THE AGKICULTUEAL NEWS. 



The Life History 



OP 



The Cattle Tick 



OATTLX TICK 



l^e iznpo ^nre of accurate knowledge on this subject lies in the fact that, before methods of eiJL'li cation can be carried out intelligently and succest- 

 luliy. it is nece^saj^' to tiiow the life history of The tick, and the influence of temperature, moisture. r.n*l other climatic conditions on the various stages o! 

 Its existence. In the lollowiug note.s whenever ibe term "tick" or "cattk' iick" is used it refers t-. the one ajtecies, Marijaropus annulatus, the common 

 Cattle Tick, which is so prevalent throughout the AVest Indies. 



Only '"4 part of the development of the tick t;;ke9 place on the animal ho-^t : the rest of the development occurs on the pasture occupied by the host. 



DEVKLOPMENT on the GROUND 



THE ENGORGED FEMALE. In tracing the life 

 history of the cattle tick it will be convenient to be^n 

 wit n the large, plump, olive-green female tick, about half 

 aJi inch in length, attached to the skin of the liost. 

 During the last few days spent on the host, she ha'^ 

 increased enormously in size, as a cont-equence of 

 •drawing a hirge supply of blood. 



■V\'hen fully engorged she drops to the ground, nnd 

 at once, especially if the weather is M-arm. begins to 

 search for a hiding place on moist earth beneath loaves 

 or any other litter which may serve as a protection 

 from the sun and numerous enemies, or shield her from 

 unfavourable condition*. The female tick may be 

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

 as a result of unfavourable conditions, such ns low 

 reniperature. absence or excess of moisture, and many 

 * other coaditions : ^o thnt many female ticks which lull to 

 The ground :ire destroyed before they lay eggs. 



EGG LAYING. Egg laying begins during the 

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

 .:ind during the winter mouths in from 13 to 98 days. 

 :■ after fulling to the grovmd. The eggs are small, elhptical- 

 ! shaped bodies, at first of a light amber colour, later 

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

 ;in inch in length. As the eggs are laid they are coated 

 with a sticky' secretion which causes them to adhere in 

 clusters :ind uo doubt serves the purpose of keeping 

 "them from drying out. During egg laying, the mother 

 tick gTiidually shrinks in size aud flniUly is reduced to 

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

 laying is greatly influenced by temperature, being 

 retarded or even arrested by cold. It is completed in 

 from 4 days in the summer to 151 days, beginning in 

 the fall. During this time the tick may deposit from 

 a 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, rangmg from 19 

 days in the smiimer to 188 days during the fall and 

 winter, the eggs begin to hatch. From each egg issues 

 a small, oval, sis-legged larva or "seed" tick, at first 

 amber coloured, later changing to a rich brown. The 

 ■' seed "' tick, after crawling" slowly over and about the 

 shell from which it has emerged, lumally remains more 

 or lees quiescent for several days, after which it shows 

 great activity, especially if the weather is warm, and 

 aeceoids the nearest vegetation, sach as graae, other 

 herbs, and even shrubs. 



Since each female lays an enormous nia^sof egge 

 at one spot, thousands of larvae will appear in the 

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

 near-by vegetation and collect on the leaves and other 

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

 upward is a very important adaptation of Nature's to 

 increase their chances of reaching their host. If the 

 v(_'getation upou which they rest is disturbed, they 

 lipcome very active and extend their long front legs 

 i;pward in a divergejit position, waving them violently 

 n an attempt to seize hold of a host. 



The seed tick during its life on the pasture takes 

 ru food, and consequently does not increase in size, .tud 

 unless it reaches a laost to take up the parasitic portion 

 ■ ' ii»5 development, it dies of starvation. The endurrmce 

 • 'f seed ticks is very great, however, ay ibey liavu been 

 iind to live nearly' eight months, over/ daring the 

 ' 'der part of the year. 



DEVELOPMENT ON CATTLE 



"SEED" TICKS. The parasitic phase of devclo]>- 

 iiii r: begi])- when the larvse or seed ticks reach :i 

 la\ourable host, such as a cow. They crawl up over 

 tlie hair of the host, and commonly attach themselves 

 T<t The skin of the escutcheon, the inside of the thighs 

 :in'] flnnks, aud to the dewlap. They at once begin to 

 draw blood, and soon increase in size. 



THE NYMPH. In a few days the young tick 

 'hnnges from a brown colour to white, and in from 5 to 

 !2 days sheds its skin. The new form has eight legs 

 instead of six and is kno-mi as a nymph. 



SEXUALLY MATURE TICKS. In from 5 to il 



days after the firstmoult the tick againsheds its skin and 

 becomes sesuaUy mature. It is at thifl stnge that males 

 and females are with certainty disliuguiaiiabic id llic 

 first time. « 



The Male. The male tick emerges from his skin 

 ns a browTi. oval tick, about one-tenth of an inch m 

 length. He has completed his growth and goes throujrh 

 no further development. Later he shows great activity, 

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



The Female. The female tick at the time r'f 

 melting is slightly larger than the male. She never 

 shews much activity, i-eldom moving far from htr 

 original point of attachment. She still has to undergo 

 tuof' of her growth. After mating, the female increases 

 very rapidly in size, and in from 21 to 06 days after 

 becoming attached to a host as a seed lick, she becomes 

 folly engorged and drops to the pasture, to start again 

 the cycle of development by laying eggs. 



art also 



SUMMARY OF LIFE HISTORY 



To sum up : on the pasture there M© fonnd three stages of the tick— the engorged fem&le. the egg, nad the l&nra or seed tick ; and on the animaJ hc-rt 

 leo found three stflge? — the larra or seed tick, the nymph, the eeruaHy mature adult of both Bcr**o, and in addition the engorged female. 



(The aboi'e it an extract from a Bulletin 'Usued offleially ly the VfiiUd ^ata hepartment ^ AffrleuUvrg, tntitJfd 

 " MethocU of Exterminating the- TtXM Tevtr ttck.") 



COOPER'S CATTLE TICK DIP 

 Ha§ received the official approval of the following Coantriee: 

 Unlor of South Africa. Northern Rhodesia, Brazil, Basutolaad, 



NyasalaDd, Swazilud. Soothero Rhodesia, Madagascar, 



British East Africa. Qerman East Africa. Portusaese East Africa, 



^ortusuese West Africa, Egypt, Arcenthie Repabllc, Queenstaad, 



UnMed States of America. New South Wales, 



Northern Territory of Aistralla. 



Manufacturers : WILLIAM COOPER & 



BRANCHES : TitmUs Cliic>{», Sjduf, HelkMiM, AxUlud, Boeioi Airrt. 



WEST INDIAN AGENTS i 



ST. KITTS: .<. L. Morsford & Co. ANTIOUA: Bennett. BrraiB • Cih 



JAMAICA: I). Hender..40n & Co.. Kinc:«tOfl. 



<ikl:\AD.A: Thom.son. Hanke>- & Co. 



BARBADOS: Barliados Co-operative Cotton Co. Ltd. 



IIAHA.MAS: W. N. Twynam. Nassau. 



TRINIDAD: T. Qeddes Qrant. Port ol Spain. 



BRITISH GUIANA: 5andbach, Parker & Co. 



ST. VINCKNT: Corea & Co.. Kingstown. NEVIS: 5. D. MalnM, 



DANI.^H « l-:ST INDIES: A. .•ichmleKClow. St. Croll. 



M0NT..*1;RRAT: \\ IJewellyn Wall. OOMIMCA: Hon.H. A. PramptaS. 



5T. LLCIA: Barnard s„n> * Co., Castries 



NEPHEWS, Berkhamsted, England. 



V.d.o 



f'uL'a Arenas, bast Loodon. Qdn 



