Common species in Minnesota
Minnesota follows the state health led source pattern. The species below are drawn from the state-authority sources listed in the sidebar Data Row.
- Lone star tick (northward expansion and unusual-submission context)
- Asian longhorned tick (only if BAH, state agriculture, or USDA source support is added)
When ticks are most active
Broad caution April through October. Blacklegged tick nymphs peak May-July; adult blacklegged ticks are active in spring and fall and can move on warm days; American dog ticks are emphasized in spring and early summer.
Where you're most likely to encounter ticks
BWCAW and North Shore wilderness hiking, cabin and lake-country weekends, north-central and east-central forest trails, hunting land, wooded suburban lots, Twin Cities north/east metro edges, tall-grass dog walks, brushy field edges, and Wisconsin-border exposure.
Disease context
Each disease named below carries an evidence tag per the Data Row policy. Pills indicate the strength of state-specific evidence, not the severity of the disease. Symptoms should always be routed to a clinician; this is orientation, not diagnosis.
- Lyme diseasestate surveillance confirmed
Most commonly reported tickborne disease in Minnesota; high-incidence state
- Anaplasmosisstate surveillance confirmed
- Babesiosisstate surveillance confirmed
- Powassan virus diseasestate surveillance confirmed
- Ehrlichiosisstate surveillance confirmed
- Hard tick relapsing feverstate surveillance confirmed
- Borrelia mayoniistate unique angle
Mayo Clinic discovery, Pritt et al., CDC archive, and MDH B. mayonii basics — the Minnesota/Upper Midwest moat fact
- Rocky Mountain spotted fevernon diagnostic mention only
- Tularemianon diagnostic mention only
If you find a tick — what to do
Map resolution notes
mixed resolution.MDH maps/statistics support statewide, regional, high-incidence, and some county-level Lyme/blacklegged tick claims; MMCD supports only the seven-county Twin Cities metro; CDC maps support national comparison only. Do not infer western-prairie, county-level, or neighborhood-level risk from generic state presence alone.
State sources
- Primary species source
- MDH "About Ticks," MDH "Tick Monitoring," and MDH "Ticks & Tickborne Diseases of Minnesota" PDF for common tick species, distribution/monitoring, and state tick framing; UMN Extension supports biology and practical prevention nuance.
- Primary health source
- MDH "Diseases that can be Transmitted by Ticks," MDH Tickborne Disease Statistics, MDH Lyme and Vectorborne annual summaries, and MDH Borrelia mayonii basics for disease/surveillance framing; CDC disease pages and maps provide national guardrails.
- Primary extension source
- UMN Extension "Ticks" for tick biology, life stages, garden/yard habitat, and practical prevention context.
- Surveillance
- MDH tick monitoring and disease statistics/annual summaries for statewide claims; MMCD Tick Surveillance for seven-county Twin Cities metro context only; CDC Powassan data/maps for national comparison; BAH for animal-health/unusual-tick submission context; CDC archive, PubMed/Pritt et al., Mayo Clinic News Network, and MDH Borrelia mayonii basics for B. mayonii context.