All three parasitic stages are generally present on infested cattle, but the easiest to identify is the adult stage. The cattle tick is the only tick found on cattle with all legs being a pale cream colour. Engorged adult ticks should be put live onto blotting paper covering moist cotton wool into a screw-top bottle with small holes for ventilation. It is, of course, most important to provide name, property address, and date the specimens were collected, but because labels may become detached, lost, or illegible, identification notes should be written in pencil on a piece of paper, and put in the specimen bottle or jars. Packages containing methylated spirits or live ticks must not be sent by post, by air or by bus.
Ticks can, however, develop resistance to acaricides.
Contact your local Stock Inspector if you suspect poor tick kill. In the Northern Territory cattle tick control is usually limited to the use of resistant cattle and treatment is usually limited to cattle awaiting export or those moving to or through tick free areas. The parasitic phase of the life cycle lasts about 3 weeks. The life cycle consists of two parts, the parasitic part during which the tick feeds on cattle, and the nonparasitic part which the tick spends on the ground. However, during the first 2 days following infestation, feeding is intermittent, and the larvae frequently detach to move about on the host.