2025 Tick Blitz Results and Expanding Wyoming's First Tick Surveillance Program
The 2025 Tick Blitz, held in Teton County on May 16–17, yielded impressive results! Our team was thrilled to work alongside dedicated community citizen scientists who volunteered their time to help advance our understanding of tick phenology and abundance locally. Check out the results from our two-day sprint to collect as many ticks as possible within 48 hours!
May 16-17th 2025 Tick Blitz Results
- Volunteers Statewide: 45 (This included the general public, University of Wyoming Extension, University of Wyoming MasterNaturalists, Weed & Pest Districts, Mosquito Districts, and Conservation Districts)
- Volunteers Teton County: 19
- Total Counties Participating: 7 (This included Teton, Sheridan, Park, Sweetwater, Fremont, Laramie, and Big Horn)
- Total Ticks (Statewide): 342
- Total Ticks (Teton County): 278
- Total Species (Statewide): 3 (Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (Dermacentor andersoni), American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the Winter Tick (Dermacentor albipictus))
- Total Species (Teton): 2 Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (Dermacentor andersoni) and the Winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus)
- Total Surveys Conducted (Statewide): 62
- Total Surveys Conducted (Teton County): 43
- Perent Positive Statewide (Surveys Found Ticks): 58
- Percent Positive Teton (Surveys Found Ticks): 53
We received a grant from the Wyoming Mosquito & Vector Management Association (WMVMA) to extend the Tick Blitz to interested participants across the state. As the only entity in Wyoming currently conducting tick research, we were excited to provide an opportunity for others to contribute ticks to this important effort.
The funding helped cover shipping costs for collection materials and ticks, as well as the cost of testing the ticks for pathogens in our lab as part of the Blitz. In addition to the Blitz, our program has been conducting both active and passive tick surveillance.
As of June 4, we have collected a total of 1,757 ticks this year — more than our collections from 2023 and 2024 combined!
Of the species we collected around the state, two of the three are vectors of pathogens that can cause disease in humans. That breakdown is below:
- Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (Dermacentor andersoni)
- Colorado Tick Fever Virus
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
- Tularemia
- Tick Paralysis
- Q Fever
- American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis) - NOT in Teton County
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
- Tularemia
- Tick Paralysis
- Q Fever
- Winter Tick (Dermacentor albipictus)
- Does not readily bite humans
Currently, our pathogen testing is only being conducted on Rocky Mountain wood ticks for Colorado Tick Fever virus, but it will be expanded to include other pathogens in the future. Pathogen data from the Tick Blitz and the 2025 season will not be finalized until later, as the process is quite time-consuming.
Another major analysis we’re conducting involves looking at tick density in addition to pathogen presence. That’s why we’re using a stopwatch during surveys — to quantify tick encounters at each site in a way that allows us to make consistent comparisons between locations.
This approach enables us to analyze tick data over time, compare sites, and eventually understand how one year might be "tickier" than another. We haven’t analyzed that data just yet, as we’re still conducting active surveys throughout the 2025 summer season. However, much of this information will be available on our website at the end of the year for the public to explore.
Anecdotally, it appears to be a particularly "ticky" year in Teton County. Our entomologist, Mikenna Smith, found 171 ticks during a single 30-minute survey this past month!
Expanding Wyoming's First Tick Surveillance Program
Historically, our program at Teton County Weed & Pest has focused on managing terrestrial invasive plants and vectors, such as mosquitoes. We're excited our capacity is growing to make an even greater impact —we have expanded into molecular identification of invasive plants and have launched our comprehensive tick surveillance program within the past 2 years.
Ticks: A New Frontier in Vector Surveillance
Ticks have now been added to our list of vectors for both surveillance and research. Our new tick program includes:
- Surveillance
- Species identification
- Pathogen testing
- Community outreach
- Education
Medically Significant Ticks in Wyoming
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (Dermacentor andersoni)
- Diseases spread: Colorado Tick Fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia, Q Fever, Tick Paralysis
- Historically, some studies have found that Wyoming has had the highest incident rate of Colorado tick fever in humans, with some studies finding populations of ticks with a 21% CTFV infection rate.
Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)
- Disease spread: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Ornithodoros hermsii
- Disease spread: Tick-borne Relapsing Fever
American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis)
- Diseases spread: Tularemia, Q Fever, Spotted Fevers, Bovine Anaplasmosis
- Update: This species is now established in Wyoming.
- Note: Widespread tick surveillance is lacking in the U.S., and many current distribution maps rely on limited data and models.
Tick Surveillance Program Overview
Key Question:
Is the American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis) established in Wyoming, and where exactly is it found?
2023: Pilot Year
- Conducted preliminary active and passive surveillance using standardized methods
- Validated RT-qPCR assay
- Determined routes for passive sample submission
- Completed lab capacity building
- Recruited collaborators
2024: First Full Project Year
Statewide Surveillance Goals:
Active Surveillance
- Staff, students, and citizen scientists conducted 30-minute standardized field surveys
- Measured tick density per survey
- Note: Citizen science participation was limited statewide
Passive Surveillance
- Conducted by weed & pest districts, mosquito districts, and through public mail-in tick samples
- Passive participation exceeded expectations
Why This Work Matters
Tick-borne diseases are on the rise, driven by:
- Climate change
- Land use changes
- Increased human travel and trade
These factors are contributing to the range expansion of ticks into previously uninhabited areas—bringing new vectors and pathogens with them.
American Dog Tick Established in Wyoming
We have learned that range expansion of the American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis) now includes Wyoming. Widespread surveillance in the US is lacking. Many distribution estimated are based on models using limited surveillance points.
Looking Ahead
Future Goals:
- Expand tick surveillance in humans and animals
- Increase pathogen testing capacity through multiplexing (testing for multiple pathogens at once)
- Collaborate with the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory to increase testing volume
- Contribute data to VectorSurv to update CDC maps and national databases
We’re grateful to our collaborators and the public throughout the state for conducting passive tick surveillance through fieldwork and public mail-in submissions. Follow along with our updates throughout the season, and stay tuned for the 2025 End-of-Season Passive Tick Surveillance Report, which will include results from additional tick findings over the summer.
