Natural and biological control of blacklegged tick

There is increasing interest in natural and organic alternatives for the control of the blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis, the vector for the agents of Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis and human babesiosis that may offer an alternative to synthetic acaricides. We report the efficacy of the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae and nootkatone, an essential oil extract from Alaska yellow cedar, for the control of I. scapularis, both of which have provided relatively good control in the laboratory and field.