Dunes have a lot of vegetation that ticks like, such as dune grass and brush. Ticks need the humidity and cover provided by this vegetation, as well as easy access to the hosts (human and non-human) that pass through.
The Indiana Dunes are beautiful, and, unfortunately, well suited to ticks. It comes down to the specific landscape.
Ticks need humidity, or else they’ll dry out in the hot sun. That’s part of why they stay in low vegetation. A lot of animal hosts pass by, as well, like deer, mice, rabbits, and birds, and that gives ticks what they need to feed. Marram, dune grasses, and brushy thickets, put simply, are really good places for ticks to live.
The open, sunny, dry sand is inhospitable to them. They'd dry out fast. That means that the beach itself isn’t very risky. It’s walking to and from the beach that puts you in touch with ticks and the diseases they carry, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
In practice, that means the best thing you can do is stick to open sand and marked, cleared paths when going to the beach. Avoid brushing through dune grass and tall vegetation. If you do happen to do that, do a tick check when you’re back at home. As for your home itself, if it’s tick-prone, you can hire a tick control professional and they will treat the trouble spots in your yard.
If you're tired of dreading ticks every time you head out to the dunes or into the yard, Mosquito Squad of Northwest Indiana can help. Mosquito Squad treats the grassy, brushy edge zones where ticks gather, helping protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
