Tick ecology.

The availability and expediency of acaricides for the control of ticks, together with the development of vaccination procedures against tick-borne diseases as a matter of priority, initially preceded information gained from research on tick ecology. The establishment of acaricide resistance, the increasing cost of chemical control and the data on production loss as an integral part of tick infestation are factors which led to the incorporation of ecological principles into tick control. Continuing research on the life processes of ticks as well as on their interaction with hosts and the environment, initiated producer manipulation of acaricide application frequencies, habitat manipulation techniques and the use of host immunity which are important for the establishment of economically suitable strategies of tick control. The role of tick ecology in establishing these concepts and its influence on current tick research is examined.