Welcome to Tick Talk, ladies and gentleman; a weekly informational series on the life and times of our not-so favourite arachnid, the tick. From now until late-May, we will be writing about all things tick-related, with the goal of keeping you safe and informed for the upcoming spring/summer season!
We all have that one (annoying) friend that mosquitoes just don’t seem to bite. They could be doing jumping jacks, in a swamp, dressed in all black, and still not be swarmed by those blood-sucking bandits. Where’s the fairness in that?
There’s a lot to love about winter in Canada, that’s for sure. From sleigh rides and hot chocolates to ski hills and frozen rinks, winter is the season where Canadians and their rugged country truly get to shine. There’s a reason it’s called the Great White North, after all.
Don’t look now cottage-goers, but winter is right around the corner. That means it’s time to shut down your property and put your cottage to bed before the gales of November come early. Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened!
Sure, packing up your cottage for the winter is never much fun. It’s boring, tedious, and a lot of grunt work; but it’s also one of the most important tasks that any cottage owner can undertake, especially if they want to keep their mosquito population at bay come spring time.
With Fall underway and temperatures dropping, it's almost time to say goodbye to ticks for the winter. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, I say!
But before that glorious day comes, we'll probably be seeing a whole lot more of them terrorizing our precious woods and gardens. Or, perhaps more accurately, what we think are a whole lot more of them. Let me explain.
Ticks are just another thing to worry about, right? Well, yes. But the more you know about them, the more equipped you'll be to prevent tick bites and not worry about them while enjoying yourself outside.
Here are 10 quick facts about these tiny terrors.
There are people out there who are scared of bears, sharks, alligators... my partner even has an irrational fear of horses. The bigger the beast, the scarier it is. That's usually how it goes.
But what about something you can't always see from a distance, that literally inflates with blood after puncturing a tiny hole in your skin? And what if, after piercing said hole, they can send a disease swimming through your bloodstream?
Just when you thought skeeter season was over, your property appears to have been invaded by mammoth mosquitoes. But don't be fooled; these look-alikes are actually nothing like the real deal.
To the untrained eye, these might look like GIANT mosquitoes. But don't stress - these guys are European Crane Flies, and they've been out in force for the last few weeks.
Canadians from coast to coast look forward to Summer all year long. We can't wait to ditch the gloves and scarves, bask in the sunshine, and get outdoors. What's not to love about Summer?
Ah, yes. Mosquitoes. There isn't much to complain about in Summer, but mosquitoes have got to be one of those few irritations. Canada boasts the largest number of lakes in the world (and they're pretty spectacular), but unfortunately with those bragging rights comes a fair amount of mosquitoes.
