Punyua D K, Hassan S M
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya.
Exp Appl Acarol. 1992 Apr;14(1):61-5. doi: 10.1007/BF01205352.
Contrary to patterns described elsewhere, tick numbers on Rusinga Island cattle drop markedly after the onset of the rainy season. One possible explanation is that this is related to seasonal differences in host behaviour, since cattle grazing on the island are restricted during the crop-growing season (the rainy season) and free grazing afterwards. In a field experiment, cattle were divided into two groups, free grazing and restricted, for 2 months each during the rainy season and during the dry season, and the number of ticks infesting each group was compared. In both seasons, the free-grazing group carried more ticks than the restricted group. Not only did the restricted group come into less contact with ticks, they were also exposed to tick-predating chickens for longer periods each day than the free-grazing group. Management practices that affect host behaviour should, therefore, be taken into consideration in tick population studies.
与其他地方描述的模式相反，鲁辛加岛牛身上的蜱虫数量在雨季开始后显著下降。一种可能的解释是，这与宿主行为的季节性差异有关，因为岛上的牛在作物生长季节（雨季）放牧受到限制，之后则自由放牧。在一项田间试验中，牛被分为两组，在雨季和旱季分别进行为期2个月的自由放牧和限制放牧，然后比较每组牛身上的蜱虫数量。在两个季节中，自由放牧组身上的蜱虫都比限制放牧组多。限制放牧组不仅与蜱虫的接触较少，而且每天接触捕食蜱虫的鸡的时间也比自由放牧组长。因此，在蜱虫种群研究中应考虑影响宿主行为的管理措施。
