Enjoy a tick-safe summer in Canada

woodticks.ca

Removal · ID · risks
Prevention — for Canada

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Seasonal advisory · Spring 2026

Peak deer tick activity runs late April through June across southern Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, and southern Manitoba. Range is expanding north each year — check yourself after every outing, including suburban yards.

✕ ✕ ✕   Triage start   ✕ ✕ ✕

Found a tick?
Start here.

Pick what matches your situation. If a tick is on someone right now, go straight to Remove It. If it’s already off and you want to know what species it was, go to Identify It. If symptoms started showing up in the last 30 days after a bite, go to I Think I’m Sick.

Action · in the field

Remove it

Fine-tipped tweezers, straight pull. No matches, no Vaseline. Steps and the things that make it worse.

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Calm · informational

Identify it

Wood tick? Deer tick? Nymph or adult? What species you’re dealing with changes the risk.

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Urgent · symptomsURGENT

I think I’m sick

Fever, rash, joint pain, facial weakness? What to watch for and where to go — pharmacist, doctor, or ER.

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·   Right here, right now   ·

What’s the tick risk where you are?

Set your province, pick a tick, and the dial will show how active that species is right now in your part of Canada.

NONELOWMODERATEHIGH
Set the dial

Current reading

Low

Activity is quiet this month. Tick checks are still worth doing.

Based on published seasonal activity patterns and where each species is established.

·   Who is this for   ·

For me. For my kid. For my pet.

The basics are the same. The tick-check spots, what to watch for, and the prevention options all change depending on who you’re worried about.

For me

Adult protocol

The removal steps, what never to do, and the 30-day watch after the bite.

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For my kid

Kids and ticks

Where to check, what nymphs really look like, and when to call the doctor.

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For my pet

Dogs (and cats)

Where to check, vet-prescribed prevention products, and the dog Lyme vaccine.

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For the moment when you find one

A printable field card you can keep with your first aid kit.

It shows what to do, what never to do, and what to bring if you end up at a pharmacy or doctor. One letter page. Print it, fold it, tape it to the inside of your first aid kit.

  • Use fine-tipped tweezers and pull straight up. The card shows the four steps.
  • Never use heat, Vaseline, nail polish, or twisting— each one makes the bite more dangerous. The card explains why.
  • Save the tick on an index card with the date and bite location. Some labs can test the tick itself, faster than waiting for antibodies.
  • See an Ontario pharmacist within 72 hoursof a deer-tick bite. They can prescribe a single preventive dose of doxycycline — no doctor required.
Open the printable cardRead the full guide
⟁Laminate it for the glovebox — paper soaks through fast in a wet pack.

Backcountry first aid · Field reference

Tick Removal — done right

Keep with
first aid kit
Print · Fold · Save
Never do these
  • ✕Matches, heat, or flameForces the tick to regurgitate into the bite — exactly how Lyme and co-infections enter
  • ✕Nail polish or VaselineSame result — stresses the tick into emptying its gut
  • ✕Soap on cottonSame mechanism, same risk
  • ✕Twisting or jerkingMouthparts are barbed — steady upward pull only
  • ✕Digging out a broken mouthpartYour body pushes it out like a splinter. Digging causes more damage
How to remove it
  1. 1Use fine-tipped tweezers. Grip at the mouthparts where they enter skin — not the body.
  2. 2Pull straight up with steady pressure. It will resist. Hold firm — releases within seconds.
  3. 3If a mouthpart breaks off, leave it alone. Your body will push it out.
  4. 4Clean the bite with alcohol or soap and water. Wash your hands.
Save the tick — do not flush it

Tape it to an index card with clear packing tape. Write the date and location on your body. Keep for 30 days. If you develop symptoms, that tick goes with you to the doctor. Some labs test it directly — faster and more reliable than waiting for antibodies to show in your blood. A dated tick on a card is one of the most useful things you can hand a doctor.

When to act immediately

If the tick was engorged and you cannot confirm it was off within 24 hours, do not wait for a rash. Many Lyme cases never produce a bullseye. A single preventive dose of doxycycline within 72 hours of a deer tick bite cuts transmission risk significantly.

Ontario residents

No doctor required. A pharmacist can prescribe the preventive doxycycline dose if criteria are met: deer tick, estimated 24+ hours attached, within 72 hours of removal. Walk in with the tick on a card and a clear timeline.

Tick Removal Field GuideWatch 30 days for: rash · fever · joint pain · flu-like illness

Designed to print on a single letter page · portrait

Three numbers worth knowing

The hours and minutes that change the outcome.

24hours

Attachment threshold

A deer tick generally needs to be attached for 24 hours or more before it can transmit Lyme bacteria. Less than that, and your odds of infection drop sharply. Knowing when the bite started matters as much as knowing the species.

72hours

Ontario pharmacist window

Within 72 hours of removing a deer tick, an Ontario pharmacist can prescribe a single preventive dose of doxycycline — no doctor visit required. Bring the tick on an index card and a timeline.

30days

Symptom watch

Watch the bite site and yourself for 30 days. Most Lyme infections never produce a bullseye rash — fever, fatigue, joint pain, facial weakness, and a non-bullseye rash all count.

General information only — not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911. Read the full disclaimer.

Tick alerts · CA

Seasonal alerts for your inbox.

Eight emails a year. Spring and fall activity peaks, news on where ticks are showing up across Canada, and what’s biting in your area. No spam, no sales.

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