Environmental variables serve as predictors of the exotic and invasive Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann): an approach for targeted tick surveillance

Since the 2017 discovery of established populations of the Asian longhorned tick, (Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann) in the United States, populations continue to be detected in new areas. For this exotic and invasive species, capable of transmitting a diverse repertoire of pathogens and blood-feeding on a variety of host species, there remains a lack of targeted information on how to best prepare for this tick and understand when and where it occurs. To fill this gap, we conducted two years of weekly tick surveillance at four farms in Tennessee (three H. longicornis-infested and one without) to identify environmental factors associated with each questing life stage, to investigate predictors of abundance, and to determine the likelihood of not collecting ticks at different life stages. A total of 46,770 ticks were collected, of which 12,607 H. longicornis and five other tick species were identified. Overall, abundance of H. longicornis was associated with spring and summer seasons, fo..., Tick Collection. Multiple tick species were collected at four privately owned farms in three eastern Tennessee counties. At each farm, 100 m transects were identified, representing three habitat types (forest, forest-field edge, and open pasture).We dragged for ticks along transects with a corduroy drag and checked the cloth every 10m along each transect for the presence of any tick species or life stage. All ticks found on the drag cloth were then stored in a tube containing 80% ethanol or RNA later; one tube was used for each transect. Larvae were collected with labeled lint roller sheets and stored in plastic bags. Once a site was identified and confirmed as infested with H. longicornis, we began to drag weekly from epidemiological weeks 20–40 and then every other week for epidemiological weeks 41–19. Ticks were identified to species and life stage using a dissecting microscope and dichotomous keys. 
Variable Selection and Acquisition. Potential environmental predictors of H. longico..., , # Environmental variables serve as predictors of the exotic and invasive Asian longhorned tick (*Haemaphysalis longicornis* Neumann): an approach for targeted tick surveillance

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bnc](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bnc)

Multiple tick species were collected at four farms in three eastern Tennessee counties. At each farm, 100 m transects were identified, representing three habitat types (forest, forest-field edge, and open pasture). Ticks were identified to species and life stage using a dissecting microscope and dichotomous keys. While dragging we also collected environmental data including temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and wind speed. We also identified categorical variables including farm, county, daylength (number of minutes between sunrise and sunset), season based on the equinox, habitat (identified at the site as edge, field, or forest), observed sun cover (cloudy, partly cloudy, full sun), and the number of habitat-s...