TICKS — BISHOPP 401 



THE LONE STAR TICK 



The lone star tick, Amhlyomma a'^nei'icanum, derives its common 

 name from the single white spot which appears in the center of the 

 back on the female (pi. 4, fig. 1). This tick is widely distributed 

 in the United States and extends its range into South America. It 

 freely attacks man and various wild and domestic animals. Al- 

 though it has not been proved to carry any specific disease, its long 

 mouthparts and the fact that it occurs in great numbers in certain 

 areas make it a troublesome pest. Suppuration often follows the 

 bite of this species and, in the case of man, it is not infrequent that 

 the mouthparts are pulled off when an effort is made to remove the 

 tick. This frequently leaves an inflamed and itching spot which 

 may persist for weeks or even months. In Texas the species often 

 becomes very troublesome on goats. Dairy cattle are also seriously 

 affected and the milkers are constantly annoyed, particularly by the 

 males, which crawl off the cattle and attack them. Reports have 

 come to the Bureau of Entomology of serious losses among chickens 

 and turkeys from the attack of the immature stages of this species. 



The lone star tick drops from the host for each of its molts, and 

 the seed ticks, nymphs, and adults are all long-lived. The seed ticks 

 have been observed to live more than 9 months, the nymphs more 

 than 16 months, and the adults 13 months. Females deposit from 

 5,000 to more than 8,000 eggs. 



THE WINTER TICK 



The species known as the winter tick, or elk tick, DerTnaoentor 

 alhipictus Pack., is an important pest of horses, cattle, elk, moose, 

 and deer in many parts of the United States. Recently Drs. Cahn, 

 Wallace, and Thomas carried on experiments which indicated that 

 this tick is responsible for the death of moose in the North Central 

 States, probably through its ability to transmit a specific disease 

 of those animals. In recent years this tick seems to have become 

 more abundant in the Southwest, and is now a troublesome pest of 

 horses and cattle on the ranges in western Texas and New Mexico. 



One of the peculiarities of the species is the fact that it is never 

 found on animals during the summer months. The seed ticks at- 

 tach to their hosts in the fall or in warm periods during the winter 

 and spring. They remain on the animal for each of their molts. 

 The seed ticks refuse to attach to an animal during warm weather 

 but remain more or less dormant in dense clusters until the cool 

 weather of fall when they will readily attach to passing animals. 



The fact that this tick develops often in tremendous numbers on 

 elk and moose, and the further fact that it feeds only during the 

 winter time when dipping is difficult, makes control a real problem. 



