Ticks in Canada

Ticks are a global problem, spreading rapidly, infesting new areas, bringing disease and death to nearly every part of the globe, including Canada, northern neighbor of the United States. Ticks populations in Canada are on the increase, year after year.

Canada is home to a wide variety of dangerous ticks including the Eastern blacklegged tick, Western blacklegged tick, American dog tick, lone star tick, brown dog tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick, and even Ixodes angustus, a tick with no common name. More than 40 varieties of tick call Canada home.

It is believed migratory birds first carried ticks north into Canada in the 1970’s. A string of warm winters since 2012 have helped the tick population to explode. Once established in a geographical area ticks can expand their territory by 20 to 40 kilometers per year, it is believed in parts of Canada their spread may have been even faster.

Tick hotspots in Canada include southern Ontario, eastern Ontario, northwestern Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, southeastern Manitoba, south-central Manitoba, and southern New Brunswick including Grand Manan Island.

Ticks residing in Canada transmit over 20 different extremely undesirable medical conditions and can cause debilitating illness and even death. Ticks are the primary vector for Lyme disease in Canada. Lyme is the most prolific tick-borne disease in the world. In certain areas of Canada such as Ottawa the percentage of ticks that test positive for Lyme is so overwhelming officials do not even bother to test ticks anymore, the public health unit just assumes every tick is more likely than not a carrier of Lyme, advising anyone finding a tick that has been attached for more than 24 hours to seek treatment for Lyme. High rates of Lyme disease are being found all over Canada, with infectious tick situations statistically like Ottawa’s being identified in every Canadian province other than Saskatchewan, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ticks are found most often in wooded areas, grasslands, shrubs, forests, at the edges of trails, and in loose piles of leaves. Hikers, campers, backpackers, hunters, and outdoors enthusiasts of all types should familiarize themselves with ticks and tick diseases, tick questing, learn how to remove a tick, and take means to protect themselves from this emerging threat.

Canadian citizens can guard themselves by using an effective tick repellent. Unfortunately due to rising shipping costs, Tick Proof no longer ships to Canada. If you live in Canada and have your heart set on a bottle of Tick Proof contact us, we may be willing to make an exception, if you cover the additional shipping.