Be prepared this tick season in Michigan
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An adult female blacklegged tick. Photo: Courtesy of CDC, Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
With the weather warming, tick season has already begun in Michigan, bringing the risk of Lyme disease.
Why it matters: Cases have surged in recent years, but simple precautions can help you avoid getting bitten.
State of play: The bacterial infection spread through tick bites has ballooned over the last three decades across parts of the Midwest and the Northeast, with Michigan becoming more of a hot spot in the last decade, per CDC data.
- Michigan tick season runs from March through September, and ticks are becoming more common in populated places like Southeastern Michigan.
- Nearly every Michigan county has known Lyme disease risk, per the state's 2026 map.
Context: The illness with flu-like symptoms is transmitted in Michigan by blacklegged ticks, most often found in tall grass and the woods.
- Many cases are treated successfully with antibiotics, but if left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system, according to the CDC.
By the numbers: Michigan recorded 2,167 Lyme disease cases in 2025 — more than quadruple the 2020 count of 471, per the state.
Prevention and removal tips, courtesy of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan:
Prevention:
- It's tough to avoid forests and fields in the summer, but try to stay on the trail when hiking and avoid brushing against shrubbery.
- Check yourself and your dog for ticks after being outdoors.
- Use an approved insect repellent.
- Bathe within two hours of returning indoors to wash off and find ticks.
- Kill ticks on clothes by running them in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes.
Prompt removal of a tick that has bitten and attached is key:
- Use fine tweezers to carefully and steadily pull the tick off without leaving any of it behind, then sanitize the area and your hands.
Go deeper: More details on prevention and removal