THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



The Life History 



OP 



The Cattle Tick 



the fempo Afeoee of ftcnmfo ^vwledf* os thn irtteici lia in the tact that belore methods of eadlcattoQ ckq be eonlM oot tait«l)l£«itlT and rociMwi 

 t^y. t^ Is ppre — I j to know the life hliiory of the lidL, M»d the ixxfluenc^ of tt-oipeTature, moisttrre. and other dixoatic condlttons on the vvnooa ilficrw (rf 

 Vt ccdeteDce. Id the foIlo\^ing notee, wheneTer the tenn "tick** or "'cattle tick is used it refers to t'ue one epecies, MarcctrrrpaM amtulatus, the ooBUOOn 

 i»ttte I^ck, Vfhkii is so prevaleut thronirhout the 'West Indies. 



OX1J7 'A part oi the dewiopmeat of the HA taken plat*e od the asixDa] ho^t ; the rest of the development ocean on the pasture occupied hj the bofrt. 



Since each (emftle lays an enonnous mnns ol eftRS 

 et one cnot, thoQsazKls ol lairea will appear in the 

 courso of time at the same pLace, and will aacend the 

 ne.u-br vegetation and c-^eot on the leaves and other 

 parts of plante. This inetinct of the seed tidce t-o climb 

 upward is a very imxxwtant ;idaptation of Nature's to 

 increa=<^ their chonces of reaching their ho8t. If the 

 vegetation upon which they rest is disturbed, they 

 become very ncfive and extend their long front leps 

 upward in a divergent position, waving thum vioJ«*ntiy 

 in an attempt to seize hold of a host. 



The seed tick durmg its life on the pasture laktH 

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

 unless it reaches a host to take up the parasitic portion 

 of it« development, it dies of starvation. The endurance 

 o! teed ticks is very great, however, as they have been 

 lound ttf live nearly eight months, even during the 

 '■(O'ler part of the year. 



DEVELOPMENT on the GROUND 



'^'HE ENGORGED FEIAALE. In tracing the hfe 

 hurtorr of the cattle tick it will be convenient to begin 

 wifVi we lane; plump, oGre-ereen tanale tick, about oelf 

 i mch in length, attached to the skin of the host. 

 Ihinng the last few days wpent on the host, she has 

 increaaed enormously in size, as a c-oDsequerc-e of 

 drawing a large Bupply of blood. 



When fully enjgorged she drops to the ground, and 

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

 ••--Hrch for a hiding place on moist earth beneath leaves 

 cir uny other litter which may serve as a protection 

 irom the sun und numerous enemies, or shield hei from 

 imfavourable conditions. The female tirk may be 

 devoured by t'irds, or destroyed by ants, or may T*erish 

 &f a result 01 unfavourable conditions such a-^ k^w 

 leniperatiire, absence or excess of moisture, and m:Lny 

 ether conditions ; so that many female tick^ which lull to 

 ibe ground are destroyed before they lay eg^& 



EGG LAYING. Egg laying begins during thi- 

 •-xnng. summer .ind fall months in from 2 to 20 duy:^. 

 and during the winter months in irom 13 to 98 days, 

 alter iftliing tothe ground. The eggsaresmall-elliptical- 

 tt.^; '-'d l>odiea, at first of a light amber colour, later 



!::ingint' 10 a dark brown, and are about one-fiftieth of 

 .tc inch m length. As the eggs are laid they are coated 

 wth .'L sticky secretion which causes them to adhere in 

 ,l:i^<rK and no doubt serves the purpose of keeping 

 :t.er.. 'rom drying out During eag laying, the mother 

 luk t:.-adualiy shrinks in eize and finally Is reduced i<j 

 hloul one-third or one-fourth her ohgin.-il size. Egi; 

 laymg is greatly influenced by temperature, being 



elaricd or even arrested by cold. It U completed in 

 iroro 4 days 'n the summer to 151 day^. bepnning in 

 th* f.iU. During this time the tick may deposit from 

 & lew hundred to more than 5,000 eggs. After et'g layin;^' 

 IK com|>leted the mother tick has fulfilled her purjioFc 

 kL(J dif» In the course of a few days. 



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

 days in the summer to IRS dayK during the fall aiid 

 wimer. the eggs begin to hatch. From each cug isKuee 

 ft. snuill. oval Kix-legged larva or "soc^'* tidf, at flrrt 

 Amber 'X)lourod. later ch.;nging to a nch brown. I'be 

 "•aed" tick, after crawling slowly over and About the 

 lAkeU frum which it has -vn.jrgcd. usually rcnoains more 

 or leb^ quleMCent far Reveral dayt*. afie'- which it hhow* 

 (reat activity, especially i: :he woathor is warm, and 

 MK-end^ the cearr-st vegtriatioii, euch hs ffraM, other 

 berW red ew;i; -Lrubfi. 



DEVELOPMENT ON CATTLE 



"SEED" TICKS. The parasitic phase ol doveU i- 

 Mu nt bfi^ins when the larvae or seed ticks reach a 

 hivourable host, such as a cow. They crawl up over 

 Ihe hair of the host, and commonly attach thenis^ves 

 to the '-kin of the escutcheon, the inside of the thighs 

 and flanks, and to the dewlap. They at once In-^n to 

 4raw blood, and soon increase in size. 



THE NYMPH. In a few days the young lick 

 - t.:.npis irom a brown colour to white, and m from 5 to 

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

 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 uheds its skin and 

 becomes >exually mnturr. It is at this stage that males 

 and temnles nre witli ccitatnty distinguishiiMe for tije 

 Crst time. 



The Male. The male tick eniurges from hie skm 

 ..' ; Iroxvn. oval tick. ,ibout one-tenth of an mch m 

 ungUi. He has completed his growth and goes through 

 no lurther development. Later he sliows greiit acT;v r, . 

 i: <,% ing iil)OUt more or Ic-^s over the t-kin of the h<»<!. 



Tb«J Female. The female tick at the limt ( : 

 ii.ouliing is slightly larger than the male. She Dtvtr 

 shfWH much activity. SL-Uiom moving far from htT 

 originnl point of aitachtntMit. She still has to undergo 

 most of hergrowtli. AM.-i mating, the fcimt-Ie increaHes 

 vtry r:».pidly in size, anil in from 21 to t>G davb uflor 

 Incoming attached to a lio>t u^ a sicd tick, hhe itecomfw 

 fully cncorgort und drop-* lo the pa-^ture. lo start aj^nn 

 the cydf of dcvolo[nnpnl by laying cggH. 



SUMMARY OF LIFE HISTORY 



i^ BQii. Jp: on the pi.Rture there are found throe Hiago*- of the tick— the engoriiod lemalo. the egg. iin-l the larvn or kcnJ tick-, nnd on the aninia; LOrt 

 fere alfc found thr'.**; etager— the larva or t»eL>d tick, the nymph, the aexually mature adult of boUi saiLes,. and 1:: addilMu the euguri:ed Icuialo. 



{Tf*i aUnx is an extract from a Bulletin ittu*^ nflrtaJJv 'f tV VnitM StaUj J>7'^r[Ntmt of Affrlru't^''^ entttUd— 

 " Meti*odi 0/ iUitf i,a$4aiiu\j lU 1'exa» Ftoer TXc-kTi 



COOPER'S CATTLE TICK DIP 

 Mm fmcmed the official approval of the foNowirtg Conntritmt 



U«ioo of South AlriCA, Northern RhodeftU, [Irazil. Hasutolasd, 



Nrasaland. Swaziland. Soolhcrn Rhodesia, MadsKascar. 



fcrltlsD tafcl Alrica, German East A'rica. Porluxucse Has! Africa, 



fario^DeM West Africa, Efypt, Arscntioc Republic. QueenslaDd. 



tailed States of America. New South Wales. 



^ Norfbern Tcrri1or> of Aofttralie, 



Manufacturers : WILLIAM COOPER & 



WEST INDIAN AT.ENTS ; 



0T.K1TTAI 5. L. HorcfordAC*. ANTIUUA: Bennett. l»r>»oo * Ca. 



JAAtAICA: D. HeitderMQ A Cu., KlnK<itan. 



OkENADA: Thoinj«n, Mankey & Co. 



BlARBAIK>5: Barbados Co-operative Cotton Co„ Ltd. 



BAHAMA5: W. N. Twynam, Nassau. 



TklMCIAD: T. Ocildea Ornnl. l»ort ol 5paln. 



BKITISH OUIANA: ^andbach. I'urkcr & Co. 



■T. VINCENT: Cores A Co.. Klnitatown. NKVI.S: i. t). Mulimc. 



DANL5H WEST IN0IB5: Carl V. Ij» Ucet, it. Thomiis 



M0NT5BRRAT: W. Uowellyn WalL DOMINICA: Hon. H. A. r'amplon. 



3T. l.UCIA; Barnard 5on5 & Co., Cii>irics. ^ 



NEPHEWS, Berkhamsted, Ens?!-nd. 



tKANCHtS: Toionii., Uicatu, S^^, MeBioiirDt, AikUu4, BomM Auim. IHouU V,(ie», P»»l» Aieuai, E»»l Loodoo, C/dc 



