Lyme Disease-Carrying Ticks Will Swarm Canada This Weekend, Scientists Warn

As we're anticipating another awesome long weekend, the ticks are anticipating the arrival of warmer weather. Canadian pest control experts warn that the weather in the forecast for much of Quebec and Ontario is a match made in heaven for ticks. 

If you're a camping enthusiast and are planning on doing that this weekend, you already know the potential pitfalls of a run-in with a tick. Those tiny little critters like to bite and live by feeding on the blood of living creatures. 

Though, it's not only outdoorsy types that have to stay on alert. President of Abell Pest Control in Guleph, Ontario warns that the likelihood of contracting Lyme disease in urban areas is "very real."   

Ticks love to hang out in bushy or overgrown grass and leaf piles. If you have a dog that loves to play outside, you know how nasty these little things are. Ticks are cousins to spiders and carry various diseases that are dangerous to humans.

The most common Lyme disease-spreading tick that you'll find in Southern Ontario and Quebec is the deer tick. As temperatures rise, these eight-legged freaks come out of the literal woodwork and seek out fresh meat. 

Deer ticks can be as small as a poppy seed to as large as a pea. Officials say that climate change is a huge factor in why there were over 2,000 reported cases of Lyme disease in Canada in 2017. 

Lyme disease causes intense rashes, severe headaches, and joint pain. While the disease isn't deadly to humans, it's important that you get tested for it because it's often misdiagnosed. 

Ticks can also carry various other infectious diseases such as typhus and Rocky Mountain fever. Symptoms can show up in as little as 24 hours. Lyme disease symptoms take longer to appear, but can linger for more than a month.

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Make sure to wear long pants and sleeves if you're planning on galavanting through some long grass this weekend. Don't forget your bug spray too! If you find a tick on your body, you can easily remove it using tweezers.

Contact your doctor or visit a clinic if symptoms begin to appear. For more information, you can review the government of Canada's web page dedicated to Lyme disease and treatments to combat it.

Here's hoping you all have a tick-free long weekend! Keep yourself and your pets safe from these gross blood-sucking arachnids! 

For more information about ticks, check out this handy guide from Health B.C. 

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