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Insects
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Ecology of Ticks and Their Control
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Ecology of Ticks and Their Control

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Other Arthropods and General Topics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2022) | Viewed by 23772

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kirby C. Stafford III

E-Mail Website
Chief Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 1106, New Haven, CT 06504, USA
Interests: ticks; tick control; integrated tick management; tick ecology; vector-borne disease
Dr. Scott C. Williams

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forestry and Horticulture, Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 1106, New Haven, CT 06504, USA
Interests: host–vector ecology; ticks; zoonotic diseases; wildlife
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Megan A. Linske

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 1106, New Haven, CT 06504, USA
Interests: disease ecology; ticks; vector-borne diseases; wildlife biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the United States, tick-associated diseases are increasing, native tick species are expanding their geographic range, and exotic ticks pose an additional human or veterinary health concern. The CDC estimates that there are over 300,000 human cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. each year, along with increasing incidence of other tick-borne diseases. Key issues related to ticks include knowledge gaps related to tick distribution, changing tick ecologies, human exposure or risk factors, and best practices to manage or control exposure to human-biting ticks. This Issue brings together a diverse field of researchers addressing some of these important questions related to tick ecology and control.

Dr. Kirby C. Stafford III
Dr. Scott C. Williams
Dr. Megan A. Linske
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2832 KiB  
Article
Identification and Distribution of Human-Biting Ticks in Northwestern Spain
by María Carmen Vieira Lista, Moncef Belhassen-García, María Belén Vicente Santiago, Javier Sánchez-Montejo, Carlos Pedroza Pérez, Lía Carolina Monsalve Arteaga, Zaida Herrador, Rufino del Álamo-Sanz, Agustin Benito, Julio David Soto López and Antonio Muro
Insects 2022, 13(5), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13050469 - 18 May 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2491
Abstract
Ticks transmit a wide diversity of pathogens to a great variety of hosts, including humans. We conducted a tick surveillance study in northwestern Spain between 2014 and 2019. Ticks were removed from people and identified. Tick numbers, species, development stages, the timeline, seasonal [...] Read more.
Ticks transmit a wide diversity of pathogens to a great variety of hosts, including humans. We conducted a tick surveillance study in northwestern Spain between 2014 and 2019. Ticks were removed from people and identified. Tick numbers, species, development stages, the timeline, seasonal and geographical distribution and epidemiological characteristics of people bitten by ticks were studied. We collected ticks from 8143 people. Nymphs of I. ricinus were the most frequently collected. Rhipicephalus bursa, R. sanguineus s.l., Hy. marginatum, Hy. lusitanicum, D. marginatus, D. reticulatus and H. punctata were also found, with adults as the main stage. The number of collected Hyalomma spp. and R. bursa has been progressively increasing over time. Although bites occurred throughout the year, the highest number of incidents was reported from April to July. The distribution patterns of the tick species were different between the north and the south of the region, which was related to cases detected in humans of the pathogens they carried. Adult men were more likely to be bitten by ticks than women. Ticks were most frequently removed from adults from the lower limbs, while for children, they were mainly attached to the head. Epidemiological surveillance is essential given the increase in tick populations in recent years, mainly of species potentially carrying pathogens causing emerging diseases in Spain, such as Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCFH). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Ticks and Their Control)
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18 pages, 5834 KiB  
Article
Mapping the Potential Distribution of Ticks in the Western Kanto Region, Japan: Predictions Based on Land-Use, Climate, and Wildlife
by Kandai Doi, Takuya Kato, Iori Tabata and Shin-ichi Hayama
Insects 2021, 12(12), 1095; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12121095 - 07 Dec 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4837
Abstract
Background: Tick distributions have changed rapidly with changes in human activity, land-use patterns, climate, and wildlife distributions over the last few decades. Methods: To estimate potential distributions of ticks, we conducted a tick survey at 134 locations in western Kanto, Japan. We estimated [...] Read more.
Background: Tick distributions have changed rapidly with changes in human activity, land-use patterns, climate, and wildlife distributions over the last few decades. Methods: To estimate potential distributions of ticks, we conducted a tick survey at 134 locations in western Kanto, Japan. We estimated the potential distributions of six tick species (Amblyomma testudinarium Koch, 1844; Haemaphysalis flava Neumann, 1897; Haemaphysalis kitaokai Hoogstraal, 1969; Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901; Haemaphysalis megaspinosa Saito, 1969; and Ixodes ovatus Neumann, 1899) using MaxEnt modeling based on climate patterns, land-use patterns, and the distributions of five common wildlife species: sika deer (Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838), wild boar (Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758), raccoon (Procyon lotor Linnaeus, 1758), Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides Gray, 1834), and masked palm civet (Paguma larvata C.E.H. Smith, 1827)). Results: We collected 24,546 individuals of four genera and 16 tick species. Our models indicated that forest connectivity contributed to the distributions of six tick species and that raccoon distribution contributed to five tick species. Other than that, sika deer distribution contributed to H. kitaokai, and wild boar distribution, bamboo forest, and warm winter climate contributed specifically to A. testudinarium. Conclusions: Based on these results, the dispersal of some tick species toward residential areas and expanded distributions can be explained by the distribution of raccoons and by forest connectivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Ticks and Their Control)
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13 pages, 955 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) Populations of Kaylaka Park in the Town of Pleven, Bulgaria
by Alexander Blazhev, Milena Atanasova, Krasimir Kostov, Tsetsa Doychinova, Svetla Blazheva and Milena Karcheva
Insects 2021, 12(9), 808; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12090808 - 09 Sep 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1924
Abstract
(1) Background: Ticks are vectors of a large number of pathogenic microorganisms, which cause serious diseases in both humans and animals. Kaylaka Park is located in northern Bulgaria close to the city of Pleven. Part of the park is urbanized and visited daily [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Ticks are vectors of a large number of pathogenic microorganisms, which cause serious diseases in both humans and animals. Kaylaka Park is located in northern Bulgaria close to the city of Pleven. Part of the park is urbanized and visited daily by many citizens. The aim of our study was to determine the presence and distribution of hard ticks in the park area by surveying and comparing four urbanized with four wild areas. (2) Methods: Ticks were collected by flagging from 2016 to 2020 during the spring–summer season (March–July). Air temperature, relative humidity, collection time and flagging area were measured during the campaign. (3) Results: A total of 622 ticks were collected: 285 females (46%), 272 (44%) males and 64 (10%) nymphs. All were identified as Ixodes ricinus. Wild areas showed statistically significant higher values of ticks collected per minute (p = 0.009) and nymph densities (p = 0.003) compared to urbanized sampling sites. Other densities indices did not have a significant difference between urban and wild areas. Highest numbers of Ixodes ticks were collected at a temperature of 20 °C and at 60% relative humidity. The active questing began in March, peaked in end of April and declined in June. (4) Conclusions: In the present study, we found that ecological factors in the Kaylaka Park area are favourable for the development and distribution of tick populations. The results give us reason to consider that there is a high risk to visitors from tick bites in the Kaylaka Park area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Ticks and Their Control)
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8 pages, 639 KiB  
Article
The Efficacy of Ultrasonic Pest Repellent Devices against the Australian Paralysis Tick, Ixodes holocyclus (Acari: Ixodidae)
by Amonrat Panthawong, Stephen L. Doggett and Theeraphap Chareonviriyaphap
Insects 2021, 12(5), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12050400 - 30 Apr 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 8322
Abstract
Ultrasonic pest repellers are often promoted as a means of protecting people and pets from the bites of hematophagous arthropods, such as ticks. However, to date, there has been no published research on the effectiveness of these devices against the Australian paralysis tick, [...] Read more.
Ultrasonic pest repellers are often promoted as a means of protecting people and pets from the bites of hematophagous arthropods, such as ticks. However, to date, there has been no published research on the effectiveness of these devices against the Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus Neumann. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of nine ultrasonic devices against female I. holocyclus. Two arenas were constructed, one for the test (with the ultrasonic device) and one for the control (no device). Each arena had a test and an escape chamber, connected by a corridor. Twenty ticks were placed in each test chamber. After the ultrasonic device was operated for 1 h, the number of ticks in both chambers was recorded. Ten replicates were conducted for each device. The average number of ticks that moved from the test to the escape chamber was greater in all the test arenas, with three devices being statistically different from the control. However, the highest percent of ticks that escaped was only 19.5%. This amount is insufficient to offer adequate protection against tick bites and this study adds further weight to previous investigations that ultrasonic devices should not be employed in pest management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Ticks and Their Control)
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Review

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15 pages, 331 KiB  
Review
A Review of Commercial Metarhizium- and Beauveria-Based Biopesticides for the Biological Control of Ticks in the USA
by Cheryl Frank Sullivan, Bruce L. Parker and Margaret Skinner
Insects 2022, 13(3), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13030260 - 05 Mar 2022
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4725
Abstract
There is a need for the development of sustainable, nonchemical tick management strategies. Mycoacaricide and mycoinsecticide product development worldwide has focused primarily on fungi in the genera Beauveria (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) and Metarhizium (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae). Microbial biopesticides containing entomopathogenic fungi have potential in tick [...] Read more.
There is a need for the development of sustainable, nonchemical tick management strategies. Mycoacaricide and mycoinsecticide product development worldwide has focused primarily on fungi in the genera Beauveria (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) and Metarhizium (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae). Microbial biopesticides containing entomopathogenic fungi have potential in tick management. However, despite considerable progress in the development of fungal biopesticides over the past 20 years, the establishment of commercial products available for use against ticks continues to be slow. We reviewed published scientific literature and compiled a comprehensive list of reports of the effectiveness of commercial biopesticides based on the fungal genera Metarhizium and Beauveria and registered for use in the USA against ixodid ticks under laboratory and field conditions. We also report on results when these biopesticides were used as a part of integrated tick management. Until efficacious fungus-based products become more available, tick management will rely primarily on synthetic chemical acaricides, with natural-product acaricides as the alternative. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Ticks and Their Control)
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