Ticks in Deer
Tick larvae emerge from eggs and attach to deer and any other warm-blooded animals from mid-spring to late summer.
They feed for 7 days, and 5 days later enter a pre-moult phase for a month, emerging as a nymph which feeds for a further 7 days. Nymphs drop to the ground where they develop for 40 days to become adults. The adult seeks a host, feeds for a week and then drops to the ground and lays eggs, sometimes as many as 2000. The next generation of larvae will emerge 60-90 days later. Each tick will consume about 1ml of blood per day, hence it is easy to see the possible effect it can have on any deer, especially young fawns. Not only do ticks cause anaemia, they also damage hides and velvet.
Control
Fawns are most at risk so it is important to focus on their survival. The objective is to minimise the number of adult ticks on fawning paddocks at calving. This can be accomplished using Bayticol pour-on, with or without pasture spraying with Diazanon 80%.
Bayticol is best started in August and repeated every 4-6 weeks until January/February. Pasture-spraying is best done on the fawning paddocks prior to calving and is more effective if the pasture has been grazed fairly low and applications applied during a dry spell. For areas with a severe annual tick problem, calving paddocks should be sprayed in late August as well.
All bought-in stock should be treated at least 10 days prior to release.
Use sheep to mop up a paddock that has been lying fallow before allowing deer back in. Treat the sheep with an appropriate sheep dip before returning them to a new paddock. Heavily graze areas most likely to host ticks between June and October, to coincide with their habitat and life cycle phases.
