Assessing the Ability of Two Tick Species to Survive Underwater

To assess the ability of ticks to survive underwater, adult Amblyomma americanum (lone star ticks) and Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf Coast ticks) were submerged in three water types: freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater. For the first 30 days, ticks were examined every other day for survival, and those surviving past 30 days were returned to the water and checked for survival weekly. The results indicate there is a significant difference in survival between species for all three types of water with A. maculatum ticks having a higher mortality than A. americanum ticks. Within the A. americanum ticks, there is a significant difference in survival between types of water with the highest mortality in saltwater and the lowest mortality in freshwater