On the Loss of Ectoparasites of Small Mammals Captured in Snap Traps

This paper presents comparative assessment of the timing of host abandonment by different taxa of ectoparasites of small mammals after the host has been captured in a regular snap trap. The data were obtained using a specially designed trap line with automatic logging of the capture time. Our results generally support the basic rule that ectoparasites eventually abandon the dead host. The most tangible and rapid reduction in infection rates following host death was observed in Ixodes persulcatus. Fleas and parasitic gamasid mites abandoned the host in 2–4 h, and lice, in 9–13 h after snap-trapping. Ixodes trianguliceps displayed no sharp decline in abundance for a prolonged period of time.