Does Your Lake Have a Swimmer's Itch Problem?
A professional lake assessment identifies the exact parasite species driving complaints, measures infection levels at every swimming area, and gives your association a science-backed plan for what to do next.
Request a Lake Assessment →Why Testing Matters
You Can't Fix What You Haven't Identified
Not all swimmer's itch is the same. Six different parasite species have been identified in northern lakes — each cycling through a different snail host and a different species of waterfowl. The control strategy that works for one species may have no effect on another.
A proper assessment tells you exactly which parasite is in your lake, how heavily infected the snail population is, and which waterfowl are driving the cycle. Without that data, any control effort is a guess.
in northern lakes
in MI, WI, MN, ME
after targeted control
How It Works
A Rigorous, Three-Part Assessment
Our assessments are conducted by researchers with peer-reviewed publications in avian schistosome biology and field experience across more than 20 lakes.
Field Collection
A researcher dives and wades each swimming area, collecting 500–1,000 snails from a minimum of six sites around the lake. Waterfowl are surveyed and counted along the full shoreline. Fecal samples from dockside birds are collected where accessible.
Specimen Analysis
Every snail is individually examined under a microscope and checked for shedding cercariae — the larval parasites that cause swimmer's itch. Infected specimens are preserved for DNA-based species identification.
qPCR Water Testing
Water samples from each site are filtered and analyzed using quantitative PCR — a DNA-based technique that detects and precisely quantifies schistosome DNA in the water column. This confirms which parasite species are present and at what levels, even when snail density is low.
What You'll Receive
A Complete Picture of Your Lake's Risk
Your written assessment report covers every piece of evidence collected — snail infection rates by site, waterfowl counts, qPCR results, and a plain-language conclusion about which parasite is driving the problem and why.
Sample Report
What the Findings Look Like
Below are condensed versions of three actual 2025 assessments from Minnesota lakes. Full reports run nine pages and include maps, waterfowl survey data, and detailed qPCR tables.
Sample Lake 1, Otter Tail County, MN Sample
(lake-wide)
across 10 sites
Epidemic Level
"The lake-wide snail infection rate of 16.4% was the highest recorded on any lake in our dataset. Multiple independent lines of evidence — snail infection data, waterfowl samples, and qPCR water testing — all point to T. stagnicolae cycling through Stagnicola snails and breeding common mergansers as the source of the swimmer's itch problem."
Sample Lake 2, Becker County, MN Sample
(lake-wide)
across 5 sites
for Cercariae
"All five collection sites tested positive for cercariae, and T. stagnicolae was the overwhelming driver. The 12.5% infection rate combined with confirmed merganser presence indicates the same transmission cycle seen on other high-risk lakes in the region. The parasite load is sufficient to produce significant swimmer complaints."
Sample Lake 3, Becker County, MN Sample
(lake-wide)
across 8 sites
Identified
"The 7.8% lake-wide infection rate reflects a moderate but genuine swimmer's itch risk. The presence of three parasite species cycling through two different snail hosts makes this a more complex management case than a single-species lake. Targeted treatment of the eastern hotspot sites, combined with waterfowl monitoring, is the recommended starting point."
Get Started
Ready to Know What's in Your Lake?
We coordinate the full assessment process — scheduling, field collection, lab analysis, and final report — so your association doesn't have to manage multiple vendors.