LIBRARY 
 STATE PLANT BOARD 
 
 S-292 Issuod S«ptembar 1931 
 
 First revision 1959 
 Second revision 1946 
 
 United 3t&tes Department of Agriculture 
 t Agricultural Research Administration 
 
 Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine 
 
 THE BROWN DOG TICK, WITE SUGGESTIONS FOR ITS CONTROL 
 
 By F. C. Bishopp, assistant chief of Bureau, and Carroll N. Smith 
 and Harry K. Gouok, Division of Insects Affecting Man and Animals 
 
 The broim dog tick (Rhipioephalus sanguineus (Latr.)) is an important 
 pest of dogs. Hhile it is not known to carry any disease in this country 
 except canine piroplasmosis, it breeds so rapidly -that it causes a heavy 
 drain on the vitality of the animals and is a source of great irritation 
 to them. This tick is also an important household pest. Frequently it 
 is scattered by dogs throughput dwellings, where it s<anetimes appears in 
 great numbers around baseboards, window emd door casings, curtains, and 
 furniture. It seldom attaches to any other animal than the dog. The 
 disease of dogs mentioned above apparently is not widespread in the 
 United States. 
 
 This tick is normally an inhabitant of the warmer regions. It is 
 most troublesome in the Southern States, especially Florida and Texas, 
 but is also well established in most of the northern cities. Its spread 
 is brought about mainly by the transportation of dogs from regions irtiere 
 ticks abound or from local services, such as infested kennels and hospitals, 
 
 This tick is essentially a doeiestic species. It does not occur in 
 the woods or open country, as do many ticks, but is usually found con- 
 centrated irtiere dogs are kept. 
 
 Life History 
 
 The adult females, after becoming fully engorged, are abov*- one- 
 third inch in length and bluish gray. They then release their hold on 
 the dog and seek a hiding place nearby. Ihey have a tendency to crawl 
 upward and hence are often found hidden in cracks in the roofs of kennels 
 or in the ceilings of porches. In houses a favorite hiding place is under 
 the edge of a rug. In their hiding places they deposit from 1,000 to 
 5,000 eggs, idiich hatch after 19 to 60 days into minute, active, 6- legged 
 seed ticks, "nhen opportunity offers, these ticks attach to a dog and fill 
 with blood in 5 to 6 days. The engorged seed ticks are bluish and about 
 the sise of a No. 8 shot. They drop from the dog and hide in cracks, and 
 in 6 to 25 days molt their skins and become 8-legged, reddish-brown nymphs. 
 
 JUL 1^ 
 
 1946 
 
- 2 * 
 
 Aftar fuoh Attaohment, thoy b«o(ma •ngorgvd In 4 to 9 days* At this time 
 th«y ar« o^ral, about the siEe of a Vo. 5 shot, and dark gray* Again they 
 leare the host* hide away« and nolt their skint in 12 to 29 days* They 
 are now adult aales end feanales (figs* 1 end 2)* reddish bronn* and very 
 aotire iriien disturbed* In this sttige they attaoh to Tarious parts of -the 
 dog I Ihe females beoone engorged in 6 to 50 days end then drop off as 
 explained previously* 
 
 In eaoh of the unengorged stages this tiok is oapable of living for 
 leaig periods without food* For instanoe« some adults have lived in eon* 
 finement for over 200 days* 
 
 Control Treatments 
 
 In e<»abating this tiok it is neoessary to give attention not only to 
 the treatment of the infested animals^ but also to their sleeping plaoes« 
 trtiloh are usually heavily infested with all stages of the tioks* 
 
 Use of Derris *— Clipping long-haired dogs aids in keeping thma free 
 from tioks « but this is not neoessary* there are a number of inseotioides 
 that may be used as washes or dips* Of these, derris wash is the most 
 satisfaotory* It is made by mixing 2 ounoes of fine derris powder, 1 
 ouaoe of neutral soap, and 1 gallon of tepid water* The derris powder 
 should oontain at least S peroent of rotenone (the main inseotieidal 
 oonstituent of the powder)* This may be applied by putting the dog in a 
 tub containing it, or it may be applied thoroughly with a brush, sponge, 
 or dipper* The dip should be allowed to dry oni if neoessary, the surplus 
 liquid may be removed with a towel* The dip oan be kept for at least a 
 week* To prevent any tiok from engorging and esoaping from -Oie dog, the 
 wash should be applied at S-day intervals* If the use of -ttie wash is 
 objeotionable, the derris powder may be applied lightly next to the skin 
 in all infested parts of the animal* 
 
 Do not permit the powder or dip to get into the dog's eyes* 
 
 Use of DDT *— DDT in some forms is satisfaotory for the oontrol of 
 tioks on dogs* A dust oontaining 10 peroent of DDT in pyrophyllite and 
 a wash oontaining 1 peroent of DDT as a wettable powder may be used, but 
 DDT in kerosene and other oil solutions should not be applied to dogs, and 
 the animals should not be permitted to liok themselves exoessively im&edi- 
 ately after any treatment with DDT* The dust or wash should be applied in 
 the manner described for derris* Fully engorged females are sometimes 
 diffioult to kill with DDT, but treatment at 9-day intervals will keep 
 dogs relatively free of tioks and prevent fmMlss from beooming fully 
 engorged* 
 
 House infestations oan be eradioated by the oarefui and t^orou^ 
 applioation of DDT to -Uxe premises in addition to the treatment applied 
 to ^e dog* The form of DDT most oonvenient for use in houses is a 
 
6-p«ro«&t tolutiein 1b highly r«f Intd k«rottn«« Solutiosia of thii typ« 
 ar« now widtly aftrk«t*d for aa« ai r«tidual fly tprays. Th« k«roi«n« 
 ut«d !• harmltst to fiaithot on woodwork, fumltyro, or walls , but linot 
 •otto wallpapors aro pr^tod with oil-tolublo iokt, it it woll to try a 
 f«rw dropi on oaoh turfaoo to bo tpraytd to ttit for pofiiblo injury* 
 Whon tho drops of oil OTaporato* thoy oiay loaro a faint whito fila, whioh 
 is th« rosiduo of DDT and possesses insootioidal aotion* Iho oxooss filM 
 should wips off sasily^ loaring no Tisiblo doposit or pomantnt stain. 
 
 Tho spray aay bo appliod with any typo of hand or neohanioal spraysr* 
 It should bo appliod to walls, woodwork, floors, floor eoToringo, tho 
 imdor sido of fumituro, ourtaino, draporios, bohind pioturos, and in 
 say othor plaooi whoro tioks aro likoly to bo hidixic in rooms to whioh 
 tho dos is admittod* Bodrooas aro of ton hoavily infos tod, and in suoh 
 oasos tho bod should bo thoroughly sprayod* Iho applioation should bo 
 ouffioisntly hoaiy to loavo notiooablo Moisturo on tho troatod surfaoo* 
 
 This troatAoat will kill tioks lliat aro aotiro at tho ti»o it is 
 appliod* Tioks that aro hiding in wsll»protootod plaoos will not bo 
 killod at onoo* EowoTor, whon ^oy oaorgo from hiding to sook a blood 
 moal thoy will bo killod by tho rosidual DDT if thoy aro forood to walk 
 OTor a sprayod sxirfaoo* Zt nay bo soToral wooks boforo all suoh tioks 
 havo omorgod and diod« For this roason prompt oradioatloa is raroly 
 obsorTod* Tho usual oxporionoo is to ebsorvo somo roduotion in aotiTO 
 tioks during tho first wook aftor troataont, a groat roduotion during 
 tho aooond and third wooks, and fow or no tioks aftor about a month* If 
 tho first troataont is thorough a sooend should not bo noodod, but if 
 tioks aro found in nuabors aftor tho third wook a sooond troatmont 
 should bo appliod* 
 
 ▲ dust oott^-aining 10 poroont of DDT in pyrophyllito may bo usod 
 instoad of tho spray whonoror moro oonToniont* Iho dust may bo blown into 
 oraoks and ororioos moro oasily than tho spray, but in oxposod plaoos it 
 is unsightly, and unloss it is loft in plaoo tho rosidual valuo is lost* 
 It may bo appliod wi^ a hollows or small hand dustor* 
 
 DO HOT lot tho spray or dust got into foods or food oontainors* 
 
 DO VOT lot tho spray or dust got into fish bowls or aquaria* 
 
 DO HOT loaro DDT oontainors whoro thoy may ondangor ohildron or pots* 
 
 DO HOT ttso korosoBO spray around opon flamos* 
 
 DO HOT inhalo oxoossiro omovnts oC DDT* 
 
 DO HOT wipo tho film of rosidual DDT off surfaoos whoro it is not 
 ebjootionablo* 
 
 Ihfostod dogs should bo kopt in omo plaoo, ospooially during thoir 
 slooplng hours* This moro or loss oomfinos tho tioks to that plavo and 
 makos tho troateont oaaior* If tho infostod animals sloop in konnols. 
 
■h«di« or on poroheo^ thooo should b« thoroughly iprayod with 5 poreont 
 of DDT 1a korofltn«9 imtor fBtuliiott^ or ««tor tuapMiaiont or durtod with 
 10 poroont of DDT In pyrophyllito. Infoatod ytirdt and rummya ahould 
 bo duatod with 10 poroont of DDT in pyrophylllto or aprayod with 6.5 
 paroont of DDT in a imtor auapanaion or anulaion* Thoaa mtariala ara 
 not injurioua to planta« All Tagotfttioa« tho grovnd, and aidaa of 
 adjaoant huildinga ahould ba wat with tha apray* Tha tmtar auapanaion 
 and« to aoma axtant, tha anulaion laava a whitiah dopoait whioh might 
 ba objaotionabla on aoiaa aurfaoaa* It will ba notad that tha apray 
 raooaanandad for outdoor uaa la only ana»tanth aa atrong aa tha apray 
 raooBBBondad for inaida uaa* Thia vaakar aolution la naoaaaary baaauaa 
 a largar toIubo la raquirad to giro auffioiant ooToraga of DDT* 
 
 Othar TroatBanta *»«iCraoaota oil^ without dilution* haa baan 
 appliad with good raaulta to kannalay ahada, and fanoaa In tha South 
 whara tha tiok ovarwintara out of doora* Thia natarial la tha aaaa 
 aa that uaad for proTanting daoay of poata and timbara* It ataina 
 and la rary oauatiot tharafora« it ahould not ba uaad on porohaa or 
 in houaaa* and ahould not ba allewad to ooaia in oontaot with anlsala 
 or planta* It panatratad wood and oraoka and ean ba raliad upon to 
 daatroy with a alngla traataant praotioally all tioka In a building* 
 but it haa no raaidual aotion* It should not ba uaad en matal* 
 
 Tha uaa of a gaaolina toroh in oonorata or othar flraproof build- 
 Inga la satisfaotory for tha daatruotion of tioks* 
 
 In dog and oat hoapitala tha oagaa and buildinga should ba so 
 oonstruotad aa to raduoa hiding plaoaa for tioka to a AlnlmuBi* teooth 
 oonorata floora and walla ara daairabla* and oagaa aada af iron glTa 
 Kuoh laaa opportunity for tha tioka to hida than do woodan onaa* 
 
 FiMigation of Infaatad houaaa la aaldon ad-riaabla* baaauaa tha 
 tiaka ara uaually prasant In antryvraya* aromd porohaa* and in out* 
 buildinga whara thay oannot ba raaohad with a futigant* FurthanMra* 
 tha tiok la Tary raalatant to funiganta* 
 
Figure 1. — The male brown dog tick as seen from above, 
 tines natural size. 
 
 Klgure 2.— The female brown dog tick aa seen from above. About 20 
 times natural size. After attachment to a dog for a few days the 
 body of the female becomes greatly distended with blood. 
 
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 
 
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