Trail Mix: Add Ticks To Your List Of Annoyances
It used to be that mosquitoes and black flies were the sole bane of all campers and canoeists… now here in Canada we have a new entry on the list. Ticks are becoming more and more prevalent every year now that our winters aren’t as cold, the ever growing chance of contracting Lyme disease from these little pests should not be ignored.
A sobering headline from the Toronto Star today reads… “'It's astronomical': Over 1,000 Lyme disease-spreading ticks reported across Ontario as tick-borne illnesses climb”. Yuck.
Check out the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Lyme Disease Risk Area interactive map to see if where you live, or are about to explore is under siege. You can also consult the handy eTick app to see where there have been reporting or to report your own sighting.
Check yourself frequently and consider bug repellent clothing from Marks, and even the bug spray (using DEET, Icaridin, or Permethrin such as Ben’s Tick Repellant) and clothing you would already use for avoiding mosquitos and black flies (such as from the Original Bug Shirt Company).
Want to learn more? Read Lyme Disease, Ticks and You by Shelley Ball PhD.
Stay safe out there!
Trail Mix is an assortment of outdoors related blog posts that can be fun, quirky or just thought provoking.
