The main differences come down to size, appearance, habitat, and the diseases each one carries. In Michigan that mostly means three ticks: the blacklegged (deer) tick, the American dog tick, and the lone star tick.
“A tick is a tick,” is what a lot of people say. If you find one latched onto you, you’ll want to remove it right away regardless of species. But knowing what kind of tick bit you can help you assess the risks you may have been exposed to.
The blacklegged tick, often called the deer tick, is the small one. Adults are reddish-brown with a solid darker shield, and the nymphs are about the size of a poppy seed. These ticks live in woods, leaf litter, and brushy edges. And it’s also the only Michigan tick that transmits Lyme disease, along with anaplasmosis and babesiosis. It’s active even in cool weather.
The American dog tick is noticeably larger and brown with off-white or gray marbling across the back. It prefers grassy, open areas and the edges of trails rather than deep woods. It can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, but not Lyme disease, and it's most active from late spring into summer.
The lone star tick is round-bodied and aggressive, with a single white dot on the female's back. Historically a southern species, it's been moving into Michigan. This is the one that can give you alpha-gal syndrome, which is a severe red-meat allergy.
Disease risk varies by tick, but what you should do if you’re bitten by one doesn’t change. Remove it quickly, and if you think it might be a dangerous one, save it in a bag after removal, just in case.
If you're tired of playing tick detective every time someone comes in from outside, Mosquito Squad of Greater Lansing can help. Mosquito Squad treats the wooded and brushy areas where all of these species wait, helping protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
