Estimation of absolute numbers of adult lone star ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) by dry ice sampling

A mark/recapture technique using CO2-baited traps (dry ice) was used to estimate populations of adult lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.), in natural oak/hickory wooded habitat. From 1982 to 1984 estimated populations of adult A. americanum ranged from 1,335 to 4,110 per ha in two different areas of southeastern Oklahoma. Based on calculated and estimated trap efficiencies, a catch of one adult A. americanum per hour of sampling represents a mean (±SEM) density of 397 ± 71 ticks per ha. The density estimates calculated in these studies are valuable necessities for modeling efforts and the evaluation of tick population management.