When Sir Elton John sat down at his gold piano to pen the Academy Award winning hit song Circle of Life, we're not sure that he had the life cycle of ticks, from egg stage to full-fledged adulthood, on the brain. However, years later, John's 1994 classic could be used perfectly to describe the cycle a tick encounters from the start of spring to the first frost of winter: four unique life stages that often end with a bloody bite!
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? In our yards, ticks are missing...
Wow, can you believe that December is here already? Time to break out the Christmas records, put up the holiday lights, and dust off the warm winter jacket (preferably orange, if possible) before the temperatures drop to teeth-chattering levels here in Canada.
While each of these DIY tasks are important in their own way, there is one winter assignment that we at mosquito.buzz value over all others: tick-proofing your property. Because while some pests do die out in the winter due to the onset of colder weather, ticks are unfortunately not one of them. Bah humbug, we say!
While ticks are much less prevalent and pose less of a threat to you or your pets in winter than they would in, say, spring and fall, you should still keep an eye out for those pesky arachnids during the colder months, especially if you live near heavily-wooded areas with large populations of deer, rabbits or mice. If certain factors exist, it is possible for ticks to be active and latch on to someone or something when looking for a warm place to hide...
Read on to learn more about what happens to ticks in the winter.
Woo-ha - fall is here! Even though we love summer with a passion here at mosquito.buzz, it's nice to experience the many joys that a Canadian fall has to offer as well. You know, the orange leaves and orange hoodies and orange pumpkins and orange...oh wait, there seems to be a theme here. You could say we're suckers for orange here at MB!
Tick bites ain't nothing to mess with! If you or your pet are bitten by a tick, it's important not to panic. React swiftly, but calmly as well. If followed properly, these next steps will help to lower the risk of further damage, and help to get the tick away from you or your pet as soon as possible.
Ticks, ticks go away, come again another (non-fall) day. If you're worried about ticks ruining your fall bliss, know that you're not alone! October is a great time of year for staying outside and enjoying your property, but is also notorious for being a high-risk tick season in certain parts of Canada. That's something we're definitely not thankful for!
Fall is great season for pet owners in Canada. The air is crisp and cool for walks, the summer heat has died down, and beds of leaves exist for our pets to play in. What more could we want for our furry friends?
Wow, where did the summer go? Just as I was beginning to 'fall' for my summer routine, it seems like autumn is nearly here and August is almost over. That means, unfortunately, that tick season is upon on; and with it the potential to be infected with the various tick-borne illnesses that they can spread...
Howdy partners! Welcome to this week's Tick Talk blog.
For those unaware, Tick Talk is 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 churning out a new tick-related blog every week, with the goal of keeping our readers safe and informed for the upcoming spring/summer season. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?
Greetings, faithful readers! It's Thursday, and that means a new Tick Talk blog is signed, sealed, delivered, and ready to be consumed. What a time to be alive!
Speaking of consumption ... we're going to be talking about the tick blood meal this week, arguably the most important task of a ticks 2-year life.
Right now, ticks across the country are gearing up for their first blood meal, which is required for them to stay alive and advance to the next stage of their life cycle. In order to avoid becoming a ticks next blood meal, we need to study their habits and memorize tick prevention tips and tricks - starting today!
Don't become the next tick blood meal! Read on to learn more about this infamous task.
