will bite, and are easy to locate and remove. Finding 

 and removing those that do not bite is a tedious task. 

 Bites of larvae are irritating for as long as 10 days. 



Nymphs and adults usually congregate in ground litter, 

 or on vegetation. They cling to passing animals or crawl 

 over the ground to attack hosts that lie or stand nearby. 



Nvmphs and adults are most abundant from March to 

 July: some may be encountered until September. Larvae 

 are most abundant from July to September. 



The black-legged tick is found along the east coast. 



The larvae and nymphs feed on various rodents and 

 reptiles. The adults feed on deer, cattle, sheep, hogs, 

 dogs, and other large animals. They will bite people. 

 Long mouth parts make their bites especially painful. 



The adults are most abundant in the fall and early 

 winter. 



American dog ticks and black -legged ticks usuallv con- 

 gregate along game trails, paths, and roadways, where 

 they wait on vegetation and attach themselves to animals 

 and people that pass by. 



Larvae and nymphs of wood ticks may live for a year 

 without feeding, and the adults for 2 vears. 



Control in Outdoor Areas 



Control wood ticks in infested outdoor areas by using 

 DDT. toxaphene. chlordane. or dieldrin. DDT is the 

 insecticide most widely used for this purpose. 



Lindane gives good initial control, but it usually remains 

 effective for a shorter time than DDT. toxaphene. chlor- 

 dane. or dieldrin. 



The selected insecticide can be applied as a spray or 

 as a dust. Sprays are sometimes more difficult to apply 

 than dusts, especially if the area to be treated is large and 

 the growth of brush is heavy. 



RATE OF APPLICATION 

 Dusts 



Dusts are sold in different strengths and are ready to 

 use when purchased. 



To treat lawns or similar areas where the vegetation 

 and ground cover are relatively thin, apply a 10-percent 

 DDT dust, or a 5- or 10-percent toxaphene. chlordane, or 

 dieldrin dust: apply it at the rate of 20 to 25 pounds per 

 acre. To treat wooded or brushy areas, apply 40 pounds 

 of one of these dusts per acre. 



Apply lindane at the rate of 0.2 to 0.4 pound per acre. 

 The amount of a commercial product that you must apply 

 in order to get the proper dosage depends on the per- 

 centage of active ingredient in the product. For example, 

 you would apply 1-percent lindane dust at the rate of 20 

 to 40 pounds per acre. 



Sprays 



Apply DDT. toxaphene. chlordane. or dieldrin in sprays 

 at the rate of 1 to 2 pounds of the actual insecticide per 

 acre. Apply lindane at the rate of 0.1 to 0.2 pound per 

 acre. 



PREPARING A SPRAY 



To prepare a spray, mix an emulsifiable concentrate or 

 a wettable powder with water. ( Do not use oil solutions: 

 they will burn the vegetation. I The amount of concen- 

 trate or powder that you must use to get the proper dosage 

 depends on the percentage of active ingredient in the 

 product you buy. The table below shows the percentages 

 most commonly found in retail products and the amount 

 of each product that is needed in a spray mixture prepared 

 for treating 1 acre. 



Insecticides, and forms in which 

 they may be purchased 



DDT. TOXAPHENE. CHLORDANE 

 AND DIELDRIN 



Emulsifiable concentrate: 



40-percent 3 quarts. 



50-percent 2 quarts. 



65-percent l 1 ^ quarts 



Wettable powder: 



25-percent 8 pounds. 



50-percent 4 pounds 



LINDANE 



Emulsifiable concentrate: 



20-percent 1% pints 



25-percent 1 pint. 



\^ ettable powder: 



25-percent 



Amount of purchased 

 product to mix with 

 25 gallons of water 



1 pound. 



The amount of water needed depends on the per-acre 

 output of your spraying equipment and the kind of vege- 

 tation on the area to be sprayed. It takes 15 to 25 gallons 

 of spray per acre to spray lawns or similar areas, and 50 

 gallons or more per acre for thorough coverage of wooded 

 or brushy areas. 



APPLYING THE INSECTICIDE 



Before applying the insecticide, make a quick survey 

 by dragging a white flannel cloth over the ground and 

 vegetation. Use a square yard of white flannel cloth 

 tacked along the front edge to a stick. Examine it for 

 wood ticks frequently. This will show whether you need 

 to treat the entire area or only those parts of the area 

 where ticks may be concentrated. 



Apply the insecticide as soon as ticks become annoving. 

 Apply it to the ground, to surface litter, and to vegetation. 

 Treat the vegetation to a height of about 2 feet. 



One application may be effective for an entire season; 

 but if ticks again become annoving. it may be necessary 

 to repeat the treatment. 



ll you sprav. wet the ground, litter, and vegetation 

 thoroughly. Shake the container occasionally to keep the 

 insecticide well mixed with the water. If you dust, be 

 sure to get the dust well distributed. 



Do not apply insecticides for tick control to crops or 

 grazing areas. 



