As John Donne famously quoted, 'No man is an island, entire of itself.'
Although you probably adore all the isolation on your island property, don't assume you're trapped out there when it comes to controlling mosquitoes and ticks.
We service a wide spectrum of properties across Canada, so as long as you're in our service area, don't worry; we've got you covered.
Ever attended a wedding and been bombarded by uninvited guests of the flying and biting variety? I know I have, and although I'd love to have been smitten by all the love in the air, getting bitten by mosquitoes can be pretty distracting.
Weather is a major motivator for what mosquitoes do, and when.
Mosquitoes are cold-blooded insects. This means that their body temperature is more or less the same as their environment, since they don't have the ability to regulate their internal temperatures.
Considering how driven by temperature mosquitoes are, it's no wonder weather plays such a make-or-break role in mosquito activity.
Camping - or glamping, if you're a fancy type - can be a tonne of fun for the whole family. But thanks to biting bugs that have the potential to transmit nasty diseases, camping can be a little risky, too.
But as this decade's most famous Canadian would say; YOLO!
You only live once, so why should you let mosquitoes or ticks ruin your fun? Good news is, you don't have to. But you do have to know how to protect yourself.
Here are our top tips to prevent tick bites and mosquito bites when camping.
Finally... it's May Two Four!
The Victoria Day long weekend in Canada is more than just a holiday; it signifies the start of Spring, and more importantly, the beginning of cottage season.
Escaping to the cottage in Spring and Summer has it's perks; all that sensational scenery, idyllic days and no-worries nights among the woods and the lake, and not to mention, the whole family adopting a new found sense of well-being.
Just like everything, there's gotta be a downside. And we're willing to bet that the number one downside of going to the cottage is bugs, and in particular, mosquitoes.
With both tick and Lyme Disease numbers on the rise, tick control is a growing concern for many Canadians. However another serious tick-borne disease is gaining momentum across North America.
Powassan Virus is more rare than Lyme Disease, yet it can bring on more serious symptoms, including brain inflammation. First discovered in 1958, a boy from Powassan, Ontario (near North Bay) became infected with the then-unknown virus, and later died.
Only 25 cases have been identified in Canada since then, and 75 in the US. However since 2006, at least 8 people have died after becoming infected. With tick populations growing and Powassan cases recently identified in Connecticut and Maine, it's becoming more of a concern as we approach warmer weather.
While Lyme disease takes more than 24 hours to be transmitted to the bloodstream, it can take Powassan only about 15 minutes.
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America. The disease was first recognised in Connecticut in 1975, and is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infectious blacklegged tick.
Blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) are widespread throughout Canada, due to tick larvae and nymphs attaching themselves to migratory birds. Bird-borne ticks thus create the possibility of infectious tick bites almost anywhere in Canada.
Ticks are an opportunistic pest, and will latch on to you or your pet if you brush past them. It can take a while for a tick to latch on to your dog or cat because of their fur, so it's important to be proactive when it comes to tick control and check your pets regularly.
The last thing you want is to allow one of your pets to bring a tick into your home, and run the risk of an infected tick latching on to you or your family.
Yay - Spring is here! After a long, cold Winter, it's nice to finally spend some time outside. When the weather is so nice, what is there to worry about?
