Michigan Tick Season: Where Lyme Disease Risk Is Highest

You know that feeling. You've spent a wonderful day enjoying decent-to-gorgeous weather in the Michigan outdoors. Maybe you were mowing, hiking, fishing, or standing with your arms crossed, angrily side-eyeing dandelions in your front yard (no judgment here). Then suddenly, hours later, you feel something crawling on your neck.

Your brain immediately sounds the alarm. Tick.

RELATED: Why You Need to Know How To Remove a Tick Safely in Michigan

And just like that, a creature smaller than a sesame seed turns a grown adult into someone stripping in the bathroom like they're entering a hazmat shower.

Michigan Ticks and Lyme Disease Risk

Not all ticks are capable of spreading Lyme disease. In Michigan, the primary culprit is the blacklegged tick, also known as the deer tick. These tiny freeloading blood suckers are active from March through November and thrive in wooded and brushy areas.

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According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Lyme disease risk is highest in the western Lower Peninsula, much of the Upper Peninsula, and increasingly in other parts of the state as blacklegged ticks expand their territory.

Are Any Michigan Counties Tick and Lyme Disease-Free?

Not exactly. Some counties have lower documented risk, but no county gets to act like it's covered in three coats of DEET. If you've been outdoors anywhere in Michigan, it's wise to check for ticks.

RELATED: Invasive Tick With Deadly Potential Confirmed in Michigan

Because for every Pure Michigan day you enjoy, you run the risk of whispering to yourself, "Please let it be a piece of mulch," while sprinting to the bathroom.