Ticks have returned with a vengeance. this season, according to a Pest Control expert.

Orkin Canada Technical Director Sean Rollo says the cooler nights haven’t scared any of them off, “We’re seeing a lot more ticks this year than we expected. We had a pretty long drawn-out cold winter in January and February. Typically that would kill off a good portion of the population. However, this year we’re seeing reports of large populations of ticks.”

Rollo says some of the most common places you’ll find ticks are near deer or other wildlife, “In large open fields, around the edges of forests, obviously in the forest itself.
Along the edges of the golf courses, parks, and even your backyard.  If it backs onto a forest or nearby forest, then you may have a higher risk of encountering ticks.”

He adds that it is normal to see ticks at this time of year. They normally are spotted in late April, or early May, depending on the weather, but with the colder nights, they would have assumed there would be fewer of them this year.

The biggest concern surrounding ticks is Lyme disease, but not all of them carry it.

“There’s one species here in Canada that’s of concern and that’s the black-legged tick or sometimes called the deer tick. It is the one that can carry Lyme disease. It is certainly something to be taken seriously because it can have tragic results. It can cause you to be very ill, and can cause death,” Rollo adds.

He says if you find yourself in an area where ticks are prevalent, you should take precautions and be sure to check yourself, your children and your pets over thoroughly to ensure you aren’t bringing any home.

“If you do find a tick, once you have removed it successfully, just monitor closely. Draw a circle around that particular area and if you notice that it’s getting red, like a red ring, and if it grows beyond that circle and keeps growing, that’s when you would get some help from a doctor to ensure that isn’t Lyme disease,” Rollo adds.

You can also take precautions if you know you’re going to be in an area where ticks are commonly found. Wear long pants, and tuck them into your socks. Take a quick look at your clothing when you get home and if you see any ticks on your clothing, you can brush them off.

If you’re wondering what a tick looks like?

“They’re relatively small, about the size of a sesame seed, and they tend to have eight legs. So, they’re not an insect. They’re more closely related to spiders than insects. They are kind of oval-shaped, and of course, once they start feeding they swell up quite a bit. They feed on your blood and typically you don’t feel it when they’re biting,” Rollo describes.