Composition of Tick Oral Secretions Obtained by Three Different Collection Methods1

Abstract

Infrared heat, pilocarpine injection and electrical stimulation as methods for inducing oral secretion in ticks were compared. Electrical shock and infrared heat caused higher percentages of ticks to secrete, and the greatest volumes of secretion were collected following infrared heat stimulation. Osmolarities of oral secretion collected by infrared heat and electrical shock were significantly different at the P+, K⁺, Cl⁻) varied significantly among secretions obtained by the different methods of stimulation.