The Sudden Surge of Ticks in Metro Detroit

My Story: A Surprise Encounter on a Metro Detroit Patio

I recently learned this lesson firsthand when I found a tick on my own body. My experience highlights several critical biological facts about how these parasites operate—and just how easily they can catch you off guard.

Yesterday, I noticed an annoying itching sensation on my foot. When I checked, I discovered a tick right between my toes, biting the outside of my toe. Because of its hidden location, I hadn't noticed it at all until it started to irritate my skin. Based on when the itching actually began, I estimate the tick had already been there and feeding for about 2 or 3 days.

What surprised me most was the environment. I hadn't been anywhere near a wooded area or heavy brush. My best guess is that it bit me while I was simply hanging out on my backyard patio completely barefoot. I never felt the initial bite happen, which I later learned is entirely normal. Tick saliva contains natural anesthetic properties that numb your skin, allowing them to bite and feed completely undetected (CDC, 2024).

When I finally realized what it was, panic took over and I did everything wrong. I tried to pull the tick off with my bare fingers, but it was incredibly difficult to pull off because its mouthparts were firmly anchored to my skin. Once I finally managed to detach it, I found it was surprisingly difficult to kill. I tried to crush it multiple times between my fingers, but absolutely nothing happened—their bodies are remarkably tough and resilient to being squeezed.

After realizing that there has been a significant rise in ticks across the Metro Detroit area lately, I wanted to share my story alongside the actual facts, statistics, and medical guidelines so you know exactly what to do if you find yourself in the same situation.

The Vectors: Which Ticks are in Metro Detroit?

While several tick species exist across the United States, two primary species dominate the landscape in Southeast Michigan, alongside an emerging invasive threat (Poh, 2026; Chavez, 2025).

1. The Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes scapularis)

Commonly known as the deer tick, this species has steadily expanded its footprint across Michigan (Duncan, 2026). Genetic and landscape tracking indicates that while western Michigan populations largely migrated from neighboring states like Wisconsin, the populations in eastern Michigan and the Metro Detroit area emerged from distinct regional colonization patterns (Dong, 2025). The blacklegged tick is the primary vector for Lyme disease (Duncan, 2026).

2. The American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis)

The American dog tick is historically well-established in the Metro Detroit area (Nannar, 2025). It is frequently found in grassy areas, fields, and along walkways—including suburban backyards and patios. While it does not transmit Lyme disease, it serves as a vector for rarer zoonotic infections such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) and Tularemia (Nannar, 2025).

3. The Invasive Asian Longhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis)

A major emerging concern for the region is the rapid spread of the Asian longhorned tick (Chavez, 2025). First confirmed in the U.S. in 2017, this invasive species has expanded its territory across 26 states and has officially been confirmed in Michigan (Chavez, 2025).

The Reproduction Statistic: This species reproduces via parthenogenesis, meaning females do not require a male to mate (Chavez, 2025). A single female can lay up to 3,000 eggs, leading to hyper-infestations where thousands of ticks overwhelm a single host (Chavez, 2025).

By the Numbers: Regional and National Statistics

The expansion of these vectors correlates with a statistically verifiable surge in medical treatments and disease tracking.

• 73% Surge in Cases: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), following updated national surveillance guidelines, annual reported Lyme disease cases in Michigan jumped from a baseline average of 322 cases (historically tracked between 2017–2019) to 557 confirmed cases—a 73.0% increase in state-level incidence (Kugeler et al., 2024).
• The "Leading Edge" Factor: Epidemiological mapping from Google Health Trends data confirms a strong, disproportionate signal of search queries regarding tick bites along the geographic edges of the Midwest, pinpointing Michigan as a primary "leading edge" for expanding Lyme disease risk (Wychgram et al., 2024).
• Seasonality of Exposure: Medical tracking data of post-tick bite preventative care (such as prophylactic single-dose doxycycline) reveals strict seasonal spikes (Lee, 2026). Prophylaxis requests peak heavily between May and June, accounting for 35.2% and 23.4% of all annual cases respectively, with a secondary smaller spike in October at 14.4% (Lee, 2026).

Public Health and Medical Impact

The reality of encountering ticks in Southeast Michigan carries a distinct medical and financial burden.

The Financial Cost of Treatment

A large-scale analysis of vector-borne healthcare costs reveals that Lyme disease diagnoses incur substantial economic impacts (Yu, 2026). The mean direct medical cost per single episode of localized Lyme disease is $695 (Yu, 2026). However, if the infection goes unnoticed and progresses to disseminated Lyme disease (affecting the joints or nervous system), the average cost spikes drastically to $6,833 per episode (Yu, 2026).

Medical Presentation

Clinicians in Michigan are increasingly advised to screen for tick-borne pathogens when patients present with signature symptoms (Duncan, 2026). While the classic "bullseye" rash (erythema migrans) is a well-known indicator, data shows that many patients do not present with or notice a rash (Tabaja, 2026). Instead, diagnostic indicators frequently involve:

• Migratory arthritis or sudden joint complications (Tabaja, 2026).
• Unexplained heart block or neurological symptoms like cranial neuropathies (Duncan, 2026).
• Co-infections, as a single blacklegged tick can simultaneously carry Lyme disease, Anaplasma, and Babesia pathogens (Duncan, 2026).

Response Protocol: What to Do If You Find a Tick

If you discover a tick biting your skin, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines precise, medically sound guidelines to safely remove it, which minimizes the risk of transmitting pathogens (CDC, 2024).

Step-by-Step Tick Removal Procedure

Because ticks secrete a cement-like substance to glue themselves to their host and possess a flat, hard exoskeleton designed to withstand pressure, using your fingers is highly ineffective. The CDC recommends immediate removal using the following protocol (CDC, 2024):

1. Use Fine-Tipped Tweezers: Grasp the tick as close to your skin's surface as possible. Avoid using blunt household tweezers or bare fingers, which makes it hard to get a grip on the mouthparts and can accidentally crush the body, exposing you directly to infectious fluids.
2. Pull Upward with Steady Pressure: Pull straight up with an even, steady motion. Do not twist or jerk the tick, as this can cause the mouthparts to break off and remain embedded in the skin. If the mouthparts do break off, attempt to remove them with tweezers, but if they cannot be easily extracted, leave them alone and let the skin heal.
3. Clean the Area Thoroughly: After removing the tick, clean the bite area and your hands comprehensively. Use rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
4. Dispose of the Tick Safely: Never try to crush a tick with your fingers or fingernails, as their durable outer shells prevent them from popping easily. Instead, dispose of a live tick by submerging it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag or container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.

CDC Warning on Folk Remedies: Avoid folklore remedies such as "painting" the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat (like a hot match) to force the tick to back out. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible, not wait for it to detach (CDC, 2024).

Post-Bite Symptom Monitoring

Following a tick bite, the CDC advises monitoring your health closely for a full 30 days (CDC, 2024). Seek medical attention immediately if you develop any of the following symptoms:

• Fever and Chills: A sudden or low-grade spike in body temperature.
• Aches and Pains: Fatigue, headaches, and migratory muscle or joint pain.
• Rash: A rash can appear within 3 to 30 days at the site of the bite or elsewhere on the body. While the classic "bullseye" rash is highly indicative of Lyme disease, rashes can also appear as solid pink or red expanding circles, or as distinct small splotches typical of other tick-borne infections (CDC, 2024).

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Tick Removal and What to Do After a Tick Bite. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/after-a-tick-bite/index.html
Cited by: N/A

Chavez, A. O. (2025). The Asian Longhorned Tick: An Emerging Threat. Extension Livestock Specialists. https://livestock.extension.wisc.edu/articles/the-asian-longhorned-tick-an-emerging-threat/
Cited by: 0

Dong, D. (2025). Genetic and Landscape Connectivity of Blacklegged Ticks During Range Expansion in Select States of the Midwestern USA. Ecology and Evolution. https://www.scienceopen.com/document_file/794cb37f-1eae-4661-b58f-4c24a36c656b/PubMedCentral/794cb37f-1eae-4661-b58f-4c24a36c656b.pdf
Cited by: 1

Duncan, T. (2026). Climate Change, Vector Expansion, and the Shifting Geography of Zoonotic Disease: Implications for Clinical Practice. American College of Osteopathic Internists. https://www.acoi.org/blog/climate-change-vector-expansion-and-shifting-geography-zoonotic-disease-implications-clinical
Cited by: 0

Kugeler, K. J., Earley, A., Mead, P. S., & Hinckley, A. F. (2024). Surveillance for Lyme Disease After Implementation of a Revised Case Definition — United States, 2022. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 73(6), 118-123. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7306a1.htm
Cited by: 81

Lee, E. B. (2026). Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Prescribing Practices in a Lyme Disease-Endemic Area. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12921887/
Cited by: 1

Nannar, J. (2025). American Dog Tick Identification and Vector Risks. Michigan Chapter ACP and SHM Michigan Chapter Resident and Medical Student Day. https://www.acponline.org/sites/default/files/documents/about_acp/chapters/mi/2025_MI-ACP_SHM-MI_RMSD_Residents_Abstracts.pdf
Cited by: 0

Poh, K. C. (2026). Tick and tick-borne disease management requires an integrated One Health approach. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/aop/javma.26.02.0153/javma.26.02.0153.xml
Cited by: 0

Tabaja, H. (2026). Lyme in the prosthetic joint: two cases and a review of the literature. Journal of Bone and Joint Infection. https://jbji.copernicus.org/articles/11/77/2026/jbji-11-77-2026.pdf
Cited by: 0

Wychgram, C., Aucott, J. N., Rebman, A. W., & Curriero, F. C. (2024). Identifying the geographic leading edge of Lyme disease in the United States with internet searches: A spatiotemporal analysis of Google Health Trends data. PLOS ONE, 19, e0312277. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0312277
Cited by: 4

Yu, H. (2026). Lyme Disease and Health Care Costs. PMC - NIH. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12805444/
Cited by: 0