The brown dog tick

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(Rhipicephalus sanguineus)

Dog Tick Photo ©University of California Department of Entomology

The Brown dog tick Is associated with domestic dogs, their kennels, runs, and houses. When ticks are not on a dog, they hide in cracks and crevices, often in great numbers. In the United States, brown dog ticks rarely bite people. However, houses with brown dog tick infestations may become overrun with them. It is most numerous in the southern and southwestern states and in California. The brown dog tick is a hard tick that spends all its life cycle in and near the living quarters of its host. Engorged females drop off and crawl into cracks and crevices to lay eggs. Larvae and nymphs also hide in such places and come out only when ready to feed. Dog kennels, runs,and houses may shelter hundreds of hiding ticks.

Adult males are reddish-brown, 1/12 to 1/8 inch long. Adult unengorged females resemble males. Engorged adult females may be 1/4 to 3/8 inch long. Females have gray-blue to olive bodies. The nymphs resemble adult females, but are smaller. The larvae resemble small nymphs, but have six legs. The eggs, laid in groups of thousands, show a whitish spot just before hatching, but are smooth, shiny dark brown, otherwise. After laying eggs, the shriveled female dies.

Under ideal conditions the life cycle may be completed in about two months, however, under normal conditions, with a host present, there are usually 3 to 4 generations per year. Because larval and nymphal stages can live two months without feeding, and adults can live at least eight months with no host, infestations can persist long after dogs leave the premises.

The brown dog tick seldom attacks animals other than dogs. The brown dog tick is not known to transmit diseases to humans but may transmit disease among dogs.

Control:
Successful brown dog tick control requires a three step program consisting of:
(1) sanitation,(2) treatment of premises, and (3) treatment of the dog.
The infested home or kennel should be thoroughly cleaned to eliminate as many of the ticks as possible. Pet bedding and resting areas should be given special attention. The infested dog should be treated by a veterinarian on the same day that the premises are being treated. The premises occupied by the dog can then be treated with residual sprays or dusts. Remember, these ticks like to reside in the upper portions of structures and in cracks and crevices. Several pesticides are labeled for tick control.

Registered pesticides for tick control vary from state to state.

Have a question about controlling Ticks? Post it on IPCO Message Board.

Links:

Brown Dog Tick

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Suggestions for this page.
04/24/02
What are a ticks natural enemies if any?

Ticks have many natural predators in the environment. Several wasp species will parasitize ticks, one species in particular (Ixodiphagus hookeri) has been studied quite extensively. The female wasp lays her eggs inside an engorged nymph. After the wasp eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the tick's internal tissues and then emerge, killing the tick in the process. Many species of spiders will also eat ticks if they can find them. Also, there are a variety of fungi and nematodes that also feed on and kill ticks while they are molting in the soil. Birds will certainly eat ticks that they encounter during foraging.

Suggestion for this page.
06/12/02
Would like info on pesticides and application for yards and home.

Registered pesticides for tick control vary from state to state.
The control techniques on this page are necessary for control.
Read the pesticide label and follow it carefully.

Our search engine "enter 'pesticides' " will generates a miscellaneous page.
That page contains links to pesticide information and label's