Ticks

What ticks look like

Ticks are not insects. They are arachnids, related to mites and spiders, with eight legs as adults and no wings or antennae. The two seen most often in southern and eastern Ontario are the blacklegged tick, also called the deer tick, and the American dog tick. An unfed adult blacklegged tick is about 3 mm long, flat, oval and reddish brown with a dark shield behind the head. Nymphs are the size of a poppy seed and very easy to miss. American dog ticks are larger and browner with pale marbled markings on the back. After feeding, a tick swells to the size of a small grape and turns grey or greenish. They move slowly and cannot jump or fly.

Signs you have ticks

• Ticks on people. A small dark speck attached to skin, usually in a warm spot such as behind the knee, along the waistband, in the groin or at the hairline.
• Ticks on pets. A firm bump felt while patting a dog, often around the ears, neck, armpits or between the toes.
• Crawling ticks indoors. An unattached tick found on clothing, a towel or bedding after a walk in long grass or woods.
• Habitat at the property edge. Leaf litter, tall grass, brush piles and shaded woodland borders where humidity stays high.
• Wildlife traffic. Regular deer, rabbit, raccoon or rodent activity across the yard, since these animals carry ticks onto the property.
• Repeat finds. More than one tick found in the same season, from the same part of the yard or the same trail.

Ticks are found by checking, not by watching. Regular checks are how most are caught.

Why ticks show up around Ottawa and Toronto properties

Blacklegged ticks have become established in parts of eastern Ontario, including areas in and around Ottawa, and in pockets across southern Ontario. They depend on hosts and on humidity. Mice, chipmunks and birds carry the small immature stages, while deer carry adults and move them over longer distances. Ticks cannot survive long in dry open sun, so they wait in leaf litter, long grass and the shaded band where a lawn meets woods, brush or a ravine. Properties backing onto conservation land, river corridors, trails or unmown fields see the most. They are active whenever the ground is not frozen, which in this climate means spring through late autumn, with peaks in late spring and again in the fall.

Are ticks dangerous?

Ticks deserve to be taken seriously. Blacklegged ticks can carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, and Ontario public health units track the risk areas each year. Not every tick carries it and not every bite leads to infection, and risk generally rises the longer a tick stays attached, so prompt removal matters. Known signs of Lyme disease include an expanding rash, fever, headache, fatigue and joint or muscle aches. Anyone who develops symptoms after a bite, or who is unsure, should see a doctor. American dog ticks do not spread Lyme disease, although their bites can still be irritating. Ticks cause no damage to buildings. The concern is entirely health related, and it applies to pets as well, so speak to your veterinarian about tick prevention.

How to keep ticks away

• Check yourself, children and pets after time in long grass, leaf litter or wooded areas, including the scalp and skin folds.
• Keep the lawn cut short and rake up leaf litter, since ticks need shade and moisture to survive.
• Create a clear border of gravel or wood chips between mown lawn and woods, brush or tall grass.
• Move woodpiles, bird feeders and brush piles away from patios and play areas so rodents do not nest close to the house.
• Wear long trousers tucked into socks on trails, choose light colours so ticks show, and use an approved repellent.
• Put outdoor clothing straight into a hot dryer after hikes, and shower soon after coming inside.

Habitat control at the yard edge and a routine tick check together do most of the work.

How GO! Pest Control handles ticks

• Inspection. We assess the property for tick habitat and pressure, focusing on shaded borders, trails, leaf litter, ground cover and the routes wildlife take through the yard.
• Treatment. We apply licensed products to the zones that hold ticks, such as the lawn to woods transition, perimeter vegetation and shaded ground cover, rather than blanketing open turf.
• Proofing. We recommend the habitat changes that make a yard less suitable, including trimming, clearing litter and putting in a defined mulch or gravel border.
• Follow-up. We schedule return visits across the active season, since ticks reappear in spring and again in autumn.
• Advice. We show you where the risk is highest on your own property and how to check people and pets properly.

We are licensed, insured and bonded, and we work in homes, apartments, condos and businesses across the Toronto GTA, Ottawa and Hamilton.

Common questions about ticks