EFFICACY OF TAGS IMPREGNATED WITH PHEROMONE AND ACARICIDE FOR CONTROLOF AMBLYOMMA-VARIEGATUM

The efficacy of tags impregnated with pheromone and acaricide for cont rol of Amblyomma variegatum on cattle in Guadeloupe was determined for a 13-week trial. Comparisons were made between untreated cattle and c attle with tags containing either pheromones alone (o-nitrophenol, met hyl salicylate, 2,6-dichlorophenol and phenylacetaldehyde), pheromones plus acaricide (cyfluthrin or deltamethrin), or acaricide alone. Tags were fastened to cattle both on collars on the neck and with adhesive to tail hairs, with over 98 and 90% of tags retained, respectively, d uring the trial. By the end of the trial, tick infestations increased on untreated cattle (311.7%) and cattle with pheromone tags (154.8%) b ut decreased on cattle with pheromone/ cyfluthrin (-45.0%), cyfluthrin (-42.8%), pheromone/deltamethrin (-68.7%) and deltamethrin tags (-87. 6%). Cattle with pheromone tags had greater proportions of ticks on th e hind regions (81%) compared to untreated cattle (62.5%) and on the f ront regions (18.2%) compared to untreated cattle (8.2%) indicating th at ticks aggregated in response to pheromones. Analysis of hair sample s by gas chromatography indicated that, within 2 days of placement, cy fluthrin spread rapidly over the body from the tags. Both cyfluthrin a nd deltamethrin were present in detectable levels on all eight body re gions examined throughout the trial. Analysis of the tags indicated th at they all still contained pheromone components after 13 weeks under field conditions.