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Freezing out ticks

Good news for anyone who likes to spend their summertime in the woods, all this cold weather is bad news for ticks in the region.
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(Matt Vis, tbnewswatch.com)

Good news for anyone who likes to spend their summertime in the woods, all this cold weather is bad news for ticks in the region.

Local entomologist Ken Deacon said based on the temperatures so far this winter, the region could see half as many ticks this year. Deacon can only speculate based on what's been brought into the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, which has seen about 1,000 ticks per year brought in over the past two years.

But the region isn't out of the wood just yet as the blacklegged tick, which carries lyme disease, will still be around.

"You have half the risk but you still have risk so you still have to be just as vigilant as you were before," Deacon said.

A week's worth of -20C temperatures should be enough to kill hibernating ticks. But with good snow and leaf coverage some will survive, especially when they're in the ground where it's warmer.





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