Health, Pets and Pet Health

Ticks Are in Kingsville: Are You Ready?

As Kingsville citizens and their pets finally enjoy warm weather, they are not the only ones excited to see higher temperatures. Ticks are out in full force, too. These tiny arachnids (yes, they are related to the spider family!) are not only hungry for animal blood, but they are also capable of transmitting many pathogens that can make you and your furry pets sick.

Let’s address some common tick-related questions and then tackle the challenge of preventing them from attaching to you, your family, and your yard.

Which ticks should I watch out for?

According to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, there are currently about 40 species of ticks found in Canada. In Kingsville, there are mainly three to worry about: the black-legged tick (a.k.a. the deer tick), the American dog tick, and the Lone Star tick.

The black-legged tick is most famous for spreading Lyme disease, but can also transmit other pathogens including those that cause babesiosis. The American dog tick can spread Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and tularemia.

The Lone Star tick, most common in the southeastern parts of the United States, are making their way into Canada with the warming climate and transmit a variety of bacteria and pathogens as well, including bacteria that cause human ehrlichiosis. Lone Star ticks have also been shown to be capable of causing a red meat allergy in humans.

What do these ticks look like?

Ticks have four stages in their life cycle, and this will affect their appearance: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. As larvae, these ticks have six legs and are smaller than a poppy seed. By the time a tick reaches adulthood, it will be about the size of a sesame seed. However, while both females and males feed on blood, females feed longer and so tend to be the ones to transmit pathogens. They can swell up like a water balloon and will look like a small grape on your skin when fully engorged.

Generally, these three ticks have a flat teardrop shape and eight legs (though their larvae have six legs). They cannot jump or fly.

To tell apart a deer tick, American dog tick, or Lone Star tick, you need to examine the markings on their back. When unfed, the adult male deer tick has a black scutum (a hard section on its back) and looks nearly entirely black, while the female is larger and has a smaller scutum. The rest of her back is orange to red.

Female Deer Tick

A male American dog tick has mottled white and brown patches all over its back, while the female has this pattern on a smaller area of her back. The rest of her back is brown.

American Dog Tick

Both the male and female Lone Star ticks have mottled red and black backs, but the female has a distinct white circle in the middle of her back.

Lone Star Tick 

When am I most at risk?

Some tick species can live up to three years. This means that warmer winters, like the ones we have in Kingsville, will help their populations survive into the coming spring.

Unfortunately, Kingsville is one of many places in southern Ontario that rarely experiences prolonged winter temperatures below freezing. This means that while the risk of being bitten by a tick in Kingsville is highest from early spring to late fall, the risk is present year-round as long as temperatures are above freezing.

Where would I find ticks?

Ticks can be found nearly anywhere outside where there is lots of moisture and little direct sunlight. These areas include tall grass, bushes and shrubs, gardens, wood piles, and leaf litter. If you like walking in the woods, be sure to stay on trails and avoid brushing against vegetation. Ticks can be in your backyard, neighbourhood, or local park, particularly in shady areas and locations where leaves have piled up or grass has been left to grow tall.

Ticks can also be found on you and your pets! Like you, pets don’t intentionally bring ticks inside your home. However, ticks can latch onto your pet’s fur and find their way onto your floors, your couch, and even your bed. Check yourself and your pets thoroughly after spending time outside.

Fighting back: How to protect yourself, your kids, and your pets

When preparing to go camping, hunting, or simply walking outside in an area where ticks may be waiting, tick prevention should be on your to-do list. Remind yourself and your family about tick safety, including where ticks may be hiding.

Use insect repellent on yourself and your clothes, including your boots and other gear. Wear long pants without holes and tuck them into your socks before putting on tall boots.

After returning indoors, throw your clothes into the dryer and tumble dry on high heat for at least 10 minutes, or longer if the clothes are damp. Check yourself, your kids, and your pets for ticks. The Centers for Disease Control provide detailed information online about how and where to check for ticks both on people and pets.

For people, these areas include in and behind the ears, in the armpits and bellybutton, behind the knees, in and around the hair, in the groin area, and around the waist. Take turns checking areas that are hard to see on yourself, such as behind your ears and your back.

For pets, do not use insect repellent! They can lick it off and become sick. Check with your vet about safe alternatives to insect sprays for your pet to prevent tick bites. When checking your pet after spending time outside, look in and around the ears, around the eyelids and tail, under the collar, between the back legs and under the front legs, and between the toes.

For your yard, the best practice is to keep it tidy. Remove all leaf litter, including along the edges of the yard. Mow your lawn frequently to keep it short. Remove tall grasses and brush. If you stack wood, keep it in a dry area to discourage rodents. Keep playground equipment away from yard edges and trees.

If possible, discourage deer, raccoons, stray dogs, and other wild animals by constructing a fence. Remove any old furniture and trash that would otherwise be good places for ticks to hide.

You can place a three-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between your lawn and wooded areas to hinder tick migration into your yard. You can also have your yard sprayed for ticks, but use this prevention method on top of the other methods listed above. Consult with local health and pest control officials about the best times to spray for ticks and the optimal pesticide to use.

What do I do if I’ve found a tick on myself, a family member, or a pet?

The prompt removal of a tick is of the utmost important to prevent disease transmission. Use fine-tipped tweezers and pinch the tick as close to its mouthparts as possible and gently pull upwards until the tick detaches itself from the skin.

This may require you to lift up a few times before it lets go. Lift straight up. Do not jerk or twist the tick or its mouthparts may break off and remain in your skin. Once removed, clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

Do not burn, stab, or rub the tick with anything, including petroleum jelly. Stressing the tick while it is feeding can induce it to vomit, which will speed up the transmission of any pathogens from its stomach to you.

Also, do not wait for the tick to detach on its own. Depending on the tick species and its life stage, it can feed for days. The longer it feeds, the higher the chance it can spread any pathogens to you.

If you or a loved one has been bitten by a tick, consult your local physician as soon as possible. A physician can also remove the tick for you if you are unsure or feel uncomfortable removing it yourself. If your pet has been bitten, consult your veterinarian.

If you’ve found a tick, whether it has bitten you or not, try to keep it for identification and testing. Put it in rubbing alcohol or place it in a sealed bag or container.

You can also report it to the citizen science project etick.ca to help scientists identify and track tick species in Canada. Participating is free and a professional will identify the tick for you based on pictures you send in of the tick.

By being prepared and taking precautions, we can enjoy everything Kingsville’s beautiful summer has to offer…except the tick bites.

For more information, check out the online advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to avoid ticks.

Sources:

Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme) 
Site visited on June 11th, 2021.

Blacklegged Tick
Site visited on June 11th, 2021.

Babesiosis (Babesia microti)

Tick ID

Preventing tick bites

Preventing ticks on your pets

Preventing ticks in the yard

Tick Bite: What to Do

Top image by Rebecca Scholz from Pixabay

Female Deer Tick, American Dog Tick, Lone Star Tick images from CDC/ JamesGathaney

3 Comments

  1. Nancy Beltaire

    A brilliant article! Thank-you, Dr. Acheson, for sharing this important information, and a thank-you to the Kingsville Times as well for printing the article.

  2. Peter Walker

    An awesome informative article. A great guide for dealing with ticks.

  3. An excellent and very informative article! The photographs and information on the sizes of the ticks, where they are found, the steps that can be taken to avoid ticks, the importance of checking yourself, others, and your animals for ticks (including where to look and how to safely remove ticks) is invaluable. I hope everyone takes the time to read it. My thanks to Dr Acheson for sharing this information and to the Kingsville Times for publishing it.

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