Tick population in goats and sheep in Šabac

TICK POPULATION IN GOATS AND SHEEP IN ŠABAC ABSTRACT During our examination performed in the period from 2010 to 2012, we collected ticks from 52 flocks of sheep and 38 goat flocks. Ticks infestation occured in 15.97% (214/1340) of sheep and 16.93% (107/632) of goats. The result showed the presence of Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, R. bursa, Dermacentor marginatus, D. pictus, Haemaphysalis punctate and Ha. inermis. Additional to determination of tick species during the research, the sex ratio and the monthly influence of microclimate conditions (temperature, relative humidity and precipitation quantity) on the dynamics of populations of ticks were followed. Obtained results indicate the importance of the impact of climatic factors on the population dynamics of some species of ticks as well as the dynamics and abundance of different sexes within established species of ticks. Key words: ecological factors, goat, sheep, tick