This article from The Detroit Free Press reminded me that I wanted to remind all y’all to up your tick protection game:
Lyme disease cases quadruple in Michigan as tick populations explode
Buried in my Guide to Getting Started page, is the following section, Be Tick Wise!, which I have just updated:
Be Tick Wise!
According to The Detroit Free Press, “The number of Lyme disease cases in Michigan has nearly quadrupled since 2022, according to the state health department. There were 533 confirmed cases that year and 2,167 in 2025.” In 2025, Michigan reported 18.83 cases of Lyme disease per 100,000 population, which means we are now considered a “high-incidence jurisdiction” by the US Centers for Disease Control.
Ticks are active any time temperatures are generally above freezing. There are 5 common types of ticks in Michigan, all of which can transmit disease. All of the counties of Metro Detroit have known risk for Lyme Disease, which is carried by Deer Ticks.
While Lyme and other diseases are treatable, the best option is to avoid being bitten in the first place.
- Wear light-colored long pants and long sleeves
- For an ultra-chic fashion statement tuck your pant legs into your socks!
- Treat clothing with permethrin (you can buy pre-treated clothes or treat your own)
- Use insect repellent that contains 20% or more DEET or picaridin (synthesized pepper plant ingredient) on exposed skin.
- Use caution when applying DEET; it can damage plastics, such as your glasses!
- Picaridin is comparable to DEET for repelling mosquitoes and ticks, and better on flies. Picaridin also has minimal odor, no damaging effect on plastics and other synthetics, and a lower potential for skin and eye irritation
- Note that some synthesized plant oils such as lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 are less effective on ticks than DEET or picaridin
- Stay on trails and avoid brushing up against foliage
- Check your body for ticks after being outside. The risk of contracting tick-borne illnesses is lower if the tick is properly removed within 24 hours.
- Remove ticks with fine-tipped tweezers: grasp the tick body as close to the skin as possible and gently pull the tick straight off. Wash site with soap and water and/or rubbing alcohol.
- Avoid squeezing the tick.
- Do NOT attempt to remove the tick with nail polish, gasoline, petroleum jelly, or a hot match
- Save the tick in a baggie for ID and testing purposes, if needed.
- Shower after being outside
- Learn the signs of Lyme Disease (see links below)
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