Tick Control Management Practices and Acaricide Resistance Monitoring in Cattle in Plateau State

This study evaluates tick control management practices and documents evidence of acaricide resistance in cattle tick populations in Plateau State, located in Nigeria's North Central geopolitical zone. Ticks are the most economically important ectoparasites of livestock in Nigeria, transmitting haemoparasites and causing significant hide damage and production losses. Effective tick management is undermined in many Nigerian states by over-reliance on a limited range of acaricide chemical classes, creating conditions favouring resistance development. Using a professional assessment and laboratory design, 50 cattle farmers across five local government areas in Plateau State were interviewed on acaricide product choice, application frequency, dosage practices, and rotation protocols. Tick samples collected from cattle on farms with reported control failure were subjected to the larval packet test (LPT) to detect organophosphate, pyrethroid, and amidine resistance. Findings revealed that 78 percent of farmers used pyrethroids as their sole acaricide class and did not practise chemical rotation. Resistance to deltamethrin was confirmed in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus tick populations from 60 percent of failure farms. Amidine resistance was detected in 30 percent and organophosphate resistance in 20 percent of tested populations. The study recommends a coordinated resistance management programme incorporating chemical class rotation, integrated tick management using biological control agents, and regular acaricide resistance monitoring by the state livestock services department. Keywords: tick control, acaricide resistance, Plateau State, livestock, integrated parasite management.