Laboratory and field evaluation of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Deuteromycetes) for controlling questing adult Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae)

Unfed adult Ixodes scapularis Say were treated with spores of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae Metschnikoff in the laboratory and in the field. An M. anisopliae suspension containing 4 × 109 spores per milliliter caused 96% mortality in the laboratory, versus 53% mortality among field-treated ticks. The LC60 value for unfed adult I. scapularis in the laboratory was 4 × 107 spores per milliliter. Our results indicate that M. anisopliae was highly pathogenic to unfed adult ticks and showed potential for controlling questing adult I. scapularis.