THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



The Life History 



OP 



The Cattle Tick 



luUy. 11 U necejBary to know the life history of the ticlt. and the inlluence of temperature, moisture, and other climatic conditions on the vanooa iiages of 

 TO exigtenoe. In tne following notes, whenever the term "tick" or "cattlo tick ' is used it refers to ibe one species. MargaropuM annuIatuSt the eommon 

 Cattle T^ck, v^hich is bo prevalent throughout the West Indies. 



Only **& piut of the dAvelopnoent of the tick takes place on the animal host : the rest of the development occurs on the pasture occupied by the host. 



I>£VE.LOPMENT on the GROUND 



VHS. ENGORGED FEMALE. In tracing the life 

 W«tory of the cattle tu-k it will bo convenient to begin 

 wit*A thm large, plump, oiive-jrreeu female tick, about half 

 • 'J inch in length, attached to the skin of the hoRt. 

 iKirlng the last few days epent on the host, ^he has 

 increjised enormously in size, as a consequence of 

 drawing a large supply of blood. 



When fully engoi^ed she drops to the grouD'l. and 

 at once, especially If the weather is warm. lK*trin< to 

 search for a hiding place on moist earth beneath leaves 

 or any other litter which may serve as a protectiuu 

 from the sun and numerous enemies, or shield her from 

 imfavourable conditions. The female tick may be 

 devoured by birds, or destroyed by ants, or may perish 

 a8 a result oi unfavourable conditions, such :is low 

 tt-m;>erature. absence or excess of nioi'^'ture. and ninny 

 6ther conditions : so that many female ticks which lull to 

 the ground arc destroyed before they lay eggs. 



EGG LAYING. Egg laying begins durint' the 

 Kijring. sunim.T and fall months in from 2 to L'O days, 

 and during the winter months in from 13 to 9H days. 

 :ift«r falling to the ground. The c^'gs are small, ell iptical- 

 -tbajR-d bodiea. at flrst of a li^ht amber colour, Jator 

 ch;injnng to a dark brown, and are about one-fiftieth of 

 an inch in length. As the eggs arc. laid they are coated 

 with a sticky secretion which causes them to adhere in 

 clusters and uo doubt serves the pun^ose of keeping 

 them from drying out. Daring egg laying, the mother 

 ti(Jt gnidually shrinks in eJEe andnnaUy Is reduced to 

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

 laying is greatly inflaonoed by tomperature, being 

 retarded or oven arrested by cold. It is completed in 

 irom 4 days In the stumiMr to 151 days, beginning in 

 the fall. Daring this time the tick may deposit from 

 fh few hundred to more than 6.000 eggs. After egg laying 

 19 completed the mother tiok has fulfilled her purpose 

 itnddios in the course of a few days. 



"SEED" TICKS. After a time, ranging titm 19 

 d»yt in the summer to 188 dayi during the fall sod 

 winter. theegg» begin to hatch. From each egg Issoee 

 a niaUL oval, six-legged lan'a or "loed" tick, at first 

 amfrnr coloured. lat«r changing to a rich brown. Tbe 

 ** teed '* tick, after <xawUng slowly over and aboat tb« 

 itoD from which ithaa ememd, osnally remains more 

 or less qnlMoent for several days, after which it shows 

 great activity, especially if the wee4ifa«r is warm, and 

 asc^iide ttio nearest vegetation, loeh at grass, other 

 berbe. and even shrubs. 



Since each female lays an enormous mass of eg^s 

 ftt one spot, tliousunds of larvte will appear in the 

 course of time at the same place, ami will ascend tie 

 near-by vegetation and collect on the leaves and other 

 parts of plants. This instinct of the seed ticks to climb 

 upMiird is a very important adaptjition of Nature's to 

 increase their chances of reaching their host. If the 

 vegetation upon vliich they rest is disturbeil. they 

 become very active and extend their long front legs 

 upward in a divergent position, waving them violently 

 in an attempt to seize hold Of a host. 



The seed tick during its life on the pasture takts 

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

 unless it reaches a host to take up the parasitic portion 

 of its development, it dies of starvation. The endurance 

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

 found to live nearly eight months, even during the 

 colder part of the year. 



DEVELOPMENT ON CATTLE 



"SEED" TICKS. Tile par.isjtic phase of develuj)- 

 inent begins wlicn the larva) or seed ticks reach :i 

 favourable ho-'t. such as a cow. They crawl up over 

 the hair of the liost, and commonly attiieh themselves 

 in tliL' skin of tile *siaitchcon, the inside of the thighs 

 nui ilanks,aud to the dewla]). They at once be^n t6 

 'trau blood, and soon increase in size. 



THE NYMPH. In a few days the yonng tick 

 cliMuge£ from a brown colour to white, and in from 5 t« 

 12 days sheds its skin. The new form has eight legs 

 instead of six and i.s known as a nymph. 



SEXUALLY MATURE TICKS. In from 5 to 11 



days a fter the first moult the tick again sheds its sktn and 

 iM-oomes sexually mature. It is at this stage that males 

 and females are with certainty distinguishable for the 

 first time. ^ 



The Mala. The male tick emerges from his sk>n 

 as Q brown, OTftl tick, about one-tenth of an inch n 

 length. He ha.<! completed bio growth and goes through 

 no further devoloiancut. Later he shows great .tctivity. 

 moving about more or loss over the skin of the host. 



The Female. The female tick at the time of 

 niuiUiing is slightly larger than the mole. She never 

 shews much acti\'ity, seldom moving far from her 

 ori^nal point of attachment. She still has to undergo 

 most of her growth. After mating, the female increases 

 very rapidly In size, and in from 'Jl to 66 days after 

 becoming AOAX^hed to u host as a seed tick, she uecomes 

 fully tagatfti and drops to the pasture, to start nfrain 

 the eydt of darelopment by laying eggs. 



SUMMARY OF UFE HISTORY 



To nun np : on tke pastnre tbei* am toond three utagas of tfa» MA— th« engoifed teiul& th* ea. w4 <ka Urrk ar teed ttok i and on the aninuj hod 

 are also fonnd three stages -the larva or seed tick, the nymph, tlie asnally matareamm^f botti •ssMTaiid tn addltkm the engorged femals. 



(,TU aiovt U an mtruM ^tm a BulUta tttmad <4kl»Uv t» tW (MM 





WEST INDIAN AGENTS 



COOPER'S CATTLE TICK DIP 



Iht r*c«if>c</ thm offtdal approval of tht hUouina 



M«a of South Africa, Northern Rho^esli. Braiil, Basutalaa^ 

 NyiMliad, Swatilaad, Soulhern Rbo^eila, Mada{aacar, 



•rttlih East Africa, Qerman Eai^t Africa, Portagaeac E«a( Africa, 



P*rtu{MC»e Weal Africa, E|ypt, Arjenllne Republic, Q«c«atlaa4, 



United Slatei of America, New South Walet, 



Norlbern Territory of Anitralla. aT. l.liCIA: Barnard .^on.» ft Co.. Castries. ^, 



M-nuf--turers : WILLIAM COOPER & NEPHEWS, Berkhamsted, England. 



EKA.NClltS Torealo, Cliogo. Sjdaej, MelkainM, AacUaa^ Boeaet Ajrei, Monlt Vidro, PubU Areaas, Bail Lonilaa. Odessa. 



•T.CnrS) a. L. Horslord & Co. ANTIOUA: Bennett, Br »on « Ca. 



JAMAICA: D. Hender.ion & Co., King.tton. 



UKBNADA: Thomson, flankcv & Co. 



•AKBAD05: hnrbados Co-npcr.itlvc Cotton Co.. Ltd. 



BAHAMAS: W. N. Twynam, INas.tnu. 



TRINIDAD: T. Qeddcs Orunt, Port i<l 5pnln. 



BRITISH auiANA: Sandbach, Parker & Co. 



IT. VINCBNT: Corea A Co.. Kingstown. NliVIS: S. D. Malnnc. 



DAM5H WiasT INDIBS: A. .SchmleKelow, St. Crol». 



■ONTAERRAT: W. Llewellyn Wall. DOMINICA: Hon. H. A. FramDlaa. 



