Missouri Department of Conservation wants you to mail in your ticks

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — A new study, in collaboration with the Missouri Department of Conservation and A.T. Stills University-Health, is asking Missourians to mail in ticks they encounter throughout the state.

Researchers want to increase their surveillance of the summer time critters to gain a better understanding of the unique communities of ticks and the diseases they carry.

With the help if “citizen science”, it can help the team collect data and samples from a large area such as Missouri.

A submission form can be downloaded from the university website. It asks a few questions about where you found the tick and lists instructions for mailing it in.

Instructions

1. Download, print and fill out submission form
2. Place tick on a damp paper towel or cotton ball and place into a plastic zip lock bag.
3. Fold that bag and place it into another zip lock bag.
4. Fold it and place into an envelope and mail it

The study started last April and runs until September 2022.