Ticks can negatively affect livestock production and welfare. The prevalence of ticks on ruminant livestock was assessed from selected communities around the Volta River basin in Southern Ghana. 368 ruminants (209 cattle, 53 sheep, and 106 goats) were randomly sampled for tick prevalence from nine purposively selected villages. 37 questionnaires were also administered to individual farmers about their demography, knowledge on tick infestation on livestock and husbandry practices. The collected ticks were morphologically identified. IBM SPSS version 23 was used for descriptive analysis of the collected data. Cattle had the highest tick prevalent and sheep had the lowest. A statistically significant difference was found in prevalence between adult and young animals and between the ruminants. Three tick genera with an invasive species were identified: Rhipicephalus, Amblyomma and Hyalomma inorder of prevalent. From considered risk factors age showed significant association, whiles sex and body condition did not. The major management system was semi intensive. Farmers reported more tick prevalence during the rainy seasons and majority of the them used acaricides as control measures. The study concluded that Rhipicephalus and Amblyoma were more prevalence and the farmers used acaricides as control measures. Rhipicehalus microplus was reported as an invasive species.

Keywords: Amblyoma, cattle, ectoparasites, infestation, Rhipicephalus microplus.

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