Female American Dog Tick
Michigan is undergoing a population explosion of Ticks. Prior to this year, I had only seen one Tick in all my outdoor travels in Michigan. I have seen over a dozen Ticks so far this year. We are now finding them in our yard in Troy. Please watch out for ticks, especially if you care for children or outdoor pets.
The only species I have seen so far is the American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis). For once, I’m hoping not to add other species to my list. Ticks are small, about the size of a sesame seed.
The State of Michigan has information regarding both the identification of ticks and the treatment of bites.
Male American Dog Tick
Ticks are not insects but they are related to spiders. Hence, they have eight legs and not six as insects do. They are in the class Arachnida. I have seen them poised on the edge of a leaf waiting for a host to walk by. After jumping on to the host, they normally will move around for several hours before they bite. They embed their head and jaws under the host’s skin and feed on the host’s blood.
Copyright 2013 by Donald Drife
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My poor dog had a tick-borne illness earlier this spring. She was really sick. The vet ordered a “tick panel” from MSU and discovered she had Bartonellosis. Fortunately a course of antibiotics cured her. We have also seen a ton of ticks here in rural Chelsea.
i have found 3 ticks on me so far this year, the only one that got me, got my left ear, a tick got the same ear a couple of years ago and there is stilll a lump there! i wonder why the explosion this year!!
i have found an American Dog tick (nymph stage) on our family dog. She probably got the tick from the Higgins Lk area or in our yard here in Saginaw, MI. So far she is good, will have to protect us better w/ DEET products.
I’ve camped in my woods in Watertown Township, southwest Tuscola County, for several weeks every year since 2002. There are lots of deer, woodchucks, raccoon, and other mammals, but (happily) I’ve seen no ticks. There are also many turkeys on the property. I understand they eat lots of ticks. Are the turkeys likely keeping the tick population low, or is it just a matter of time before I notice ticks in my woods and on me?
I don’t know what has caused the explosion of ticks. We have plenty of turkeys and plenty of ticks in the Grayling area.