Download the Tick App and Help Researchers Track Ticks

A free citizen science opportunity from the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases is available now: The Tick App. Researchers have developed a mobile app, “your tick expert on-the-go,” that allows users to share their experiences with ticks to help prevent future tick bites.

After a survey to gather information about a user’s environment, The Tick App participants can tell researchers about their daily activities and tick encounters (or lack thereof). The app has a “Report-A-Tick” function where users can share information about a tick they encounter. They can send in a photo of the tick to receive an expert opinion on what species it is.

The Tick App also provides individuals with information about how to identify different kinds of ticks, good ways to prevent tick exposure, and facts about ticks and the diseases they transmit. The Tick Activity function provides information on the local activity level of blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) throughout the year.

Download the app by searching “The Tick App” in both the Google Play or App Store. The Tick App is compatible with a variety of devices and can be joined online through your web browser too.

Explore the websites www.thetickapp.org and www.mcevbd.wisc.edu. Follow The Tick App on Twitter. Questions about app can be directed to the UW­–Madison Research team through tickapp@wisc.edu or at (608) 265-4741.