Regular tick checks are your best defense!

As soon as the temperatures are consistently above 4°C ticks are awake & active. They are most active in spring & fall, but active throughout the summer as well.

Please make tick checks part of your everyday routine from March until November. Tick checks can be done at bedtime, at bath time, when getting dressed in the morning, when changing out of outdoor clothes, etc. – find a time that makes sense for you & your family. Teach older kids how to check themselves, but continue to help them with their head, behind their ears, and their back. Make it a game for little ones. Ask if you need support with this.

Tips for keeping ticks away:

• use bug spray (with picaridin or DEET)
• tuck pants into socks
• wear long sleeves
• wear light-coloured clothing for easily spotting ticks
• consider wearing clothing treated with permethrin
• keep long hair tied back
• wear a hat
• change clothes after outdoor play/adventures
• get yourself a good pair of tweezers
• spend some time reviewing the following resources & photos:

– Government of Canada – Pamphlet: Enjoy the outdoors, without a tick

– Ontario Government – Lyme disease: Learn how to avoid bites from blacklegged ticks, which may carry Lyme disease.

– KFL&A Public Health – Lyme Disease

– Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit – Ticks and Lyme Disease… What You Need to Know

– eTick – A public platform for image-based identification and population monitoring of ticks in Canada.

– Tick Removal: A Step-by-Step Guide

– TickEncounter: Tick Growth Comparison Charts (see how different species of ticks change appearance as they feed)

– Government of Canada – Increased risk of tick-borne diseases with climate change (Tick-borne pathogens that are present in or may spread to Canada)

(The staff at Kingston Forest & Nature School are not tick experts or health care professionals. Please refer to trusted sources.)