Ticks in Canada

On this page

• About ticks
• Where ticks live
• How to identify a tick
• Types of ticks in Canada
• Monitoring
• Provincial and territorial public health authorities
• Subscribe to the Zoonoses Bulletin

About ticks

Ticks are arachnids like spiders and mites. Ticks go through 4 life stages:

1. egg
2. larva
3. nymph
4. adult

The length of the tick lifecycle varies among tick species. Depending on the species, ticks can take several years to develop from egg to adult.

Ticks need to feed on blood to develop from one life stage to the next life stage. Adult female ticks also need to feed on blood in order to lay eggs. Ticks feed on hosts, which can be mammals, birds and reptiles.

Not all ticks carry bacteria, viruses and parasites that can make people sick. Ticks only become infected when they feed on an infected host.

Infected ticks can transmit bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause tick-borne diseases, such as:

• babesiosis
• anaplasmosis
• Lyme disease
• Powassan virus disease

You may not notice a tick bite because ticks are tiny, and their bites are usually painless.

Removing attached ticks as soon as possible reduces the chance of infection.

How to properly remove a tick

Where ticks live

Ticks are often found in and near areas with:

• trees
• shrubs
• grass
• wood piles
• piles of leaves

You can sometimes find ticks in areas outside of where they're known to live.

Ticks can be active whenever the temperature is consistently above freezing, and the ground isn't covered by snow. You're most likely to encounter ticks during the spring, summer and fall. However, when conditions are favourable, ticks can be active at any time of the year.

How to identify a tick

You can identify a tick by:

• taking a photo and sending it to an image-based identification platform like eTick
• contacting your provincial and territorial public health authorities to find out about tick identification programs in your area

Tick identification can help to:

• determine if it is a tick
• identify the areas where tick populations are common or increasing
• determine if it is the type of tick that can carry bacteria, viruses or parasites that cause tick-borne diseases

Learn more:

• eTick
• Lyme disease risk areas

Types of ticks in Canada

More than 40 different types of ticks live in Canada.

Established ticks live and reproduce in the location they are found.

Adventitious ticks are brought in by migratory animals such as birds and deer or other hosts from outside of Canada. Some of these adventitious ticks have become established in Canada in areas where habitats are suitable for reproducing.

Climate change is contributing to an increase in:

• number of ticks and tick-borne diseases
• length of time that ticks can survive and are more active
• duration of the season when people may be exposed to ticks
• habitats for hosts, such as mice, birds, reptiles and humans
• habitats for reservoir hosts
  • These are animals or bugs that carry germs and pass them on without being affected by them.

In Canada, there are several types of tick that can cause tick-borne diseases. We've listed some of them here to help you identify them.

Blacklegged tick

Blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) are established in:

• British Columbia (south)
• Manitoba (south)
• New Brunswick (mid- to south)
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario (west, south, southeast)
• Quebec (south)

They can transmit bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause:

• babesiosis
• anaplasmosis
• Lyme disease
• Powassan virus disease
• Borrelia miyamotoi disease

Source: Institut national de santé publique du Québec

Western blacklegged tick

Western blacklegged ticks are established in the coastal and southern interior of British Columbia. They can transmit bacteria that can cause:

• anaplasmosis
• Lyme disease
• Borrelia miyamotoi disease

Source: British Columbia Centre for Disease Control

American dog tick

American dog ticks are established in parts of southcentral and southeastern Canada. They can transmit bacteria that can cause:

• tularemia
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Source: Institut national de santé publique du Québec

Groundhog tick

Groundhog ticks are established in southcentral and southeastern Canada. They can transmit the virus that can cause Powassan virus disease.

Source: Institut national de santé publique du Québec

Rocky Mountain wood tick

Rocky Mountain wood ticks are established in:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Saskatchewan (some western areas)

They can transmit the bacteria that can cause:

• tularemia
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Source: British Columbia Centre for Disease Control

Squirrel tick

Squirrel ticks are found in the southern regions of:

• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec

They can transmit the virus that can cause Powassan virus disease.

Source: Institut national de santé publique du Québec

Brown dog tick

Brown dog ticks haven't been found in natural outdoor environments in Canada. They have been reported in:

• dog kennels
• indoor environments where there are dogs

They can transmit the bacteria that can cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever. You can find them any time of year because they live in indoor environments.

Source: Institut national de santé publique du Québec

Lone star tick

Adult female lone star ticks have a white dot on their backs.

They have been found in southern regions of:

• Alberta
• Manitoba
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Québec
• Saskatchewan

They can transmit bacteria and viruses that can cause:

• tularemia
• ehrlichiosis
• Bourbon virus disease
• Heartland virus disease

Some people who are bitten by lone star ticks can develop:

• southern tick-associated rash illness
• alpha-gal syndrome, an allergic reaction to red meat from mammals

Source: Institut national de santé publique du Québec

Monitoring

The Public Health Agency of Canada works with provincial and territorial public health authorities, researchers and academics to monitor tick populations across Canada.

Active tick monitoring uses field study methods to collect ticks from their natural habitat or from animals.

Passive tick monitoring uses ticks collected from people and pets that are submitted voluntarily by health care professionals, veterinarians or the public. These ticks are submitted to local public health units for species identification, or photos can be sent to an image-based identification platform like eTick.

Reports and infographics

2020

• Tick surveillance in Canada: 2020 (infographic)
• Tick surveillance in Canada: Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus ticks and their associated pathogens in Canada, 2020

2019

• Surveillance of ticks and their pathogens in Canada, 2019
• Surveillance of ticks and their pathogens in Canada: 2019 (infographic)

Provincial and territorial public health authorities

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Québec
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

Subscribe to the Zoonoses Bulletin

The Zoonoses Bulletin is an email subscription list that will provide you with regular updates from the Public Health Agency of Canada regarding our work on zoonoses. Zoonoses are infectious diseases that can be spread between animals and people, including those that can be spread through the bite of a tick or mosquito.

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