Synchronous Seasonal Activity of Ixodes ricinus Immature Stages in Brateiu, Sibiu County, Romania - Implications for TBE Outbreaks

1. Activity in Ixodes ricinus was studied by laying down newly emerged ticks in natural clumps of vegetation from which all hosts (with the possible exception of ‘mice’) were excluded. After a period of quiescence the ticks climbed to the ‘active’ position at the vegetation tips. Activity was assessed either by simple observation (in adults which were marked individually) or by ‘brushing’ the vegetation with the hands (nymphs and larvae). 52 % of the adults and 44 % of the nymphs were recovered.2. The seasonal activity behaviour was followed in three series of ticks set out during May, July and October 1945. The results were used in interpreting the time relations of seasonal activity in ‘wild’ populations. The timing of the activity cycle appears to be largely determined by the availability of unfed ticks rather than by the prevailing meteorological conditions.3. The diurnal pattern of behaviour in active ticks was closely examined during a 24 hr. period. Many remained at the tips without moving. The others began or ended a phase of activity by night or by day; but among these, the proportion ending a phase at night was significantly greater. This is the main reason for the previously reported diurnal fluctuation of activity in a tick population.4. Two hundred and seven adult ticks spent, on an average, a total of 9 days at the vegetation tips (individual limits 1 and 54 days). This activity was spread over an ‘active period’ (interval between first and last appearances) averaging 30 days. Very active ticks rarely remained continuously at the tips. The mean number of visits to the tips was 4 (limits 1 and 19), each lasting for an average of 2·5 days. Where long spells of activity alternate with short periods of quiescence, the behaviour is probably regulated by the humidity reaction, the quiescent phase providing an opportunity for restoring the depleted water balance.5. Newly moulted adult ticks possess reserves of fat adequate for many months of quiescence. During activity these reserves are exhausted in a few weeks or even days. Duration of survival mainly depended on whether the onset of activity was immediate or delayed. Some adults remained quiescent for 1 year before becoming active for the first time.6. Several types of orientations were observed in the field. In attaining the position at the tips favourable for encountering a host, the gravity response (upward-turning near the tip) is of major importance. The tick avoids wind and direct sunlight by sheltering behind its supporting stem. In sensing the approach of a ‘host’ (the observer's finger) the perception of eddies of warm air is particularly significant. The response (questing, then orientation) is elicited much less readily if the stimulus is applied from the leeward.

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An experimental evaluation of conventional control measures against the sheep tick,Ixodes ricinus(L.) (Acari: Ixodidae). I. A unimodal seasonal activity pattern

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485300014590 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 75 (3) ◽

pp. 489-500 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Gordon M. Steele ◽

Sarah E. Randolph

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Control Measures ◽

Field Observations ◽

Seasonal Activity ◽

Field Site ◽

Host Interactions ◽

Control Procedures ◽

Three Stages ◽

Activity Season

AbstractQuesting individuals ofIxodes ricinus(L.) on a naturally infested moorland in Wales were censused every fortnight from January 1981 to October 1982 by blanket-dragging, and feeding ticks were counted on the sheep hosts. The seasonal activity patterns for ticks in all three stages were unimodal, with nymphs and adults active between March and July, and larvae active between April and August. This unimodal, as opposed to the usually described bimodal, pattern is explained in terms of the long cold winters and short summers of this field site. The survival time of questing nymphs was calculated from an analysis of their changing lipid content during the activity season to be a maximum of four months, which is consistent with the other field observations. The precise identification of the pattern of activity, as well as being essential for the application of appropriately timed control procedures, is necessary for the interpretation of the tick-host interactions under various control regimes that were applied.

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Influence of the spatial heterogeneity in tick abundance in the modeling of the seasonal activity of Ixodes ricinus nymphs in Western Europe

Experimental and Applied Acarology ◽

10.1007/s10493-016-0099-1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 71 (2) ◽

pp. 115-130 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Julie Cat ◽

Frédéric Beugnet ◽

Thierry Hoch ◽

Frans Jongejan ◽

Aurélie Prangé ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Heterogeneity ◽

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Western Europe ◽

Seasonal Activity ◽

Tick Abundance

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Occurrence and Identification of Ixodes ricinus Borne Pathogens in Northeastern Italy

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10091181 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1181

Author(s):

Michela Bertola ◽

Fabrizio Montarsi ◽

Federica Obber ◽

Graziana Da Rold ◽

Sara Carlin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Tick Species ◽

Specific Area ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Immature Stages ◽

Efficient Strategy ◽

Northern Areas ◽

Northeastern Italy ◽

Babesia Venatorum

In Europe, Ixodes ricinus is the main vector for tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), the most common tick species in Italy, particularly represented in pre-alpine and hilly northern areas. From 2011 to 2017, ticks were collected by dragging in Belluno province (northeast Italy) and analyzed by molecular techniques for TBP detection. Several species of Rickettsia spp. and Borrelia spp. Anaplaspa phagocitophilum, Neoerlichia mikurensis and Babesia venatorum, were found to be circulating in the study area carried by I. ricinus (n = 2668, all stages). Overall, 39.1% of screened pools were positive for at least one TBP, with a prevalence of 12.25% and 29.2% in immature stages and adults, respectively. Pathogens were detected in 85% of the monitored municipalities, moreover the presence of TBPs varied from one to seven different pathogens in the same year. The annual TBPs prevalence fluctuations observed in each municipality highlights the necessity of performing continuous tick surveillance. In conclusion, the observation of TBPs in ticks remains an efficient strategy for monitoring the circulation of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) in a specific area.

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Seasonal infestation of birds with immature stages of Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes arboricola

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.01.006 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 423-431 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Elena Kocianová ◽

Veronika Rusňáková Tarageľová ◽

Danka Haruštiaková ◽

Eva Špitalská

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Immature Stages ◽

Ixodes Arboricola

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A note on an unusual male tick from Glamorgan

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182000013305 ◽

1946 ◽

Vol 37 (3-4) ◽

pp. 152-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. R. Arthur ◽

E. E. Edwards

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Normal Male ◽

Seasonal Activity ◽

The Past ◽

South Wales ◽

Male Tick

During the course of investigations into the distribution and seasonal activity of the tick, Ixodes ricinus L., in South Wales (Edwards & Arthur, 1945), a male tick was recovered which on examination was found to be a member of Ixodoidea, but which differed from the normal male of I. ricinus L. It was recovered from Margam Moors (Glamorgan, South Wales) by one of the writers (D.R.A.) in 1945, whilst dragging a blanket over rough vegetation, a method previously employed by MacLeod (1932) for the recovery of ticks from grassland. This is the only specimen of its kind which has been found, despite the examination of several thousands of males during the past three years. It has therefore been considered desirable to place on record a description of the form. When placed in a tube containing ten unfed females of I. ricinus, no mating occurred. Under similar conditions a typical male of this species mated with one unfed female within 7 minutes of its introduction.

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Seasonal Changes in Activity, Sex Composition and Areal of the Tick Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodida) in the Landscape-Geographical Regions of Ukraine

Vestnik Zoologii ◽

10.2478/v10058-010-0014-x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. e-19-e-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

I. Akimov ◽

I. Nebogatkin

Keyword(s):

Sex Ratio ◽

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Seasonal Changes ◽

Natural Habitat ◽

Seasonal Activity ◽

Sex Composition ◽

Seasonal Differences ◽

Geographical Regions

Seasonal Changes in Activity, Sex Composition and Areal of the Tick Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodida) in the Landscape-Geographical Regions of Ukraine Data on seasonal activity of adults, nymphs and larvae of the sheep tick Ixodes ricinus Linnaeus are presented based on examination of our own collections for the period from 1977 to 2001 and archival materials for the period from 1953 to 2000, as well as data on changes in its natural habitat that now covers the whole territory of Ukraine. The period of activity in I. ricinus imagoes becomes longer from north to south and from west to east. In Ukrainian populations of I. ricinus, females slightly dominate (on average 52.44 ± 0.55%). The seasonal differences in the sex ratio are as follows: males are more abundant in springtime, females - in autumn. Significantly larger numbers of females (on average 52-60%) are registered on population peaks, and larger numbers of males - on their decrease.

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The Seasonal and Annual Incidence of the Sheep Tick, Ixodes ricinus, in Britain

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485300004429 ◽

1939 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 103-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

J. MacLeod

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Tick Infestation ◽

Early Summer ◽

Seasonal Activity ◽

Seasonal Periodicity ◽

Temperature Range ◽

North East ◽

North Wales ◽

Maximum Temperatures

1. Serial examinations of the degree of infestation of thirty-five flocks during a nine-year period in Argyllshire, Perthshire, Selkirk and Northumberland, showed that tick incidence is greatest in spring and decreases markedly in early summer. Evidence is given of a similar periodicity in North Wales.2. Evidence is given of the occurrence of a slight recrudescence of activity in autumn, and of the almost complete absence of activity in winter.3. The spring curve of activity terminated in early May in Argyllshire, in the middle of May in Perthshire, and towards the end of May in the Borders and Northumberland.4. The estimation of the relative annual infestation, e.g., in relation to the question of spread or increase of ticks, by single annual counts is shown to be quite unreliable.5. No evidence was obtained of an increase in density of ticks in any area during the period of observation.6. The seasonal periodicity in activity was found to bear no relation to the density of stocking of the ground by sheep.7. The seasonal activity of ticks in Argyllshire, Perthshire, Selkirkshire and Northumberland, was found to be related to the air temperature, expressed as the weekly average of maximum temperatures. The limits of the air-temperature range corresponding to active tick infestation are 45°F. and 60°F. (average weekly maximum).8. The curve of tick infestation during 1937 on a moor in North-east Scotland was found to differ markedly from the normal, and the possible explanations of the discrepancy are discussed.

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