Ticks Reported Across Southeast Michigan
Experts say ticks are spreading across Michigan.
Southeast Michigan residents are discovering ticks around area homes and parks. Michigan State University entomologist Howard Russell says he’s experiencing an uptick in the number of reports coming out of metro Detroit. He says he is not surprised the insect is spreading across the state.
“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have lots of ticks here. If you look at Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New York—where we share similar climate—they have lots of ticks.”
-Howard Russell, MSU entomologist
Russell says ticks move to new areas via animal hosts such as deer, mice and birds. He says residents should thoroughly check for ticks after spending time in any wooded area, and that about half of deer ticks in the western Upper Peninsula carry the Lyme disease bacteria. He says early signs of Lyme disease include a bulls-eye rash and flu-like symptoms.
