The United States Department of Agriculture's Northeast Area-Wide Tick Control Project: Summary and Conclusions

Abstract

From 1997 to 2002, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Northeast Area-wide Tick Control Project used acaricide-treated 4-Poster Deer Treatment Bait Stations in five eastern states to control ticks feeding on white-tailed deer. The objectives of this host-targeted technology were to reduce free-living blacklegged (Ixodes scapularis Say) and lone star (Amblyomma americanum [L.]) tick populations and thereby to reduce the risk of tick-borne disease. During 2002 to 2004, treatments were suspended, and tick population recovery rates were assayed. Subsequently, the major factors that influenced variations in efficacy were extrapolated to better understand and improve this technology. Treatments resulted in significant reductions in free-living populations of nymphal blacklegged ticks at six of the seven sites, and lone star ticks were significantly reduced at all three sites where they were present. During the study, maximal significant (p < or = 0.05) efficacies against nymphal blacklegged and lone star ticks at individual sites ranged from 60.0 to 81.7 and 90.9 to 99.5%, respectively. The major environmental factor that reduced efficacy was the occurrence of heavy acorn masts, which provided an alternative food resource for deer. Although the 4-Poster technology requires 1 or more years to show efficacy, this host-targeted intervention was demonstrated to be an efficacious, economical, safe, and environment-friendly alternative to area-wide spraying of acaricide to control free-living populations of these tick species.

In vitro effect of pesticides on the germination, vegetative growth, and conidial production of two strains of Metarhizium anisopliae

“…At present, tick control is largely based on the use of chemical pesticides (e.g., George et al 2004;Piesman & Eisen 2008;Pound et al 2009). These pesticides are highly effective, but their use raises toxicological as well as environmental and non-target concerns (Ginsberg 1994;Gassner et al 1997;Schulze et al 2005).…”

Deer Reduction Is a Cornerstone of Integrated Deer Tick Management

“…In addition, acaricide treatment of deer or fenced exclusion plots also support the causal relationship between deer density and that of deer ticks (Daniels et al 1993, Stafford 1993, Pound et al 2009). As with any ecological experiment, outcomes counter to the more frequently detected outcome are evident but may have alternate interpretations or explanations.…”

“…Whether community motivation or resources would allow for the intervention to be implemented and maintained is another question entirely. The same argument could be applied to deer-targeted acaricides ('4 posters'; Pound et al 2009): these devices reduce host seeking ticks by 80%, but a multiyear deployment would cost about $27/ha/yr, requiring weekly inspection and maintenance. In either case, the resources and effort required would require justification by a motivated community.…”

“…Lone Star ticks mainly feed on deer in each of their life stages (Bishopp andTrembley 1945, Bloemer et al 1986) and a single fed female may lay 3,500 eggs (Barnard 1990). Deer reduction (or their treatment with '4 posters'; Pound et al 2009) may reduce dense infestations of Lone Star ticks, or prevent them from becoming established. At least in New England, the main bloodmeal source for mammal feeding mosquitoes, including those that are bridge vectors for eastern equine encephalitis or West Nile virus, or those that transmit diverse California encephalitis group viruses, is the white tailed deer (Molaei et al 2008).…”

Low Tech Versus High Tech Approaches for Vector-Borne Disease Control

“…There were variations from the common protocol, described in detail by Pound et al (2009a), such that the reader will be rewarded by reading the individual reports before the summary chapters by Brei et al (2009), Gatewood Hoen et al (2009) and Pound et al (2009b. This study was designed to achieve control of Ixodes scapularis populations and, at two sites lone star tick Amblyomma americanum populations, at the landscape scale of a human community and is a first of its kind.…”