Experimental infestation of llamas (Lama glama) with Boophilus microplus (Acari : Ixodidae)

Two llamas (Lama glama) were infested with approximately 20,000 Boophilus m icroplus larvae each and maintained under controlled conditions to collect the detached adult ticks. A total of 72 engorged and semi-engorged females were recovered with a mean weight of 163.0 +/- 70.6 mg. Sixty-three (87.5%) of these ticks oviposited and 60 (95.2%) of the egg masses produced larvae . Six of the heaviest females laid 18,838 eggs from which 16,545 (87.8%) ha tched. These results show that llamas are able to maintain a population of B. microplus under experimental conditions. Further studies are required to determine the role of llamas as alternative hosts for B. microplus under f ield conditions.