Kwan et al. (2017) published an informative study comparing results obtained by next‐generation sequencing (NGS) of mean bacterial genera richness among different life stages, male and female adults, and rearing conditions (field vs. laboratory) for Ixodes pacificus. The current paper examines Kwan et al. (2017) as a case study to provide guidance on statistical design and analysis for estimation of richness, derived from next generation sequencing technology, of the bacterial microbiome in field‐collected I. pacificus. Suggestions are provided to further strengthen quantification of microbiome richness in studies in ticks, with focus on sampling design. In‐depth treatment is provided of the relative merits of estimating mean richness versus median richness. Research on microbiome diversity in ticks can be made quantitatively rigorous; although, more research on methods is needed.