Can fire be used as a tool for management of cattle fever ticks in South Texas?

Authors: Maestas, Lauren; GOOLSBY, JOHN - Retired ARS Employee; Zavala, Manuel; Garcia Iii, Reyes

Submitted to: Subtropical Agriculture and Environments
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/20/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Cattle fever ticks are an important agricultural and economic burden. The use of pesticides to kill ticks has been common over the past fifty years, however alternative control strategies are needed for environmentally friendly options of pest control. The use of fire for pest plant and vegetation management has been used and some evidence exists, suggesting its potential for use in controlling ticks. Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of fire as a management tool for CFT. Our site was a ~69-acre property in Cameron County, TX, being managed for native vegetation. In April 2022 the site underwent a moderate-to-severe surface burn leading to the deaths of long-lived vegetation such as cacti, and regeneration of other fast regenerating plant species. We evaluated tick population regeneration over two years, beginning along an unburnt refugia and extending out to ~60 yards. We collected greater than 2000 ticks over this study, the large majority being from along the refugia. We had little success collecting ticks at greater distances, regardless of time since fire. There were no detectible differences in numbers of ticks collected before-and-after the fire, indicating that fire may not be an effective management tool in South Texas. South Texas has fast regeneration times for vegetation, and wildlife or livestock movements can influence the influx of ticks. It is important to note that this study was in a small region and was opportunistic. Further evaluations are needed to clarify true effects of fire with longer periods of pre-fire tick collections over a larger area and with controlled and repeatable burns, to further the understanding of fire effects on CFT.

Technical Abstract: The cattle fever ticks (CFT) present in North America, Rhipicephalus (=Boophilus) annulatus and R. microplus remain an important agricultural and economic burden. The use of acaricides such as coumaphos and permethrin for the control of CFT has been common over the past half century, however alternative control strategies are needed for ecologically friendly options of pest control. The use of fire for ecological management strategies has been used and some evidence exists, suggesting its potential for use in controlling ticks. Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of fire as a management tool for CFT. Our site was a 28.2-hectare property in Cameron County, TX, being managed for native vegetation. In April 2022 the site underwent a moderate-to-severe surface burn leading to the deaths of plants such as Yucca and prickly pear, and regeneration of other plant species. We evaluated tick population regeneration over two years, beginning along an unburnt refugia and extending out to 60 meters. We collected greater than 2000 ticks over this study, the large majority being from along the refugia. We had little success collecting ticks at greater distances, regardless of time since fire. There were no detectible differences in numbers of ticks collected before-and-after the fire, indicating that fire may not be an effective management tool in South Texas. South Texas has fast regeneration times for vegetation, and wildlife or livestock movements can influence the influx of ticks. It is important to note that this study was in a small region and was opportunistic. Further evaluations are needed to elucidate true effects of fire with longer periods of pre-fire tick collections over a larger area and with controlled and repeatable burns, to further the understanding of fire effects on CFT.