The Role of Parasitoid Wasps, Spp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), in Tick Control

Overview

Journal Pathogens

Date 2023 May 27

PMID 37242346

Authors

Rafael Antonio Nascimento Ramos

Lucia Oliveira de Macedo

Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos

Gilcia Aparecida de Carvalho

Guilherme Gomes Verocai

Domenico Otranto

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Species of (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) are parasitoid wasps whose immature forms develop inside ixodid and argasid ticks (Acari: Ixodida). Following oviposition by adult female wasps into the idiosoma of ticks, larvae hatch and start feeding on their internal contents, eventually emerging as adult wasps from the body of the dead ticks. Species of have been reported as parasitoids of 21 species of ticks distributed across 7 genera. There are at least ten species described in the genus, with being the most studied as an agent for biological control of ticks. Although attempts of tick control by means of this parasitoid largely failed, in a small-scale study 150,000 specimens of were released over a 1-year period in a pasture where a small cattle population was kept, resulting in an overall reduction in the number of ticks per animal. This review discusses current scientific information about spp., focusing on the role of this parasitoid in the control of ticks. The interactions between these wasps and the ticks' population are also discussed, focusing on the many biological and logistical challenges, with limitations of this control method for reducing tick populations under natural conditions.

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