Times-promoter. (Hernando, DeSoto County, Miss.) 1898-1970, 1909-06-17
LIFE HISTORY OF THE CATTLE TICK
Facts on Which the Campaign for Eradi.
eating the Pest Is Based.

HISTORY of the cattle tick is necessary
to those who have the pest to contend
with in order that they may wage
their battle more intelligently and at
the same time secure better and great
ersresults. A knowledge of the man
ner in which the tick propagates can
not fail to be of value in the war of
determination now being carried on
against it in the south.
Only part of the 3developHent Of
the tick takes place on the host ami
NAL, while the remainder occurs in
the pasture. The female tick, which
is attached to the skin Of the host. in
creases enormously in size as the re-
suit of drawing liberal quantities of
blood, and when fully EN- srged drops
to the ground, where she at once be-
gins to search for suitable hiding
place that will serve az q protection
from the sun and enemies. The female
tick may be devoured by birds, des-
troyed by ants, or may perish as the
result of unfayorable conditions, such
as, for example, low temperature, lack
of moisture, etc.. so that many may
be destroyed without having laid any
eggs.
Egg-laying begins during the spring,
summer, and fall months in . to 20
days and during the winter months in
10 to 98 days. The eggs are small,
elliptical-shaped bodies, Of q light am
Der color that later changes to dark
brown, one-fiftieth Of in inch in length.
coated with sticky secretion that
causes them to adhere in clusters and
keeps them from drying out. During
egg-laying the tick gradually shrinksI
one-third or one-forsth her former
size. The egg-laying pe7iod contin-
ues for from days III the summer to
15l beginning in the IAN, and during
this period from several hundred to-
5000 eggs may be deposited. The
mother tick then dies within few
days.
In from 10 days (irs summer to 1888
days Tin fall or winter after the eggs
have been deposited they begin to
hatch. From each one issues small,
oval, six-legged seed tick, at first
amber colored, later changing to a
rich brown. After crawling slowly
about the shell it usually remains qui-
escent for several days; then it dis
plays great activity, especially if the
weather is warm, and ascends the
nearest bit of vegetation, such as
grass herbs, or shrubs.
Since each female lays her eggs at
one spot, thousands OF newly Matched
ticks or larvae will appear at the same
place and later will ascend nearby
grass stems and collect on the blades.
This accounts for the brown masses
of larvae observed clinging to vegeta-
tion in pastures or on the fence posts.
This upward instinct OF the ticks in
creases their chances of reaching
host, for when the vegetation Is dis
turbed they become very active, ex-
tending their long legs violently up
ward in an attempt to seize hold of a
host.
During its life iii the pasture the
seed tick takes no food and hence
does not increase in size, and unless
it reaches host it dies Of starvation.
This fact is significant and is taken
advantage of in the work of extermi-
mating the ticks. Their endurance,
however, is very great, and under
certain conditions they have been
found to live without nourishment
nearly eight months during the colder
part of the year.
The length Of the period from the
time females drop until all the seed
ticks Matching from the eggs laid by
them are dead, or in other words, the
time required for pastures to become
free Of ticks after all cattle, horses,
and mules have been excluded, varies
with the season of the year, being
shortest during the warm part Of the
year and longest during the cold part
of the year. For example, all the seed
ticks resulting from females dropped
June Is will be dead by November 1,
a period Of four and one-half months; !,
but some Of those resulting from fe-
males dropped Septembey 1 may sur
vive until the following July, aperiod
Of ten months.
Another phase of development be-