Control of Hyalomma lusitanicum (Acari: Ixodidade) Ticks Infesting Oryctolagus cuniculus (Lagomorpha: Leporidae) Using the Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana (Hyocreales: Clavicipitaceae) in Field Conditions.
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.
Villamagna SA, Finca "La Garganta", 14.440 Villanueva de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain (julsglezglez@gmail.com).
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J
González
Grupo de Parasitología Animal, Departamento de Reproducción Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnologías Agrarias y Alimentarias, INIA, 28040, Madrid, Spain (valcarcel.felix@inia.es; jose_luis_perez_sanchez@hotmail.com; jmtercero@fincalagarganta.com) valcarcel.felix@inia.es.
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F
Valcárcel
Grupo de Parasitología Animal, Departamento de Reproducción Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnologías Agrarias y Alimentarias, INIA, 28040, Madrid, Spain (valcarcel.felix@inia.es; jose_luis_perez_sanchez@hotmail.com; jmtercero@fincalagarganta.com).|Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain (mtcutuli@vet.ucm.es; angeles@ucm.es).
J L
JL
Pérez-Sánchez
Grupo de Parasitología Animal, Departamento de Reproducción Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnologías Agrarias y Alimentarias, INIA, 28040, Madrid, Spain (valcarcel.felix@inia.es; jose_luis_perez_sanchez@hotmail.com; jmtercero@fincalagarganta.com).
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JM
Tercero-Jaime
Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain (mtcutuli@vet.ucm.es; angeles@ucm.es).
M T
MT
Cutuli
Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain (mtcutuli@vet.ucm.es; angeles@ucm.es).
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AS
Olmeda
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D052982:Beauveria / Q000502:physiology*; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000187:drug effects*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits; D013030:Spain; D013983:Tick Control / Q000379:methods*; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*
biological control; entomopathogenic fungi; field; rabbit; tick control