The role of soil moisture and burrowing on tick reproductive success

Ticks are vectors of significant public and veterinary health concern, causing substantial global economic losses and spreading debilitating pathogens. A major gap in tick control is the limited understanding of environmental factors that regulate their off-host survival and reproduction. This study investigates how soil moisture influences the burrowing behavior, oviposition success, and larval development of ticks, with the aim of uncovering novel, sustainable tick control strategies. We hypothesize that moderate soil moisture levels facilitate optimal burrowing depth, reproductive success, and larval viability, while extremes in dryness or saturation adversely affect these processes. Using controlled laboratory experiments, we expose gravid females of Amblyomma americanum, Rhipicephalus microplus, and Dermacentor albipictus to standardized soil moisture gradients ranging from 5% to 30%. We measure burrowing behavior, oviposition output, and larval survival in relation to these moisture levels. Preliminary data reveal that tick burrowing depth and reproductive behaviors are actively modulated by humidity sensing via the Haller’s organ. Ticks impaired in this sensory mechanism show reduced burrowing success regardless of relative humidity. These results highlight the crucial role of soil moisture in regulating tick life stages and underscore the vulnerability of ticks to environmental disruption. This work contributes foundational knowledge to tick ecology and proposes that manipulating habitat moisture or sensory interference may provide environmentally sound alternatives to chemical acaricides. Ultimately, this research supports the development of habitat-based tick control methods that target the tick’s ability to survive and reproduce during off-host periods.