title: Predation of free-living engorged female Rhipicephalus appendiculatus.
abstract: In experiments done over a period of 1 1/2 years using engorged female Rhipicephalus appendiculatus tethered in a grass plot, 42% predation was observed in long grass (40-60 cm), and 36% in short grass (6-10 cm). Deaths due to environmental factors were 4.8% and 6.8% in long and short grass, respectively. Six groups of animals were confirmed to be predators of the ticks, namely: ants, spiders, rodents, birds, lizards and shrews. The implications of these results in making tick population models, and the possibility of using predators in integrated tick-control packages are discussed.
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Mwangi
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Newson
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Kaaya
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008116:Lizards / Q000502:physiology; D009115:Muridae / Q000502:physiology; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012788:Shrews / Q000502:physiology; D013112:Spiders / Q000502:physiology; D013987:Ticks / Q000502:physiology*