Lyme disease is on the rise across Canada, and has been for quite some time. It is a serious illness that is spread by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, which contract the disease by feeding on infected wild animals such as deer, birds, and small rodents.
Unfortunately for us, ticks are an unavoidable nuisance in Canada, as they live in nearly every province and are active throughout the year when the temperature is above freezing. Most humans and pets are infected through the bite of nymph tick, which are approximately the size of a poppy seed, while adult ticks, which are roughly the size of a sesame seed, can also spread Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a terrible affliction, and is often misdiagnosed or under reported by people who don't understand its signs and symptoms. With May being Lyme Disease Awareness Month, now is the time to get educated on Lyme disease and the pests that spread it, as warmer weather drives us outside and creates more opportunities for human-tick interactions.
Lyme Disease Symptoms
...Stay Healthy™
Lyme disease can have serious effects on people and pets and the symptoms can differ from person to person. Signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease can include one or a combination of the following with varying degrees of severity:
- Skin Rash
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Abnormal heartbeat
- Fever or chills
- Muscle and joint pain
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Paralysis
- Spasms or weakness
- Mental confusion
- Numbness or tingling
- Nervous system disorders
- Swollen lymph nodes
Prevent Lyme disease
The best prevention against contracting Lyme disease is to avoid tick bites altogether. By educating ourselves on their habits and their life cycles, we can hopefully work to lessen our encounters with ticks. Here are some tick avoidance tips;
- Wearing appropriate clothing (closed-toe shoes, long-sleeved apparel)
- Pulling socks over pant legs when outdoors
- Using insect repellent containing DEET or permethrin
- Reducing tick habitat around your property
- Treating your property with tick barrier protection
Our team of licensed and trained tick control experts can protect your family from the risk of Lyme disease, by treating your property with tick barrier protection.
Our Tick Control service specifically targets ticks during the Spring and Fall seasons when they are the most active and when you and your family are at the highest risk of exposure.
