CATTLE TICK

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10314, 25 January 1927, Page 3

CATTLE TICK

THE TOLAGA DISCOVERIES PROMPT MEASURES PREVENT FURTHER SPREAD In connection with the recent discovery of cattle tick at Tolaga Bay some interesting facts in connection with the pest were given to tne press by Dr. CL J. Reakes Direc-tor-General of Agriculture. The ticks are of the same variety (liaemaphysalis bispinosa) as’ those found further north, said Dr. Reakes, and though they have never been shown to cause any sickness among cattle, or act as conveyances’ of disease, it is recognised that' they are undesirable parasites, and are capable of doing some damage to hides when, present in quantity. Measures have been adopted to prevent their further spread, and a systematic effort is being made to stamp them out, and it is" hoped that tliis will prove successful. In this connection it is of interest to note that' there seems reason for thinking that the eradication methods adopted by the Department at Waitera, where these ticks made their appearance two ■years ago, will prove to be successml, as, though the period of year when the parasites are most noticeable is now well advanced, no trace has been seen there this season. It is also l well worthy of note that in the Waikato district these ticks .are not only making no headway, but are less frequently met with than was the case ten years ago. They evidently require special climatic conditions and plenty of good ground clover in order to flourish and in this connection it is interesting to note that it is only on coastal areas that they ai’e found present in any quail-, tity. Inland conditions seem not—to suit them.

There may still be a tendency on ilie part of some farmers to confuse tins tick with the tick prevalent in Queensland, which is responsible for carrying tho infection of tick fever from animal to animal. Hence it is well to repeat that it is a different tick altogether. Moreover, a series of careful experiments, wnicli, by the courtesy of the Queensland Government, have been carried out at its laboratory at Townsville, have strongly indicated that the New Zealand. tick is incapable of similarly acting a,s a carrier of infection. Correspondence is' passing with Queensland with a view to confirming this by further experimental work, though there is no record of this New Zealand variety of tick having ever acted as an infection carrier.