Soil reaction and tick abundance Ixodes ricinus

Abstract

Tick Ixodes ricinus is a carrier of several diseases. At present, its activity in Slovakia was discovered in the winter months. It also extends to higher altitudes. Therefore it is necessary to know the ecology and optimal conditions suitable for its existence. Although considerable attention is devoted to the health research of tick, little is known about its claim on the soil environment, because as a representative of a temporary edaphone initial ontogenetic stages (eggs and larvae) survives in the soil. For this reason, the research focused on the soil pH as an important environmental factor that can influence the development and abundance of tick. The research was carried out on the plots with tick high abundance in the Veľká Fatra Mts at an altitude of - 760 meters asl. We found that mull humus form with a thin film of last year’s litter fall (the Oon necrotic subhorizon) with a pH narrow range of 5.9–6.0 (rounded) was convenient for developmental stages of this tick. Below this horizon the soil type of cambisol with pH values in the upper range of 5.45–5.79 was produced. The soil reaction was therefore a slight acid. In this environment, a relatively high density of tick was in May, with the secondary mild autumn peak.