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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #283915
Title: Responses of the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, to semiochemicals in a Y-tube olfactometer

Author
item CARNOHAN, LUCAS - University Of Florida
item WEEKS, EMMA - University Of Florida
item KAUFMANN, PHILIP - University Of Florida
item Allan, Sandra - Sandy

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/11/2012
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, is a pest that can be found worldwide. This tick poses unique difficulties in management because it can complete its entire life cycle indoors, resulting in infestations in residential areas. Topical and residual acaricide treatments can be costly and time-consuming, and has resulted in acaricide resistance in tick populations. Therefore, there is a demand for alternative control methods for R. sanguineus. Development of an attract and kill system using semiochemicals to attract ticks to traps is one possibility. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the response of R. sanguineus to a variety of semiochemical compounds previously shown to attract other hematophagous arthropods, including ticks. Five adults, male or female, were placed into a Y-tube olfactometer with directionally induced airflow moving (50 ml/min). One arm of the Y-tube contained the test chemical and the other arm served as a control. Both males and females responded significantly with movement down the olfactometer tubes, however, they all selected the theshowed an aversion to 1% solutions of 1-octen-3-ol, benzaldehyde, and benzyl alcohol by consistently choosing the control arm rather than the treatment arm. These same chemicals did not induce significant movement at any other concentrations. Acetone and carbon dioxide did not induce significant movement compared to the controls. Results on more recently screened chemicals will be presented.