A technique for collecting saliva from the cattle-tick Boophilus microplus (canestrini, 1887) using chemical stimulation: environmental and temporal influences on secretion yield

RESUMO

1. Injection of a pilocarpine solution into the hemocoele of female B. microplus through the respiratory spiracle induced the flow of limpid saliva, collected from the mouth parts with a capillary tube. 2. The time interval between the detachment of the tick from its host and chemical stimulation influenced the volume of saliva secreted; secretion was greater during the first 2 h after detachment. 3. There is a positive correlation between salivary yield and both environmental temperature and relative humidity