OAKLAND CO., Mich. (WXYZ) — Whether you're hiking, biking, hunting or just enjoying the outdoors, summer in Michigan means sharing the trails with wildlife, and unwelcome pests. Experts say tick activity is on the rise this year, and one type can even cause a red meat allergy.
I spoke to hikers at The Bald Mountain Recreation Area to find out how they are protecting themselves, and reached out to the state Health Department on what you should know before your next outdoor adventure.
Watch Jeffrey Lindblom's report below
The Bald Mountain Recreation Area is known for hunting, swimming and fishing — and the hikers and bikers who I’m speaking with are sharing their means of prevention for getting bit by a tick.
I caught up with Kevin Ellwood while he was strapping up for a hike.
“I think there’s a lot of chances out there to encounter some ticks," Ellwood said. “Having some time by myself out in the woods.”
But despite walking alone, he knows hidden in the brush, he's anything but by himself. That's because each step in the sticks could carry a tick.
"You never know when it might be that first time," he said.
Rachel Burkholder, an Epidemiologist with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said last year around this time, she'd identified roughly 700 citizen-submitted photographs of ticks. And right now, she's nearing 1,000.
“I’m getting more reports from the public about ticks," Burkholder said. “Ticks like shady, moist and wooded areas — tall grassy type of locations.”
Sam Schwartz and Rick Smith are two of many bikers who has had run-ins with ticks.
“So, I have had two ticks on me this year. I just pulled them off and threw them away," Schwartz said.
“I got a tick one time. My wife found it and she told me. I was horrified," said Rick Smith.
Burkholder said ticks tend to show up in tight spaces where body hair is typical, like in the armpits, behind your ears or groin area, and it's important to check.
“You want to do tick checks on your own body, and your kids and pets as well," Burkholder said.
The tick carrying Lyme Disease is the black-legged tick, which, while all over The Mitten, is predominantly found in the Upper Peninsula or on the coast around Lake Michigan.
Another tick recently established in Berrien County to be on the lookout for is the Lone Star, which carries the syndrome causing a red meat allergy. And as for the Rocky Mountain Fever people fear, Burkholder said the ticks in Michigan don't currently carry it.
“I have a pair of pliers in my folding tool kit," Schwartz said.
While pliers will work for removing a tick, Burkholder recommends tweezers and says to avoid using the myths, like nail polish remover or fire.
“I definitely don’t recommend using fire," she said.
Burkholder said using methods to make the tick back itself out actually enhance your chances of it transmitting an illness to you. And as far as prevention goes, an EPA-approved bug spray will suffice, or wearing clothes that cover your skin.
