• Ticks are not insects, they are arachnids (related to spiders). Insects have 3 pairs of legs and 3 body segments, while arachnids have 2 pairs of body segments and 4 pairs of legs (usually).
• The most common tick in Michigan is the American Dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), which can carry diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Feaver. However, Lyme Disease is carried by the Black Legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) formerly called the Deer tick, which is much smaller and much less likely to be on people.
• "Questing" is how most ticks get on their host. Ticks will stand on the edge of a piece of grass or other vegetation and stick out their front legs and wait until they detect the carbon dioxide or other chemicals given off by the animal. When the animal (sometimes people) brushes against the tick, it holds on for the ride.
• Ticks don't usually bite instantly, they can take from 4 - 48 hours to settle, and take around 2 hours to insert their mouthparts and begin feeding.
• A tick can go several months without eating if the weather conditions aren't too severe.

Ticks can attach to any part of the human body but prefer body creases and areas with hair such as the groin, armpits, sock line and scalp.
To remove attached ticks, use the following procedure:
1. Using fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick by the head as close to the skin as possible then gently, but firmly, pull it straight out. Do not twist or jerk the tick, apply petroleum jelly, a hot match, or other irritants. This can lead to infection because the tick’s mouth parts may remain embedded, or you may be burned. Use your fingernails and tissue paper if tweezers are not available.
2. Immediately wash the bite area and your hands with soap and water then apply an antiseptic to the bite wound.
3. If in doubt of tick identification, place the tick in a small vial containing a damp piece of tissue and submit it to your local health department for examination.

The five most common ticks in Michigan are:
• Dermacentor variabilis (American Dog tick)
• Dermacentor albipictus (Winter tick)
• Ixodes cookei (Woodchuck tick)
• Ixodes scapularis (Black Legged tick)
• Amblyomma americanum (Lone Star tick)

American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis) Most Common
   One of the most frequently encountered ticks is the American dog tick, also sometimes known as the wood tick. The larvae and nymphs feed on small warm-blooded animals such as mice and birds. The adult American dog tick will feed on humans and medium to large mammals such as raccoons and dogs.
   Unfed males and females are reddish-brown and about 3/16-inch long. Females have a large silver-colored spot behind the head and will become ½-inch long after feeding or about the size of a small grape. Males have fine silver lines on the back and do not get much larger after feeding. Males are sometimes mistaken for other species of ticks because they appear so different from the female.
   In Illinois, the adults are most active in April, May and June. By September, the adults are inactive and are rarely observed. The American dog tick can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and possibly ehrlichiosis to humans.

Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) Possible on Humans
   The lone star tick is primarily found in the southern half of Illinois, although it can occasionally be found further north. Larvae, nymphs and adults will feed on a variety of warm-blooded hosts, including people. The larva is very tiny, only a little larger than the period at the end of this sentence. The nymph, the most common stage found on people, is about pinhead-sized. Adults are about 1/8-inch long and brown. The adult female has a white spot in the middle of her back. Because they are so similar in size, the lone star tick is sometimes misidentified by laypersons as the blacklegged / deer tick (see below).
   The lone star tick is most active from April through the end of July. Although it can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the lone star tick is not as likely to transmit the disease as the American dog tick. This tick also may transmit tularemia and ehrlichiosis to humans. The lone star tick is not believed to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), but may be associated with a related bacteria species that has not been completely identified.

Blacklegged Tick, also known as the Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis) Possible on Humans
   All three active stages of the blacklegged / deer tick will feed on a variety of hosts including people. After the eggs hatch in the spring, the very tiny larvae feed primarily on white-footed mice or other small mammals. The following spring, the larvae molt into pinhead-sized, brown nymphs that will feed on mice, larger warm-blooded animals and people. In the fall, they molt into adults that feed primarily on deer, with the females laying eggs the following spring. Adults are reddish-brown and about 1/8-inch long (or about one-half the size of the more familiar female American dog tick).
   These ticks are found in wooded areas along trails. The larvae and nymphs are active in the spring and early summer; adults may be active in both the spring and fall. The blacklegged / deer tick can transmit Lyme disease and possibly ehrlichiosis to humans.

Winter Tick (Dermacentor albipictus) Very Unlikely on Humans
   The winter tick is a species that feeds on large mammals like deer, cattle and horses. Unlike the hard ticks mentioned above, the winter tick attaches to the host as a larva and remains attached throughout its life. Consequently, this tick is rarely encountered by campers or hikers. However, hunters may find the winter tick in large numbers on deer carcasses. Although the winter tick may carry diseases of large wild mammals, it is not known to transmit disease to humans.

Woodchuck Tick (Ixodes cookei) Very Unlikely on Humans
   Woodchuck ticks are very similar in appearance to blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), thus microscope examination is required to properly distinguish between these two species. Ixodes cookei has been found to parasitize a wide variety of carnivores and rodents but can be especially abundant on groundhogs and are found in their burrows.This tick is primarily considered a nuisance, but it has been associated with the transmission of a virus that causes Powassan encephalitis, a rare disease.