Efficacy of tags impregnated with pheromone and acaricide for control of Amblyomma variegatum

The efficacy of tags impregnated with pheromone and acaricide for control of Amblyomma variegatum on cattle in Guadeloupe was determined for a 13-week trial. Comparisons were made between untreated cattle and cattle with tags containing either pheromones alone (o-nitrophenol, methyl 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, during the trial. By the end of the trial, tick infestations increased on untreated cattle (311.7%) and cattle with pheromone tags (154.8%) but 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 the hind regions (81%) compared to untreated cattle (62.5%) and on the front regions (18.2%) compared to untreated cattle (8.2%) indicating that ticks aggregated in response to pheromones. Analysis of hair samples by gas chromatography indicated that, within 2 days of placement, cyfluthrin spread rapidly over the body from the tags. Both cyfluthrin and deltamethrin were present in detectable levels on all eight body regions examined throughout the trial. Analysis of the tags indicated that they all still contained pheromone components after 13 weeks under field conditions.