Abstract

Ticks are blood feeding ectoparasites that induce huge production losses in livestock industry and creating serious public health problems in the world. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of commonly used acaricides againstAmblyomma variegatum ticks in North Gondar. The assessment was conducted in laboratory and in the field. For laboratory experiment, adult ticks were collected and exposed to Amitraz or Diazinon. For live animal experiment, sheep infested naturally with A. variegatum ticks were kept in door and grouped into three. The first group was treated with Diazinon, the second group with Amitraz, and the last was left untreated as control. In the laboratory, significant difference (P > 0.05) was not observed between two acaricides on the killing effect at different concentrations. On live animals, there was a significant (P < 0.05) difference between two drugs. More ticks were died in Amitraz treated group than sheep treated with Diazinon. In conclusion, the two acaricides were performing almost equally in the laboratory but Amitraz was better on live animals. To confirm the presence of resistance on live animals, further studies using standard products are needed.

Key words: Acaricides, Amblyomma ticks, efficacy, North Gondar, susceptibility