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Castor Bean Tick
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Habitat
The optimal and presumably ancestral habitat of Castor bean ticks is forest, although the species is locally abundant in meadows, poorly maintained pastures, and ecotones.
Ticks commonly occur in pastures dominated by rough grasses, interspersed with masses of bracken fern and heather. Tussocky grass, rank old growth, rushes, and bracken combine to produce a dense mat of decaying vegetation near the base versus thick young grass stems at the top.
Ticks may be abundant in grazing and bedding areas, as well as in hedgerows between pastures or along paths and roads.
These habitats, i.e., grassy meadows, moorlands, and heaths, are excellent for survival of ticks.
Further information
- Sonenshine DE: Biology of Ticks. Part 1, 1991, Oxford University Press, New York
