Expect a bump in tick numbers in Alberta this summer: experts
The mostly warm winter and thin snow may have helped one of Alberta's least lovable creatures: ticks.
"I wouldn't be surprised to find it's a bad year for the moose tick," says Janet Sperling, an entomologist and president of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation.
She says past research has shown a bump in tick numbers following strong El Niño years.
Karen Marsh and Carl Johns discovered a gruesome patch on their driveway in Bragg Creek last week after returning from vacation.
It appears to be a deer or a moose bed, but it's flecked with blood spots. Closer inspection showed it was also littered with engorged ticks.
"About the size of coffee beans and there’s 20 or 30 of these but there was blood all around," says Johns.
In extreme cases, infested deer and moose can die after picking up too many ticks.
"There's these strings of like hundreds and even thousands of ticks that are coming up, walking up to the back of the moose and then settling in for the winter," Sperling says.
"Sometimes they're just pulling so much blood out that the moose just can't handle it."
Alberta is home to several varieties of tick, and while the moose tick is less likely to attach itself to humans, the Rocky Mountain Wood Tick can carry serious infections, including tick paralysis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
The tick responsible for Lyme disease has also been found in Alberta and is generally believed to be expanding its range.
"So now when I go walking in the mountains, I'm going to say I'm going to be very careful to wear clothing that is basically covering my skin. And if it's light-coloured, it's even better," says Sperling.
Mosquito repellent is also effective. But no matter what precautions people take in nature, there's no substitute for a thorough personal inspection in the shower at home.
Alberta Environment and Parks issued its annual warning heading into last weekend, reminding people ticks are active once the snow goes away and temperatures rise above 4 C. They are active right through until the end of fall.
If you are bitten by a tick, be sure to remove it as close to the skin as possible. Take a picture or save the tick for testing.
You can also report and identify ticks through the website eTick.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Wildfires are dampening against cool, rainy weather, but there's plenty left to contain
An opportune system of cool, wet weather Friday is dampening the spread of wildfires across Western Canada, but there's still plenty of work for responders and residents alike.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.