Predation of free-living engorged female Rhipicephalus appendiculatus.

In experiments done over a period of 1 1/2 years using engorged female Rhipicephalus appendiculatus tethered in a grass plot, 42% predation was observed in long grass (40-60 cm), and 36% in short grass (6-10 cm). Deaths due to environmental factors were 4.8% and 6.8% in long and short grass, respectively. Six groups of animals were confirmed to be predators of the ticks, namely: ants, spiders, rodents, birds, lizards and shrews. The implications of these results in making tick population models, and the possibility of using predators in integrated tick-control packages are discussed.