Collection of free-living nymphs and adults of Amblyomma hebraeum (Acari :Ixodidae) with pheromone/carbon dioxide traps at 5 different ecological sites in heartwater endemic regions of South Africa

The capture of free-living adults and nymphs of Amblyomma hebraeum, the mai n vector of heartwater in domestic and wild ruminants in South Africa, by m eans of attraction-aggregation-attachment-pheromone/carbon dioxide traps at five endemic localities in South Africa is described. Although the traps w ere used successfully at each of the localities, no determination of their efficiency in relation to the actual abundance of ticks at a particular sit e was made. This study confirmed that the traps could be used in a variety of ecological areas to locate populations of free-living adult A. hebraeum.