How To Watch Out For Ticks In The Area This Spring

Now that Spring has arrived and you actually have the time to start working in the gardens, be extra vigilant this year to check yourself and family (pets included!) for ticks.

These little insects hide in your leaf litter to survive the winter, and if you’re bitten by one, there is a chance they can pass on a wide variety of diseases, the most prevalent being Lyme disease (check out this great article from Peterborough Health to learn more).

CHECK OUT THIS HANDY APP

There is a handy app called eTick (developed here in Canada) to help you identify and report ticks. You can also use it to see if there have been any sightings in your area. Looking at the green dots on the map pictured above, sadly you can see ticks have already been reported in almost every part of Peterborough this year alone!

Stay safe, and make sure you wear long clothing, use insect repellent containing DEET, check yourself over when you get back inside (be sure to look closely, they are pretty tiny!) and if you find one… remove it properly.

—by Evan Holt, PTBOCanada.com

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