Title: Seasonal Variations in Ixodid Tick Populations on a Commercial Game Farm in the Limpopo Province, South Africa
Abstract: Despite the large number of surveys of ticks that have been carried out, there are almost no recent records of ixodid ticks from the Waterberg area, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Free-living ticks on a commercial game farm in the Thabazimbi District, Limpopo Province, South Africa, were captured via 432 drags in eight sample sites from September 2003 to August 2008. The seasonal variations in occurrence of the ticks and details of their populations on a game farm, are described. Eight tick species have been collected, viz. Amblyomma hebraeum, Haemaphysalis elliptica, Hyalomma rufipes, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evert si, Rhipicephalus zambeziensis and Rhipicephalus sp. The most abundant was the blue tick Rh. (B.) decoloratus. The data on the seasonal variations in tick numbers on the game farm can be used to determine the optimal time for applying tick control.