SUPPRESSION OF SUBADULT IXODES-SCAPULARIS (ACARI, IXODIDAE) FOLLOWINGREMOVAL OF LEAF-LITTER

Removal of leaf litter in wooded areas of a forested residential commu nity significantly reduced the abundance of questing blacklegged tick, lxodes scnpuInris Say, nymphs throughout their peak activity period. Removal of leaf litter; using hand rakes and leaf blowers during the e arly spring (March) acid early summer (June) resulted in reductions in nymphal tick density ranging from 72.7 to 100%. Subsequent sampling o f the I. scapularis population during the summer revealed similar rate s of suppression of larvae. Although leaf removal provides levels of s uppression similar to more traditional methods, including chemical aca ricides, it is labor intensive and not free of possible nontarget effe cts. The potential role of leaf litter removal in an integrated progra m to control I. scapularis is discussed.