Native ticks as a model for effectiveness of fire as a tool for cattle fever tick management in south Texas

Authors: Maestas, Lauren; MAYS MAESTAS, SARAH - University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley; YEATER, K.M. - Retired ARS Employee; Zavala, Manuel; Garcia Iii, Reyes; GOOLSBY, JOHN - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Southwestern Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/20/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The cattle fever ticks (CFT) present in North America remain an important agricultural and economic burden. The use of tick killing pesticides for the control of CFT has been common over the past half century; however, alternative control strategies are needed to improve sustainable pest control options. Fire is a tool for vegetation management, and some evidence supports its potential for use in tick control. Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of fire as a management tool for ticks in South Texas. Our site was a 69.8 acre property in Cameron County, TX, managed for native vegetation restoration. In April 2022, the site underwent a wildfire leading to the deaths of various native plants, and regeneration of native and other plant species. Tick population regeneration was evaluated for two years post-burn, with collection sites beginning along an unburned refugia and extending 60 meters into the burned area. We collected over 2,000 ticks in this study, mostly from along the unburned refugia. We had little success collecting ticks at greater distances from unburned refugia, regardless of time since the fire. There were statistically important decreases detected in total numbers of ticks collected before and after the fire, indicating that fire may not be an effective management tool in South Texas. Further evaluations are needed to better understand the true effects of fire on CFT survival with longer periods of pre-fire tick collections over a larger area and with controlled and repeated burns.

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 for the control of CFT has been common over the past half century; however, alternative control strategies are needed to improve sustainable pest control options. Fire is a tool for vegetation management, and some evidence supports its potential for use in tick control. Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of fire as a management tool for ticks in South Texas. Our site was a 28.2-hectare property in Cameron County, TX, managed for native vegetation restoration. In April 2022, the site underwent a moderate-to-severe surface burn leading to the deaths of various native plants, and regeneration of native and other plant species. Tick population regeneration was evaluated for two years post-burn, with collection sites beginning along an unburned refugia and extending 60 meters into the burned area. We collected over 2,000 ticks in this study, mostly from along the unburned refugia. We had little success collecting ticks at greater distances from unburned refugia, regardless of time since the fire. There were no significant decreases detected in total numbers of ticks collected before and after the fire, indicating that fire may not be an effective management tool in South Texas. Further evaluations are needed to elucidate the true effects of fire on CFT survival with longer periods of pre-fire tick collections over a larger area and with controlled and repeated burns.