Updated

Updated · KAXE · Jul 21

Benjamin Cull Leads First Minnesota Tick Biodiversity Study in Decades, Tracking 12-Plus Species

Updated

Updated · KAXE · Jul 21

Benjamin Cull Leads First Minnesota Tick Biodiversity Study in Decades, Tracking 12-Plus Species

Q: What surprising discoveries are emerging from Minnesota's new statewide tick biodiversity study?

The standout finding is that raccoon ticks appear to be much more common in Minnesota than scientists had realized. Benjamin Cull’s statewide biodiversity study, the first broad effort of its kind in decades, has shown that earlier records badly underestimated some tick species because researchers were not looking closely enough at wildlife hosts. Before this project, Minnesota had only a single recorded report of a raccoon tick. By working with wildlife biologists and collecting ticks directly from animals, the study is now finding raccoon ticks regularly on raccoons. That matters because the project is not just counting ticks; it is reshaping understanding of where different species live, which animals they prefer, and how those host relationships may influence disease ecology. The study is also helping document Minnesota’s more than a dozen tick species and their links to animals such as squirrels, rabbits and other small mammals that can play roles in pathogen cycles. Researchers say the broader lesson is that Minnesota’s tick landscape is more complex than the public health focus on blacklegged ticks alone might suggest. As climate conditions shift and wildlife populations change, this kind of biodiversity tracking can reveal overlooked species, improve surveillance, and help scientists better assess risks to both wildlife and people.

1 articles · Updated · KAXE · Jul 21

Benjamin Cull is leading Minnesota’s first tick biodiversity study in decades, using volunteer reports to map tick populations and better understand risks to wildlife and people.
More than a dozen tick species live in Minnesota, and Cull said many remain poorly documented because they stay on preferred hosts such as raccoons, rabbits or squirrels rather than biting humans.
Wildlife reports have already reshaped the picture: raccoon ticks, once represented by a single Minnesota report, now appear quite common on raccoons when biologists actively check them.
The work comes as health officials track tick-borne disease threats including Lyme disease and Powassan virus, a rare but severe illness detected in Minnesota since 2008 with fewer than 12 cases recorded annually.

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KAXE2d ago

Benjamin Cull Leads First Tick Biodiversity Study in Decades in Minnesota

What surprising discoveries are emerging from Minnesota's new statewide tick biodiversity study?

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KAXE2d ago

Benjamin Cull Leads First Tick Biodiversity Study in Decades in Minnesota

Benjamin Cull Leads First Minnesota Tick Biodiversity Study in Decades, Tracking 12-Plus Species

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