1. Fig. 2 Flea abundance on swabs inserted into burrow openings on colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs. Data were collected during June–August, 2010–2011, at the Vermejo Park Ranch, NM. Lines at the tips of the gray bars depict 95% confidence intervals. Burrow openings were categorized by activity and angle of the sun relative to the descending burrow tunnel. The angle of the sun was measured at 5° increments, but is presented in categories here for ease of interpretation. Swabs were collected during 0600–1000 hours; the analysis included a variable for minutes since 0600 hours, simplified here to hour intervals.
From: Swabbing Prairie Dog Burrows for Fleas That Transmit Yersinia pestis: Influences on Efficiency
J Med Entomol. 2017;54(5): doi: /jme/tjx090
J Med Entomol | © The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please

2. Fig. 1 A diagram of factors that might influence the rate at which fleas are collected from burrows in colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs, including time-of-sampling, ambient temperature, sunlight, burrow depth, and activity of a burrow. If an investigator is interested in collecting a large number of fleas and can choose between swabbing the opening on the left (labeled A) and the opening on the right (labeled B), our results suggest the investigator should swab burrow opening A. In our study, more fleas were collected during the early morning hours; at burrow openings that allowed considerable amounts of sunlight below ground; at burrows with relatively long, deep tunnels; and at active openings with fresh prairie dog scat. Fleas were scarce on swabs collected later in the morning; at burrow openings that allowed little sunlight below ground; at burrows with shallow tunnels (especially during the latter, hotter portions of mornings); and at inactive openings void of fresh prairie dog scat. Time, sunlight, and prairie dog scat can be easily and quickly assessed before a burrow opening is swabbed. Burrow depth can be indexed after a burrow is swabbed. The burrow diagram is based on Site number 7 in Sheets (1970), with slight modifications for the purposes of this manuscript.
From: Swabbing Prairie Dog Burrows for Fleas That Transmit Yersinia pestis: Influences on Efficiency
J Med Entomol. 2017;54(5): doi: /jme/tjx090
J Med Entomol | © The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please