COLUMN: How climate change is bringing new tick species to southern Ontario

Does a tick give you the ick? Well, I’m here to give you a spiel about Niagara’s three tick species, what you need to know about them, and how none of these three arachnids should “ticktate” whether you get outside or not. This isn’t some trendy video on TikTok, so welcome to reading about my tick talk.

About two years ago I wrote an article about Niagara’s ticks for The NOTL Local, but since then have learned plenty more. When I was younger, ticks were not a commonplace discussion. Now it is one of the most commonly asked questions or concerns when people book a hiking tour with me.

I think about my family’s old house on York Road here in Niagara-on-the Lake, and where we live now, which ironically looks back up the Niagara Escarpment to my old house. We literally moved down the hill, if you will. The area in between was mostly a thick swampy environment with plenty of meadows and tall grasses.

Currently, this area is tick central. It may as well now be named Tickville, Ontario, but during my first dozen years or so of romping through this environment, there was almost never a tick to be seen.

So, where did they all come from, and which ones should we be the most aware of? Let’s talk about the American dog tick, the deer tick (black-legged tick, an identifying feature), and the lone star tick.

All three species have a handful of features in common, such as both the male and female requiring blood intake for their development and survival. There’s a common misconception that they burrow entirely under human skin if left undetected, which isn’t true. They are also all tiny (about 1 to 5mm as adults).

The most common species around here is called the American dog tick. If you’ve ever had a tick on you in general and anywhere in Ontario, odds are that this is what you picked up. The American dog tick is brown with mottled, creamy white-yellow markings across the back of its body. Thankfully, it does not carry any diseases that are of human concern, and that’s great news considering it is the most common tick.

Secondly, we have the tick that causes the general public a great deal of worry, and that’s the deer tick. This is the species that has the potential to carry lyme disease, an ailment that can lead to chronic fatigue, hair loss, body rash, joint inflammation and in severe cases, neurological damage to the whole body. I know, it sounds terrifying, and it is.

However, you have a lot going for you against this tick.

Not every deer tick carries the bacteria that causes lyme disease. In fact, most studies show that the majority do not contain the harmful bacteria at all. Furthermore, even if a tick with lyme disease did bite into you, it takes around 24 hours for the bacteria to be delivered. In southern Ontario, these ticks are nowhere near as common as the harmless American dog tick. Interestingly, though, I find that they are relatively more frequent in the southern Niagara Region and along Lake Erie’s shoreline.

I know, it sounds terrifying, and it is

Even so, the  odds are forever in your favour, and with some simple outdoor etiquette, you should be safe for life. 

Notably, this tick has only been present in Ontario since about 1990, and has expanded considerably northward due to climate change altering season lengths. So, for those who are climate change deniers, there’s some further proof for you.

Lastly, there’s a new tick in town. Picture an old western movie in some dusty desert, where a new cowboy on the scene valiantly kicks in the saloon doors and says, “I am the Lone Star tick!”

The Lone Star tick has only been in Ontario since around 2017. Again, like the deer tick, it has advanced northwards due to the increasingly agreeable climate of southern Ontario, a fact that might tick off climate change deniers.

As its name implies, this tick has a lone creamy white star, or blotch on its otherwise plain brown back. I have yet to see one in the wild in Niagara, or anywhere for that matter, so why does the Lone Star tick have people tick talking? It’s due to the fact that a small portion of Lone Star ticks carry a sugar molecule called alpha-gal. No, that does not mean an assertive or dominating lady. It’s a scientific term used to describe the structure of this sugar molecule that when transferred into the human body can cause an allergy to eating any red meat. These ticks are even less common than the deer tick, however, and not every one of them carries this sugar. [Editor’s note: While we applaud Owen’s reassuring approach, this recent Guardian article about Lone Star ticks is definitely worth a look.]

I’ve had many hundreds of ticks on me in my life, and that’s not an exaggeration. I’ve had them on me in places I can’t write about in this article, which implies the rest be left to your imagination. No diseases, no infections, no issues—and here’s how you can be the same.

I get more ticks than the average person because my entire career is based on working outside. Furthermore, I voluntarily go into habitats ticks love (dense bush and meadows) for leisure and exploratory purposes, places I generally don’t even take my hiking guests. If you stay on a hiking trail or path, the odds of you getting ticks are slim to none.

You can also do routine tick checks during and especially after your outdoor outing. Ticks love warm and protected places, like the back of our necks under our hair, armpits, behind the knees, the belt line and where your ankles meet your socks or footwear. Feel around, look in the mirror or take a shower when you get home from your adventure. If you have a significant other to help you search the body, better yet!

Some people, including many other outdoors enthusiasts I know, swear by wearing more clothes (long sleeves and pants, tucked in socks, etc.) to avoid tick contact. This definitely helps, but I will offer a more unconventional idea that has worked well for me since ticks became more populated locally. I go by less is best. Shorts and a T-shirt on a hot day are not only more comfortable, but allow you or someone else to see a tick on your body well before it may venture off and bite somewhere else. Most ticks I have found on my body are crawling (they typically crawl around for some time before biting) on my legs or forearms. Furthermore, I feel them crawling, something that clothing wouldn’t allow someone to sense.

On a final note, Niagara and the world are too beautiful to let ticks deter you from getting outdoors and doing something wonderful and healthy. Follow the above precautions, and don’t let a pesky arachnid deny you of the outdoors I write about, and where I have taken hundreds of people to explore.