Influence of season and habitat on Ixodes scapularis infestation on white-footed mice in northwestern Illinois.

The effects of season and habitat on the infestation of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) by immature Ixodes scapularis were studied at Castle Rock State Park, northwestern Illinois, during June-October 1991. Relative density of larvae on mice was higher in mid-late summer (13.7 ticks per mouse) than during the rest of the study period, whereas prevalence of nymphal infestation was highest in early summer (33.3%). Relative density of I. scapularis larvae and prevalence of nymphs on mice did not differ significantly among bottomland forest, field-forest ecotone, and upland forest habitats. In bottomland forest, total number of ticks collected from mice (472 larvae and 13 nymphs) and P. leucopus population density (6.6 mice per 0.36 ha) were higher than in the other habitats. Temporal patterns of numbers of larvae collected from mice and through dragging in bottomland forest were significantly correlated.