Phytoparasitica (2001) 29, p. 69 (Samish et al.)

M. Samish, Galina Gindin, E. Alekseev and I. Glazer (2001)
Control of ticks with entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi
Phytoparasitica 29 (1), 69-69
18th Conference of the Entomological Society of Israel, May 18, 2000, Bet Dagan, Israel, lecture
Abstract: Biocontrol of plant pests is already very well established. Many examples of commercial fruit and vegetable protection by biocontrol agents without the involvement of chemical pesticides, can be mentioned. The development of tick biocontrol is, however, far behind that of plant pests. As yet there exist no commercial anti-tick biocontrol agents. The increasing resistance of ticks to acaricides, the reduction in permitted residues, the awareness for the need of a 'clean' environment and the demand of the market for organic foods necessitate the introduction of alternatives to chemical pesticides. Ticks spend approximately 20% of their life on their host, but most of the time they are hidden in humid niches on, or in, the upper layer of the ground. Such humid places may be well suited for the activity of entomopathogenic nematodes as well as of fungi. We found that the cattle tick, Boophilus annulatus, is highly susceptible to various entomopathogenic nematode strains under laboratory conditions, as well as in buckets filled with soil. The susceptibility of the ticks was similar to that of insects, which are commercially controlled by such nematodes. Dipping B. annulatus ticks in a suspension of 1 x 10⁷ conidia/ml of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae resulted in over 90% mortality. The success in killing ticks by these two types of agents under laboratory conditions does not guarantee success under field conditions. However, if we extrapolate from the success obtained in this research of biocontrol of plant pests, it appears highly desirable to invest increasingly greater effort in microbial control of ticks.
Database assignments for author(s): Michael Samish, Galina Gindin

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
evaluation - screening - selection

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Rhipicephalus annulatus
Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)	Rhipicephalus annulatus