I have a new phobia. I have grown deathly afraid of ticks lately.
My neighbour recently pulled one off her young son and ever since then I have been on high alert. Then, my social media feeds started filling up with people concerned about ticks. More and more people in the Bulkley Valley are seeing them on their dogs.
A post on a camping Facebook group I am a part of stated the ticks were so bad in one part of Alberta they cut their trip short. It seemed like it was raining ticks, they said.
My skin is absolutely crawling.
The other day I was having coffee at my in-laws and saw a little black bug crawl across my arm. I screamed, panicked and quickly flicked it off. However, my poor sister-in-law was sitting beside me and I accidentally threw the bug in her direction. She picked up on my energy and jumped up and spilled her coffee.
I found the bug afterwards, it was just an ant. But I had the whole room in a tizzy. Meanwhile, my husband just rolled his eyes and explained to everyone that I have developed a new fear of ticks.
It haunts me. Not only is it gross to have bugs that will dig into your skin and suck your blood, they carry deadly diseases.
In Canada, several tick-borne diseases can be transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus disease, and tularemia.
Blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) are known to transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus disease. Other tick species, such as the Rocky Mountain wood tick, can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and the dog tick can transmit tularemia.
However, before I spread too much fear, the chance of getting Lyme disease from a tick bite is relatively low, especially if the tick is removed promptly, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risk increases with the duration the tick is attached to the skin, and most cases require attachment for over 24 hours, says the CDC. Plus, not all ticks carry Lyme.
There is a website called Tickipedia hosted by TickCheck, a tick testing laboratory dedicated to early detection of tick-borne diseases.
For the months April and May 2025 they received more than 3,400 ticks. This is a 36 per cent increase from their previous year's Spring/Summer peak season.
Tick populations are increasing in many areas, particularly in Canada, due to a combination of factors, including climate change, habitat fragmentation, and the movement of animals. Climate change is allowing ticks to thrive in areas where they previously couldn't, while land development and deforestation are disrupting natural habitats, increasing the risk of encountering ticks.
A quick Google search said to prevent tick bites, wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants, tuck your pants into your socks, and apply insect repellent with DEET or Icaridin to exposed skin. Regularly check yourself, your children, and pets for ticks, and consider using permethrin-treated clothing or treating your yard to deter ticks.
I gave my dog a preventative tick medicine this morning, which also claims to repel mosquitoes. It made me wonder, why isn't there something like that for humans?
If there was, would people take it?
