Here’s how to prevent tick bites and safely remove them
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Most of us get squeamish at the idea of any creepy crawler on our body, but bugs like ticks are more than just an outdoor nuisance. They also carry serious diseases and other pathogens that can transfer to their unlucky prey.
There are over 40 tick species in Canada but the primary tick-borne disease of concern, Lyme disease, is contracted from the blacklegged tick. These annoying arachnids can be difficult to detect — a full-grown adult is about half a centimetre long, approximately the size of a sesame seed, whereas a nymph can be as small as a poppy seed.
According to the Government of Canada, there were more than 2,540 cases of Lyme disease reported in 2023 and blacklegged ticks are spreading to new areas due to climate change. Prevention methods are thus critical to avoiding tick bites and preserving health.
“Blacklegged ticks are likely to be in cool, damp environments,” said Justin Wood, founder at Geneticks, a private lab in Canada that tests ticks for Lyme disease. They may hide out in low shrubberies and grassy and wooded areas as well as in leaf litter, wood piles, and any protected areas where they’re not going to get too hot from the sun or get too cold when temperatures dip, he said.
Ticks will wait for their hosts to walk by—detecting CO2, body odours, body heat, moisture, and vibrations—then will reach out to latch on.
“Mostly what we recommend to people is, if you’re going to be in tick areas, try to wear light coloured clothing that covers as much of your body as possible” so that you can
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