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12 June 2016 Control of Hyalomma lusitanicum (Acari: Ixodidade) Ticks Infesting Oryctolagus cuniculus (Lagomorpha: Leporidae) Using the Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana (Hyocreales: Clavicipitaceae) in Field Conditions
J. González, F. Valcárcel, J. L. Pérez-Sánchez, J. M. Tercero-Jaime, M. T. Cutuli, A. S. Olmeda
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Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi are widely used to control arthropods not just in agricultural settings but also in Veterinary Medicine and Public Health. These products have been employed to control tick populations and tick-borne diseases. The effectiveness of these control measures not only depends on the fungi, but also on the tick species and environmental conditions. In Mesomediterranean areas, tick species are adapted to extreme climatic conditions and it is therefore especially important to develop suitable tick control strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new method of tick control which entails the application of a commercial strain of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo, Vuillemin) on wild rabbit burrows under field conditions. Aqueous solutions of the product were applied using a mist blower sprayer into 1,717 burrows. Two trials were performed, one in spring and the other in summer. The parasitic index (PI) was calculated for 10 rabbits per treatment per time point on day +30, +60, and +90 posttreatment and efficiency was calculated by comparing the PI for ticks in treated and untreated rabbits. A total of 20,234 ixodid ticks were collected. Hyalomma lusitanicum Koch, 1844 was the most abundant tick feeding on rabbits. Treatment significantly reduced the PI in spring (by 78.63% and 63.28% on day +30 and +60, respectively; P<0.05), but appeared to be less effective in summer, with a marginally significant tick reduction of 35.72% on day +30 (P = 0.05). Results suggest that the efficacy of applications inside burrows could be temperature-dependent and that such applications could be an economic alternative to rabbit tick control during at least two months using a diluted solution of B. bassiana conidia.

© The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
J. González, F. Valcárcel, J. L. Pérez-Sánchez, J. M. Tercero-Jaime, M. T. Cutuli, and A. S. Olmeda "Control of Hyalomma lusitanicum (Acari: Ixodidade) Ticks Infesting Oryctolagus cuniculus (Lagomorpha: Leporidae) Using the Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana (Hyocreales: Clavicipitaceae) in Field Conditions," Journal of Medical Entomology 53(6), 1396-1402, (12 June 2016). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjw088
Received: 14 January 2016; Accepted: 12 May 2016; Published: 12 June 2016
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KEYWORDS
biological control
entomopathogenic fungi
field
rabbit
tick control
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