Strange

Ticks and Humans in British Columbia

by Barbara McPherson | April 9, 2009 at 09:03 am

1429 views | 68 Recommendations | 8 comments

Spring on the west coast of Canada brings wildflowers, soft breezes and tick bites. These tiny blood sucking insects reach peak nuisance value in early spring. The blood sucker on Vancouver Island is known as the deer tick or black legged tick and has the scientific name of Ixodes pacificus .

The female tick requires a blood meal in order to lay fertile eggs. She doesn't confine herself to deer, but will attach to any large mammal for that meal.

This insect rarely causes complications from its bite, but some people react to the saliva and a slow to heal ulcer may result. More seriously, Lyme disease is now a consideration on the Island.

The red and black females and smaller black males attach to humans, deer, cats and dogs, becoming grey and bean-like in size as they feed. The bite is often painful and may result in a slow-healing ulcer. This tick does not cause paralysis; however, it is a carrier of the microorganism responsible for Lyme disease in North America. The organism which causes Lyme Disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, has been found in ticks collected from many areas of BC over the last 6-8 years, and health authorities now believe that Lyme Disease carrying ticks may be present throughout the province. To date in British Columbia there have been over 60 confirmed cases of Lyme Disease. Of these, 20 cases had no record of travel outside of the province, and the disease is considered to have been contracted in BC. For more information on Lyme Disease, see the BC Centre for Disease Control web site

You can protect yourself from these nasty little creatures by using an insect repellent,wearing close fitting clothes and a hat when you are in brushy areas. The ticks crawl up bushes and crawl onto their targets. Do not sit directly on the ground in the spring, but put a tarp down or sit on a rock. When you get home, check yourself for these little crawlies. Particularly check hairy areas and your back. If you find one attached, you can remove it yourself or go to a clinic. It is recommended that you save the tick and take it for testing for Lyme disease.

If you find yourself with one of these repulsive insects attached, don't panic. They are yucky but usually easily removed and normally cause no long lasting problems. I've had countless ticks over the years. We check the cat and dog daily for any hitchhikers and remove them.

It's only anecdotal, but it seems to me that the tick season is starting earlier that it used to.

The two photos I've attached are of deer ticks removed from the cat and the dog. You can see the tick's abdomen filling with blood.

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Amy Judd

at 09:27 on April 9th, 2009

I thought that you shouldn't pull at a tick to get it out as the head can become detached from the body and stay stuck in your skin - or am I thinking about another creature?

Roy C

at 10:45 on April 9th, 2009

Useful info.

Jordan Yerman

at 12:37 on April 9th, 2009

Ignore the myth about using heated tweezers... the critters will burrow deeper to avoid the heat. Use mineral oil (or its equivalent) to start suffocating the creature, which breathes through its abdomen, and gently-- gently--- pull it out with tweezers. No twisting- just pull straight out. And, yes, it hurts.

sara star

at 13:51 on April 9th, 2009

Sounds like a voice of experience.

Barbara McPherson

at 17:28 on April 9th, 2009

You do have to be careful about detaching the head. If you do then it's off to the clinic to have it removed. I have heard different stories about how to get rid of them. I use tweezers to gently grasp ahead of the abdomen and twist counterclockwise at the same time as I use a gentle pull.

lr (not verified)

at 22:50 on April 24th, 2009

I live on Vancouver Island and yes we have more than enough of them ...tea tree oil works wonders on the little devils...I've removed any that hitch a ride on my dogs with a few drops of tea tree oil on a Qtip or cotton swab.. I swab the tick's belly down with the oil and within an hr or so they shrivel up, die and fall out ....

another product that I've been told works well for removal is Vick's Vapour Rub.. haven't tried it myself but another islander swears by it ...

they seem to especially like scotch broom.. i've often wondered about Lyme's disease on the island, thanks for the article

Barbara McPherson

at 05:32 on April 25th, 2009

Thanks for the input. Yes, Lyme disease was first caught on the Island about 20 years ago. It's still rare, but we vaccinate our dog against it.

Sex Machines (not verified)

at 02:11 on June 19th, 2009

Great tips! I too, am scared for ticks are prolific in tropical countries as well, and living in one makes me and my family very vulnerable to such threats, especially my kids who love playing with our pets and sitting on the grass. Now I'm much aptly prepared in case the attack occurs. Thanks a lot!