'Tis the season for ticks ... lots of ticks .... all the way from Yarmouth to the central part of the province. There are various variations ... wood ticks, dog ticks and in some places .... black-legged ticks.
Museum of Natural History entomologist Andrew Hepda tells us, there is little you can do about them, except grin and bear it and take precautions. He says its important to dress properly and to check for ticks when you get home.
"When you come back in just do a top to bottom check to see if there is "anybody" on you. It usually takes about 24 hours to get up into a feeding position so they're still crawling around for that first 24 hours. Once they start feeding (on your blood), it still takes them a good 48 hours to get that full feed. So, you've got lots of time to check."
Black legged ticks are the ones that can be potential carriers of lyme disease. They have been confirmed to exist in some parts of the region. Last year, a couple of black-legged ticks were found in Yarmouth County and confirmed to be carriers of the virus that causes Lyme disease.
