Center for Vector-Borne Disease, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, USA.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2009 Aug;9(4):401-6. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2008.0164.
Over a 5-year period, September 1997 through May 2002, as many as 25 U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service "4-Poster" acaricide applicators were distributed in areas of high deer activity throughout a 518-hectare area in a rural Rhode Island community. Corn consumption and acaricide levels for each device were monitored weekly during each treatment season to assess the degree of deer use. The efficacy of acaricide treatment was determined by comparing relative blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) densities in the 4-Poster treatment site to a separate, similar-sized nontreatment area. The tendency of white-tailed deer to use the 4-Poster was variable temporally, and appeared to be largely dependent on the availability of alternative food sources. Total corn consumption was nearly fourfold lower during large oak masting years when compared with no/low mast years. Moreover, habitat characteristics, such as the presence of maintained hay lands consisting of alfalfa and clover, also appeared to influence the frequency and amount of 4-Poster use. After 2 years of adequate treatment (nearly 12,000 kg of corn consumed), we achieved nearly 50% control of nymphal blacklegged ticks within the treatment site compared with tick abundance levels in the nontreated area. Moreover, that level of tick control was maintained for 1 year after removal of the 4-Poster devices but began to wane 2 years after treatment ended.
在 5 年期间（1997 年 9 月至 2002 年 5 月），多达 25 名美国农业部农业研究局的“4-Poster”杀螨剂施药者在罗德岛农村社区的 518 公顷高鹿活动区分布。在每个处理季节，每周监测每个装置的玉米消耗和杀螨剂水平，以评估鹿的使用程度。通过比较 4-Poster 处理现场和单独的类似大小的非处理区的黑腿蜱（Ixodes scapularis）相对密度来确定杀螨剂处理的效果。白尾鹿使用 4-Poster 的趋势随时间变化而变化，似乎主要取决于替代食物来源的可用性。与无/低桅杆年份相比，大栎树结实年份的玉米总消耗量几乎低了四倍。此外，栖息地特征，如存在由紫花苜蓿和三叶草组成的维护干草地，似乎也影响了 4-Poster 的使用频率和数量。经过 2 年的充分治疗（消耗近 12000 公斤玉米），与未处理区的蜱虫丰度相比，我们在处理区内实现了近 50%的若虫黑腿蜱控制。此外，在移除 4-Poster 装置后，这种蜱虫控制水平维持了 1 年，但在治疗结束后 2 年开始减弱。
