Heres how to prevent tick bites and safely remove them – National [Video]

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Most of us get squeamish at the idea of any creepy crawler on our body, but bugs like ticks are more than just an outdoor nuisance. They also carry serious diseases and other pathogens that can transfer to their unlucky prey.

There are over 40 tick species in Canada but the primary tick-borne disease of concern, Lyme disease, is contracted from the blacklegged tick. These annoying arachnids can be difficult to detect — a full-grown adult is about half a centimetre long, approximately the size of a sesame seed, whereas a nymph can be as small as a poppy seed.

According to the Government of Canada, there were more than 2,540 cases of Lyme disease reported in 2023 and blacklegged ticks are spreading …