Colonies of social insects display an amazing degree of flexibility in dealing with long-term and short-term perturbations in their environment. The key organizational element of insect societies is division of labor. Recent literature suggests that interindividual variability in response thresholds plays an important role in the emergence of division of labor among workers (reviewed in [1, 2])...

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine tick infestation, and udder and teat damage in 286 lactating cows and heifers at six properties in the smallholder and commercial sectors in Gwanda district of Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe. Eight tick species were identified: Amblyomma hebraeum, Hyalomma truncatum, Hyalomma marginatum rufipes, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicepha...

The purpose of this study was to determine the species spectrum of ticks infesting goats owned by resource-limited farmers in the state-owned communal land areas of Zimbabwe. Ticks were collected from goats at a single locality within each of 5 communal land areas, and a total of 14 ixodid tick species was recovered. The most numerous tick was Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, which was present in...

BACKGROUND Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (Clavicipitaceae: Hypocreales) is a fungal pathogen specific to ants of the tribe Camponotini (Formicinae: Formicidae) with a pantropical distribution. This so-called zombie or brain-manipulating fungus alters the behaviour of the ant host, causing it to die in an exposed position, typically clinging onto and biting into the adaxial surface of shrub leaves...

This study was conducted from September 2011 to May 2012 in Borana pastoral area with the objectives of determining the distribution and relative abundance of Ixodid ticks on cattle in relation to short rain and major dry seasons, cattle age and sex. A total of 8,912 adult ticks belonging to genera of Rhipicephalus, Amblyomma, Boophilus and Hyalomma were collected from 768 indigenous cattle. Rh...

Seventy-six helmeted guineafowls (Numida meleagris) were shot in the Andries Vosloo Kudu Reserve and on an adjacent farm in the eastern Cape Province during the period May 1985 to January 1987 and their tick burdens determined. A total of 10 ixodid tick species were recovered, of which Amblyomma hebraeum, Amblyomma marmoreum and Haemaphysalis silacea were the most abundant. The seasonal abundan...