activity, 

 moving about more or less over tho skin of the host. 



The Female. The female tick at tho time of \ 

 moulting is slightly larger than the male. She never 

 shews much activity, seldom moving far from her 

 original point of atlachment. She still has to undergo 

 most of her growth. After mating, the female increases 

 very rapidly in size, and in from 21 to M davs after 

 t^ecoming attjichcl to a host as a sci-d tick, she U-comea 

 fully engorged and drops lo the pasture, to start again 

 the cycle of development by laying egg.<i. 



SUMMARY OF LIFE HISTORY 



To sum up: on th« pasture ther« are found throe stages o( tb« tick— the engorged fem&le, thm egff. and the larva or need tick : and on the animal hoat 

 are also found three Btagc»<— the larva or seed tick, the nymph, th« ■oxually mature adult of both Mmea, &nd in axtdttlnti the engorged femalo. 



{Tlu above U an extraat /Tom a BulUtiu Uttud officially by tU Cniisd Staitt Dtparimmt 9f Agrieultun^ anUtUd— 

 ' ibOotU «/ BxUrmimtainf th$ Tmm Vmtr TVJk.*) 



c: COOPER'S CATTLE TICK DIP 

 Haa received the official approval of the following Count ri€» : 



UaioQ of South AfricA. Northern HhoJeuia. Bpizil. Baautoland. 



NyaHslaDd Swazil md. Sou'.hern Rhodiwiii. Madag.-ucar. 



British E»Ht Africa. German Ea«t Africa. Purliuiuose Ea»t Afrim. 



Porluguewe We«l Africa. Egypt. Argentine Repuhlii; QufwriHland. 



UDiV«d States of America. New South Wi»1oh 



Northern Twrntory «►' AoBtrah.k 



WEST INDIAN AGENTS : 



ANTKKJA ; Bennett, Brvsun & Co.. 5t. Johns. 



BAHAMA5: H. T. Brice. Nansou, N.P. 



BARBAI)(>5: Burbiido.4 Co-operative Cotton Co.. 3rldgetown. 



BRI I ISH OUIANA : T. Gedde.H Oranl. Ltd. 



DOMIMCA: H<.n. H. A. Framiiton. OKHNAnA: Ihomson, Hankey ft C«. 



(itlAIX I.OUI'I: : Ih? .Stutlon Agronomiquc de In Quadeloupa. 



t'oini- ^-Piirt". .lAMAICA: I). Mcnder.4on A Co., Kingston. 



M\KIINI0L1B: L. Duplan & Co.. Kort-de-rrnncr. 



MOM-SKKkAl: W. Llewellyn Wnll. NKVI5: 3. I). Malona. 



51 Kl I 1^ : .H. L. Hoi-.tford & Co. AT. LUCIA: Barnard 5on5 A C«.» 



Ca.-itrief. ST, VINCHNT: Corea & Co., KIngttown. 



IkMMDAI) ^ TOBAUO: T. Oeddes Orant. Ltd. 



AMI-HICAN VIWCilN ISLANDS: *). M. Schmleffelow. St. Croli. 



Manufacturers : WILLIAM COOPER & NEPHEWS, Berkhamsted, England. 



BK*M.H« T«»«i«. Cl..<.,o, Sru<r »l.lk». m.. AiKkU.d. 8«..o. A.r- M..»i. ViJ«. Puoi. A/.M., JckuatiWri. (Mmm. 



