Four calves were infested with larvae of Boophilus decoloratus and Boophilus geigyi on three successive occasions, at 30-day intervals. Results show that the attachment of first instar larvae and survival of subsequent developmental stages (AS), duration of feeding (DF), weight of engorged ticks (WT) and oviposition by engorged ticks were significantly affected when the calves were infested for the second and third time at 30-day intervals with the ticks larvae. After the third infestation, AS was reduced by 48.6%, DF increased by 15.6%, WT and oviposition were reduced by 83.8 and 81.5 %, respectively for B. geigyi. The respective data for B. decoloratus were 48.8, 173, 91 and 80.9%. The tick resistance index (TRI), showed significant reduction to a mean of 0.14 in B. geigyi and 0.076 in B. decoloratus.

The data suggest development of immunity in calves by the first cycle of infestation, inducing resistance against the ticks, which were manifested in subsequent infestations. The use of tick-immunization of cattle for the management of ticks in Nigeria is suggested.

A comprehensive review of the major investigations on the biology and ecology of ticks of Africa reported in scientific journals in the decade 1980–1989 is undertaken. While there have been remarkable advances within the decade on research on feeding habits and patterns of ticks as well as diurnal and seasonal activities, many important areas of research were neglected. These include tick embryogenesis, development and survival under natural conditions, tick modelling, the phenomenon of host's natural resistance to tick infestation, pheromone and biochemical studies and field sampling of ticks. The review also shows that laboratory studies on tick biological systems are scanty in East Africa and the need for greater tick ecological research in West Africa is stressed.

The review shows that in the decade 1980–1989, exotic Bos taurus breeds were predominantly used for experimentation on African ticks and the need to change focus to indigenous B. indicus cattle breeds for experimentation is highlighted. Attention is also drawn to the importance of researchers on African ticks to undertake long term sustainable research with clearly defined goals which can have quantifiable impact on tick control in Africa.