Tick control · Southeast Michigan
Tick Control in Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan
Ticks here are a health question as much as a nuisance. The blacklegged tick carries Lyme disease, and it has spread across Michigan. Our exterminators treat the yard edges where ticks wait, as part of Mosquito Shield. Yard fleas go in the same visit.
Quick answers
Tick control in Southeast Michigan: the quick facts
Ticks in Michigan are a health question as much as a nuisance. The blacklegged tick is the one that matters for Lyme disease, and its range here has spread. The American dog tick is the one recorded most often in the four counties we serve. Both wait at the edge of the yard, and one Mosquito Shield visit treats them along with mosquitoes and yard fleas.
- Most common here
- American dog tick
- The common spring and early summer tick on dogs and people in long grass.
- Worst months
- May to Jun
- The months with the most sightings in Michigan, from public records anyone can check.
- How it gets in
- Long grass, brush and leaf litter
- Ticks wait at ankle height where the mown lawn meets something wilder. Deer and other wildlife carry them in.
- Included in
- Mosquito Shield
- An add-on to any plan, or on its own, priced by the size of your lot. One treatment covers mosquitoes, ticks and outdoor fleas.
Ticks in Michigan.
Two ticks do most of the biting here. The American dog tick is the common spring and early summer tick on dogs and people in long grass. The blacklegged tick, also called the deer tick, is smaller with darker legs. It carries Lyme disease, it is established in Michigan, and state surveillance has recorded more Lyme disease in recent years.
Ticks live in long grass, brush, woods and leaf litter, not out on open sunny lawn. They wait at the edge, where the mown lawn meets something wilder, and deer and other wildlife carry them in. The plan that works treats those edges and cuts back that habitat where you can.
- Keep the grass cut and trim back overgrown edges
- Rake leaf litter out of the places you use most
- Trim dense plants where people and pets walk
- Keep play and seating areas away from heavy brush
- Leave no pet food outside, and cut back what draws wildlife in
- Check people and pets for ticks after time outdoors
- Keep your pet on the tick prevention your vet recommends
Treating the yard cuts tick numbers where we treat. It cannot stop every tick from reaching the property. The CDC gives the same advice: combine yard care, personal protection, pet protection and treatment where it fits. See CDC tick prevention guidance.
The edges, not the lawn
Ticks wait at ankle height where the lawn meets long grass, brush or woods. Deer and other wildlife carry them in, so the edges of the property matter most.
One treatment, three pests
Mosquito Shield is a backpack fog across the yard, every 30 to 45 days, 60 days or 90 days. It covers mosquitoes, ticks and outdoor fleas in one visit.
Your vet still matters
Treating the yard cuts what your pet picks up. It does not replace the tick prevention your vet prescribes. You want both.
Seasonal pattern
When are ticks worst in Michigan?
This is when ticks are actually recorded in Michigan, month by month, from public observation records rather than from a guess. Most turn up in May and June, with a smaller rise in October.
Warning signs
How ticks announce themselves.
A tick on you or your pet after time in the yard
A yard that borders woods, brush or tall grass
Long grass, leaf litter or a woodpile at the lawn edge
Deer or other wildlife crossing the yard
Ticks found after walking the edge of the lawn
A dog that keeps bringing ticks into the house
Ticks turning up again every spring and early summer
Play or seating areas right up against heavy brush
What to look for
What a tick problem looks like at home.
Most people find a tick before they find where it came from. These are six of the things people notice, and what each one tells us.
About the size of a sesame seed, orange-brown with a black shield. Check socks and ankles after time at the lawn edge.
Brown with cream markings, often behind the ears or between the toes. Your vet's prevention is still the first line.
The strip where mowed lawn meets brush and leaf litter. This edge is where the treatment matters most.
Shade, leaf litter and a woodpile keep the ground damp, and ticks need damp to survive.
Deer carry ticks in and drop them along the paths they use. Where they cross is where we look.
Ticks climb up, not down. Light pants make them easy to spot before they reach skin.
How our exterminators get rid of ticks.
Three steps, as part of Mosquito Shield.
Walk the yard and find the edges
We ask where people and pets spend time, then look at the shade, the brush, the leaf litter and every place the lawn meets woods or long grass. We note where deer and other wildlife cross. Ticks wait where the lawn stops, so that is where the treatment matters most. Fleas or mosquitoes too? We find those spots on the same walk.
Treat where ticks wait
The backpack fog goes across the yard, with the most attention on shaded edges, fence lines, brush, ground cover and leaf litter. It is not one spray pattern on every surface: ticks wait in different places from where mosquitoes rest, and the treatment follows each. It is the same Mosquito Shield visit that covers mosquitoes and outdoor fleas.
Come back on schedule
Ticks keep arriving on deer, wildlife, pets and people, so one visit is not the fix. You pick every 30 to 45 days, 60 days or 90 days, and we recommend 30 to 45. Coming less often costs more per visit, not less. We also tell you what to change in the yard, because mowing, leaf litter and your vet's prevention decide how fast they come back.
Before treatment begins, we explain which areas will be treated, whether people or pets need to leave, what preparation is required, and when treated areas may be used again. See EPA pesticide label guidance.
Every tick control visit
The full Honorable TriShield™, every time.
Three layers. The house, the lawn, then the property line. Not a rushed spray along your baseboards. A cheap quote usually skips two of the three.
Foundation barrier
Three feet up the wall. Three feet out from it. All the way round the house, plus windows, doors, the garage and the roofline. That strip is the road bugs use to get in.
Measured with a tape, not eyeballed
Granular yard moat
A ring of granules across the lawn. Rain wakes it back up. So does your sprinkler. In a Michigan summer that is most weeks.
Skipped by most companies. Granular costs money.
Property line
We spray the whole property line. Bugs get stopped at the edge of your yard, not at your back door.
The layer a cheaper quote quietly leaves out
How to identify the ticks on your property.
These are the ticks we treat that have confirmed sightings in Washtenaw, Oakland, Wayne and Livingston counties, most-recorded first. Each one is identified by independent naturalists, so the animal in the photo is the animal named.
The common spring and early-summer tick on dogs and people in long grass.
Smaller, darker legs. The one that matters for Lyme disease in Michigan.
All of these have confirmed sightings in Washtenaw, Oakland, Wayne and Livingston counties. Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations, pulled 2026-09-25. Photos: American dog tick by Don Loarie (CC BY); Blacklegged tick by Étienne Lacroix-Carignan (CC0).
What it costs
Tick control comes with Mosquito Shield.
Mosquitoes, ticks and fleas in the yard are not on Honorable Shield. They are one treatment, sold as an add-on to any plan or on its own. It is priced by the size of your lot, not your house. Fleas inside the house we do not treat.
| Mosquito ShieldEvery 30 to 45 days | One-time yard visitSingle visit | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Keeping the yard usable all summer | One party or one bad week |
| You get | A backpack fog across the yard, every visit | The same treatment, one time |
| Covers | Mosquitoes, ticks and outdoor fleas | Mosquitoes, ticks and outdoor fleas |
| Commitment | Cancel any time | None |
| Price | From $117 a visit, by acreage | From $347, by acreage |
Prices are the starting figures: a home up to 1,000 square feet, or half an acre for yard work. What is covered is set out in the plan terms.
Tick control, answered straight.
Are ticks a problem in Michigan?
Yes. Michigan has several tick species. The two you are most likely to meet are the American dog tick and the blacklegged tick, also called the deer tick. State health officials keep recording more tick-borne disease. How much risk you carry depends on where you live, the habitat and how much time you spend in it.
Where are ticks most likely to be found in a yard?
Long grass, brush, woodland, shade and leaf litter. The edges of a property matter most, where the mown lawn meets something wilder, and anywhere deer or other wildlife walk. Open sunny lawn is the safest part of the yard.
Which diseases do ticks carry in Michigan?
The blacklegged tick carries Lyme disease, and Michigan's surveillance has recorded more of it in recent years. State health officials track other tick-borne diseases too. Treating a yard cuts the number of ticks, but it cannot promise that nobody is bitten, so keep checking people and pets. We do not diagnose or treat illness. See a doctor about any symptoms.
Is tick control part of Honorable Shield?
No. Ticks come with Mosquito Shield, an add-on to any plan or on its own. One treatment covers mosquitoes, ticks and outdoor fleas, and you can cancel any time.
How much does it cost?
Mosquito Shield is priced by the size of your lot, not your house. At half an acre it is $117 a visit every 30 to 45 days, $137 every 60 days or $157 every 90 days. A single one-time visit starts at $347. There are no discounts.
How often should the yard be treated?
You choose every 30 to 45 days, every 60 days or every 90 days. We recommend 30 to 45. Coming less often costs more per visit, not less.
Do you treat fleas too?
Yes, in the yard. The same Mosquito Shield visit covers outdoor fleas, in the shady spots where pets lie down. We do not treat fleas inside the house. If they are already breeding indoors, call an interior flea specialist and your vet.
Can yard treatment guarantee that I will not find another tick?
No, and anyone who says otherwise is selling. Treatment cuts the numbers in the treated area. Ticks still arrive on deer and other wildlife, on the dog and on you. Treat the yard as one part of the plan, not the whole plan.
Should my pet still use tick prevention?
Yes. What we do to the yard and what your vet puts on your pet are two different jobs, and neither replaces the other. Ask your vet which flea and tick product suits your animal.
Is it safe for my pets and children?
We follow the label, and before we start we tell you what to move and how long to keep people and pets off treated areas. Bring in toys, food and water bowls while we work, and follow the re-entry instructions the technician gives you.
Do you serve areas outside Ann Arbor?
Yes. We cover 38 towns across Washtenaw, Oakland, Wayne and Livingston counties, Novi, Livonia and Brighton among them. The towns are listed further down this page, and the office can check your address.
Fleas in the yard too? That is the same visit: see yard flea control. Mosquitoes as well? See Mosquito Shield.
Pest-Free Guarantee
They come back? So do we, free.
On Honorable Shield, see a covered pest between visits? We come back within 48 hours and treat it again. You pay nothing.
Tick control where you live.
Old streets with big trees get different bugs than new build on cleared ground. Pick your town to see what we actually find there.
That is not all of them. See all 38 towns, or ask us if we reach your street.
Other pests we treat
One plan covers every one of these. No extra charge when something different shows up.
Every visit includes all three barrier layers. See what we treat, or ask an exterminator.
Tick control · Licensed and insured
Ticks coming in from the yard?
Call (734) 519-6671 or send a request. We price by the size of your lot and tell you the number before anyone starts.
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