Safety Update

Safety Update: Tick Knowledge and Prevention

Ticks are one of the last things you want to find crawling in your home, infesting your lawn and shrubs or attached to your pets and family members.

Although ticks are commonly thought of as insects, they are actually arachnids like scorpions, spiders, and mites and can be seen with the human eye. Ticks are among the most efficient carriers of disease because they attach firmly when sucking blood, feed slowly, and may go unnoticed for a considerable time while feeding. Once they are finished feeding, 'engorged' ticks may double in size and are much more noticeable.

Ticks wait for host animals from the tips of grasses and shrubs (not from trees). When brushed by a moving animal or person, they quickly let go of the vegetation and crawl onto the host; they are not capable of flying or jumping. It is important to note that although ticks are thought of as being a concern during the warm weather months, they may also be prevalent during the cool weather of the fall and have even been observed during unseasonable warm weather during the winter. Despite the time of year, if you are going to be involved in outdoor work or activities, precautions should be taken to avoid tick bites and tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease.

Tips and precautions when dealing with ticks:

• Wear protective clothing
• Use insect repellent containing DEET
• Try not to brush up against trees on walking trails or in forested areas where there is grassland
• Check yourself for ticks every 2-3 hours if working in forested areas where there is grassland
• Remove ticks immediately with tweezers and/or masking or cellophane tape - do not burn or spray ticks with chemicals as they have barbed mouths and will not detach
• Wash bite areas well and treat with antiseptic

In Canada, the deer tick and the western blacklegged tick are the species known to transmit the Lyme disease causing agent as well as other agents which are defined as less common. For more information on Ticks and Lyme disease research go to the Public Health Agency of Canada website.

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