Conference Agenda

Ticks pose health risks to humans, companion animals and livestock through pathogen transmission, making knowledge of their seasonal activity vital for monitoring tick-borne disease. No studies have investigated the seasonal presence of questing tick species and life stages in Western Australia. This study presents preliminary findings from an ongoing phenological survey (October 2025 to October 2026) across four Swan Coastal Plain sites encompassing banksia woodland and pastoral land. Thirty-two fortnightly flagging sessions were conducted; flags were dragged and inspected at 10 m intervals with specimens morphologically identified to species and instar. All 1,859 ticks collected were Amblyomma triguttatum: larvae 88.2% (n = 1,639), nymphs 11.4% (n = 211) and adults 0.5% (n = 9). A seasonal shift was observed, with nymphs most prevalent in October to November 2025 and larval activity emerging in January 2026, peaking in February (n = 822). Site-level abundance ranged from 3.04 to 9.52 ticks per 100 m. Comparison with iNaturalist data (n = 227 observations, 2023 to 2025) revealed a spring-biased, adult-dominated reporting pattern, contrasting with flagging results where adults were largely absent and late-summer larval emergence was substantial. These findings highlight the value of combining standardised surveys and citizen science in tick phenology studies.