Spring showers and warmer temperatures may bring flowers, but they also bring out ticks. North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) encourages individuals to be aware of ticks, the diseases they carry, such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, alpha-gal syndrome and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and to take precautions.
Last year, there were 37 cases of Lyme disease reported in North Dakota – double the number identified in 2024 and 2023. Ticks that carry the disease can be found statewide.
Ticks live in grassy, bushy or wooded areas and are active when temperatures are above freezing.
To prevent tick bites, HHS recommends:
- Avoiding wooded, brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter and walking in the center of trails.
- Using an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellent. EPA’s search tool can help North Dakotans find the right product.
- Checking body and clothing for ticks after coming indoors. When doing a body check, search in and around the hair, ears, under arms, inside the belly button, around the waist, on legs and the back of the knees.
- Checking pets daily for ticks and talking to a veterinarian about tick prevention products.
If a tick is spotted on the body and is biting, prompt removal is important to lower the risk of tickborne disease. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick and remove it. Afterwards, thoroughly clean the bite area and dispose of the tick by putting it in alcohol and then placing it in a sealed bag or container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.
Contact a healthcare provider if a rash, fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain or joint swelling and pain appear within 30 days after a tick bite.
In 2025, North Dakota Tick Surveillance through HHS recorded 616 American dog ticks and one deer tick between April and July. This data is collected through partnerships with North Dakota Game and Fish, Wildlife Services and veterinarians across the state. Ticks are submitted for identification and testing.
North Dakotans can also help by submitting pictures and location information about ticks they find by emailing NDTicks@nd.gov. Tick surveillance helps HHS identify the types of ticks and tickborne diseases present in North Dakota.
For more information on tickborne diseases, visit hhs.nd.gov/health/diseases-conditions-and-immunization/tickborne.