MARK AND RECAPTURE OF ADULT IXODES PACIFICUS (ACARI, IXODIDAE) TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF REPEATED REMOVAL SAMPLING ON TICK ABUNDANCE

The effect of biweekly flagging on adult Ixodes pacificus Cooley and K ohls abundance was determined by using mark-recapture techniques. Tick s were recaptured up to three times during the 12-wk study, and increa singly higher proportions of marked ticks were recaptured as the study progressed. By week 6 of the study, 46% of the collected ticks had be en marked, and on the final sampling date, all ticks had been captured previously. Removal sampling would have substantially reduced estimat es of the abundance of the questing I. pacificus adult population. For ecological studies that require the repeated sampling of a given habi tat, the most representative data are obtained by returning flagged ti cks to their collection site.