[Wild ungulates as a food source for ixodid ticks in Belorussia].

The stock rise of elk, roe and boar up to 24.2, 20.8, and 29.3 thousand heads, respectively, increased their role as hosts of imaginal developmental stages of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor pictus. Elk plays an especially important role as the host of I. ricinus (the index of ticks abundance--7.31, the index of saturation--176.9). The indices of saturation of I. ricinus imagos on roe and boar are 96.5 and 73.1, respectively. D. pictus imagos parasitise, in general, board (the index of ticks abundance--3.06, the index of saturation--81.7). The role of ruminants as hosts of I. ricinus larvae and nimphs is relatively small. Larvae and nimphs of D. pictus do not occur on ruminants.