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COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION of Ixodes holocyclus

Collection from the host
Collection from the environment
Preservation of dead ticks
Keeping ticks alive

Collection from the host

All parts of the host's body are examined and palpated and inspected. Male ticks are generally smaller and can often be found in the vicinity of the attached female.

Collection from the environment

There are several methods of tick collection.

Flagging. An uncut cut cloth applied to the end of a broomstick like a flag. The cloth can be made more attractive to ticks by adding mammalian odours (e.g a slept-in cotton bedsheet) (Conroy, 1996).

Wrapping a blanket around a tree trunk also works well. Ticks DO climb trees (Conroy, 2002 and Warne, 2002). Choose areas vegetated by bracken, Crofton weed etc. Place light coloured blanket on ground and sit in middle. Wait for ticks to crawl onto blanket. This tests for the presence of ticks in that area. Lift corners of blanket to collect. Then wrap nearby tree trunks (eg silky oak Grevillea robusta) with blanket to collect more ticks ascending the trees. Nymphs and adults appear to climb to great heights but will descend in windy or dry weather (Warne, 2002).

Cloth Towing. Ticks may be collected by dragging a white flannel cloth over the suspected area. One end of the flannel cloth (approx 80 x 160 cm) has a piece of wood such as a broomstick attached and to this a towline is tied. The unit can be modified for use in scrub. The cloth is cut into tails that are slightly weighted so that they fall between the higher twigs and come into contact with the inner parts of the brush where the ticks are often found (Hoskins, 1991). This method is used in North America.

 

Tick collectors should wear light coloured clothing, long sleeves and long trousers tucked into socks, broad-rimmed hat and insect repellant (particularly around collars and cuffs and any vulnerable body orifices!). Clothing can be pre-soaked in permethrin (this will endure up to 7 washings). Clothing should be checked before entering the house. Pay attention to head, behind the ears, groin, armpits and back of knees.

Tick attractants

• dry ice (CO2)
• laundered cloth- seems to be attractive to the paralysis tick (Conroy, 2002)
• pheromone (from Gene's organ)- possible use in the future? (Conroy, 2002)

Ticks can also be collected with the use of dry ice baited traps. The simplest method is to place a lump of dry ice (releases carbon dioxide and to attract ticks) inside cotton wool; the ticks will entangle themselves in the cotton wool. More elaborate traps involve have ramps leading up to a sticky surface. These traps do not work well with those species that do not move far (such as Ixodes holocyclus), but they do work well for Amblyomma. (Stephen Doggett pers com).

Preservation of dead ticks

For identification purposes, blood tubes or screw cap vials containing 70% isopropyl alcohol are satisfactory for the preservation of both hard and soft ticks (Hoskins, 1991). Methylated spirit and alcohol have also been suggested- for example 3 parts methylated spirit to 1 part water. Ticks preserved in methylated spirit (3 parts) /water (1 part) can be sent to the Board of Tick Control, Lismore, for identification.

For research purposes (for example toxicology and some forms of microbiology), ticks may be placed into capped vials or jars and frozen.

Keeping ticks alive

To keep ticks alive, one can use a jar that contains some plaster of Paris in the bottom to which a few drops of water are added. The ticks need then need to be kept cool and can live for weeks. For holding ticks, to observe moulting/laying, it is often best to change the jar every few days and to use sterile jars/water and to wash the tick well before placing into the jar as mould build up can be a real problem. (email to Stephen Doggett pers. com.).

Another methods is to place them in jars layered with river sand and moss, topping up with water as required to maintain humidity. Frost kills ticks (Warne, 2002).

Ticks will sometimes even survive refrigeration for weeks (see Conroy, 1996). They may even survive in sealed containers (no fresh O2) for many months (Conroy, 2002).

[Be aware that these ticks can climb out of vertical smooth sided glass and plastic jars and that the engorged female can right itself after being flipped onto its back. Furthermore the newly hatched larvae will readily swarm over the immediate vicinity if given the opportunity -NF].

 

Bibliography

Sonenshine, DE: Biology of Ticks, 2 volumes: Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford, 1991.

 

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