Tick control bait box use by Peromyscus spp. influenced by habitat placement but raises questions on disease ecology

Abstract

White‐footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque), and deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus Gloger, are considered important reservoir hosts for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Host‐targeted and nonlethal Select TCS bait boxes have been shown to be effective at killing ticks by delivering small doses of fipronil to wild Peromyscus spp., attracted to the provided bait. This results in reductions in the tick Ixodes scapularis, the vector of Borrelia burgdorferi, in the environment. However, habitat influences on bait box use, interactions with bait boxes, and overall use of bait by small mammals have not been evaluated. These factors may influence the use of this tick control measure. In the current study, bait box use by small mammals was evaluated at five field sites in Maryland, USA, during a two‐year study period. Bait consumption in relation to specific described habitats evaluated at each site was recorded, and bait nutrition was compared to nutrition from common northeastern acorn species. Rodent behavior around bait boxes was analyzed using camera traps as well. Bait boxes were used more frequently in herbaceous and shrub habitats than those placed in areas with bare ground or canopy cover alone. Significant amounts of bait were consumed throughout the study, but in some habitat types bait boxes were not used. The bait was found to be similar to native acorns in energy content, suggesting that it may serve as a supplement for natural foods which may have population dynamic implications. Behavioral analysis suggested that Peromyscus spp. foraged around bait boxes regardless of bait presence, but they did not forage in unbaited boxes as frequently. This may suggest the use of odors alone could be enough for attracting rodents to bait boxes potentially reducing the negative effects of baiting while maintaining protective tick control measures.

Conservation Wildflower Plantings Do Not Enhance On-Farm Abundance of Amblyomma americanum (Ixodida: Ixodidae)

“…Amblyomma americanum was found in areas with a more open canopy and less shrubby understory compared to I. scapularis [ 44 ]. If dense stands of ground cover develop within wildflower plots, they could attract rodent hosts of I. scapularis [ 46 ], potentially increasing I. scapularis abundance within its range. This could be more problematic if conservation efforts are focused on the use of longer-lived woody plants, or if herbaceous wildflowers are not mowed regularly.…”

Rodent-targeted approaches to reduce acarological risk of human exposure to pathogen-infected Ixodes ticks

“…One issue yet to be resolved is to what extent food bait, used to attract rodents to treatment devices such as bait boxes, influences rodent microhabitat use and potential for population growth ( Machtinger and Li, 2019 ), which in turn can impact abundance of questing ticks. The impact of food bait likely varies with fluctuations in access to natural food sources for rodents, for example caused by tree masting generating large crops of acorns or seeds ( Ostfeld et al, 2006 ; Bregnard et al, 2020 ).…”

“…scapularis in the environment, reduce human bites by this tick, and ultimately prevent cases of human illness caused by Ix. scapularis -associated pathogens ( Dolan et al, 2017 ; Schulze et al, 2017 ; Keesing and Ostfeld, 2018 ; Williams et al, 2018a , 2018b , 2020 ; Buchtal et al, 2019 ; Jordan and Schulze, 2019 , 2020 ; Machtinger and Li, 2019 ; Brown et al, 2020 ; Carrera-Pineyro et al, 2020 ; Pelletier et al, 2020 , 2022 ; Poché et al, 2020 , 2021 ; Stafford et al, 2020 ; Hinckley et al, 2021 ; Mandli et al, 2021 ; Phillip et al, 2021 ; van Oosterwijk and Wikel, 2021 ; Keesing et al, 2022 ; Linske et al, 2022 ). These recently published studies, which include large scale intervention trials that involved rodent-targeted acaricide and assessed human-based outcomes, sets the stage for a fresh assessment of the future of rodent-targeted tick and pathogen control methods.…”

Zoonotic implications of white-footed mice habitat selection and territoriality in fragmented landscapes

“…We found few studies that identified fine-scale patterns of space use or land cover preference in highly suburban or urban areas that could provide more specific insights into ITM targeted at mice (Dolan et al 2004, Machtinger and Li 2019). Specifically, understanding white-footed mice habitat selection can help predict tick densities on the landscape (Piedmonte et al 2018), while studying mouse home-range sizes and movements can facilitate understanding of tick population parameters and likely dispersal (Gaitan and Millien 2016).…”