Menominee County urges tick precautions as outdoor season ramps up

Ticks are showing up at the height of the outdoor season in Wisconsin, and Menominee County residents are being urged to treat the warning as part of everyday planning for time in yards, along trails, in wooded gathering spots and around brushy recreation areas. The reminder, issued in the county’s June 12 community announcements, says prevention matters now because tick exposure can happen year-round, even though the highest risk usually runs from spring through fall.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says ticks are typically most active from May through November, and its surveillance materials describe the season as stretching across spring through fall. State health officials said on June 10 that tick activity had reached its seasonal peak for 2026, with nymphal deer, or blacklegged, ticks driving the trend. DHS says its field collection for tick season is typically done about every other week from March through November, underscoring how long the state keeps watch on the problem.

For Menominee County, the advice lands in a place where outdoor work, family gatherings and recreation are part of daily life. DHS says illnesses spread by ticks are common in Wisconsin and preventable, and the agency’s guidance turns that into a straightforward checklist: use personal protection, remove ticks as soon as possible and get rid of ticks in the yard. The department also says people who spend a lot of time outdoors should download The Tick App, a free tool from the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease that helps users report ticks and learn more about prevention.

The app was developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and partner institutions. DHS says it can help people better understand exposure risk, and in some versions it also allows users to submit ticks for identification by university staff. The agency’s interactive tick bite tracker adds another layer, letting people view statewide and regional trends in tick bite-related emergency department visits and compare the past five years of data.

The broader warning from federal surveillance is clear as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says blacklegged tick counties are considered established when six or more ticks of a single life stage, or more than one life stage, are collected in a county within 12 months. The CDC also notes that a county not labeled established does not mean ticks are absent. Its Lyme disease maps show the reported range of cases has expanded significantly since 1995, and the agency counts cases by county of residence, not necessarily where the exposure happened.

For Menominee County, the message is practical and immediate: check for ticks after being outside, protect skin and clothing, and act quickly if a bite is found. In a county shaped by the land, a few careful steps now can prevent a health problem later.