By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-04 15:58:44 | Updated at 2026-06-07 20:26:55
3 days ago
A horrified Illinois family once loved walking through their favorite beauty spot, but all of that changed after they were swarmed by massive ticks.
Stacy Riley, her family, and their beloved dog Greta were taking a stroll through Rock Cut State Park in April when the parasitic bugs suddenly took over.
In the span of 20 minutes, the insects, which can transmit Lyme disease to humans and animals, latched onto their skin and came home with them, Riley told WIFR.
'We were in shock. It was gross. I looked down and saw three ticks on the back of my husband's leg,' the grandmother recalled.
She added: 'Then I noticed that I had a couple on my arm. We all had ticks on us.'
After realizing the bugs were everywhere, Riley grabbed her dog and family and darted for their car.
They found even more ticks, including some that grasped onto their scalps, before heading home.
But once they got back home, that's when the family realized that Greta also had some on her.
Stacy Riley, her family, and their beloved dog Greta were taking a stroll through Rock Cut State Park in April when the parasitic bugs suddenly took over
The ticks clung to their skin and even jumped onto their scalps
The following morning, after the fluffy dog slept with Riley and her husband, several dead ticks fell onto their bed, she shared.
'That's definitely the most ticks I've ever seen. In total, we probably found 30 or 35 ticks that day, and the next day, just from that 20 minutes at Rock Cut,' Riley told the outlet.
Following the scary incident, Rock Cut State Park officials said they are anticipating a rise in ticks this season, according to the local station.
'We advise wearing long pants and tucking the pants into your socks when hiking in high weed or grass areas,' officials said.
'We also recommend a quick body scan once done. We are stocking tick repellent now.'
In recent years, the presence of ticks has surged and caused an increase in emergency room visits for tick bites, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
People can get infected with Lyme disease if they are bitten by an infected tick.
A specific species, known as the blacklegged tick, or deer tick, is known to carry the disease.
Riley snapped a pic of one of the massive ticks after they got home from the horror walking incident
Rock Cut State Park officials said they are anticipating a rise in ticks this season, according to the local station
Riley found multiple dead ticks in her bed the following morning after their fluffy dog slept in bed with her and her husband
Though not all ticks transmit the disease, the ones that do need to be attached for 24 to 48 hours to spread it.
Lyme disease causes inflammation in the skin, joints, heart, and nervous system if it's left untreated.
Permanent health complications, including neurological and cardiac problems, can occur if nothing is done to treat the disease.
Antibiotics are often prescribed to treat Lyme disease, and typically lead to a full recovery.
Tick season is normally from the early spring to late fall, but according to Samantha Kerr with the Illinois Department of Public Health, that time period could extend this year at the park.
'We had a really mild winter this past season. So that kind of brought our spring temperatures here earlier in the year, which brings the ticks out,' Kerr told the outlet, adding that there is a chance the bugs could still be out in December.
