By Sandy Boeckh
If last summer was the summer of the bear, is summer 2026 shaping up to be the summer of the tick? Though a much tinier nuisance to contend with, ticks certainly have more risks. Tick populations have risen dramatically over the past decade, and Ontario is currently considered the country’s hotspot. And, yes, they are in Pointe au Baril!
A couple days ago, I felt something on my scalp beside my part toward the front of my head. Since we are blessed with black flies right now, I assumed it was a bit of hardened blood left behind by a black fly bite. I picked at it and eventually pulled the dark mass from my scalp, only to find it was a Blacklegged (Deer) Tick. Ugh! Not what I expected to find! It was intact (a positive) and still alive. I have no idea how long it had been there or how deeply it had been attached; but I suspected not for too long and not too deep as it did not look engorged. Luckily, there is an easy treatment that does not require going to the West Parry Sound Hospital. I drove down to Parry Sound to Shopper’s Drug Mart and told the pharmacist what I had found (also showed him a photo, though I don’t think he was interested), He prescribed a prophylactic dose of Doxycycline. This entailed 2 pills to be taken with a meal (it can cause nausea). I was also advised to monitor for symptoms of Lyme disease for a few weeks as this antibiotic is not 100% effective.
Here’s the part that illustrates how widespread the tick problem is. While I was in the pharmacy, there were 2 other gentlemen waiting for the same prescription! One was for one of their wives (“we were in the bush and this is her 3rd time getting a tick. When we tried to pull it out, the head broke off and stayed in her skin”) and the other was for an American Dog Tick the other fellow found in his skin beneath his beard. (American Dog Ticks do not spread Lyme disease but can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and/or tularemia.) He had simply been outside playing baseball and not out in the bush. Imagine a quiet Saturday afternoon (June 13th) at Shopper’s Drug Mart in Parry Sound and 3 of the 4 customers waiting for prescriptions to be filled are there because of tick bites.
A fellow cottager told me yesterday that he had been crawling around under his cottage doing work a couple weeks ago and when he woke up the next morning, he found a tick on his stomach. After being outside, it is advisable to do a full body check as ticks might jump on to your body and then move around looking for the perfect spot to attach. Pay particular attention to underarms, behind your knees, the waist/stomach, groin and scalp. Although articles recommend that you stay on paths in wooded areas, I had not been in any thickly wooded area and not off any path. Perhaps ticks are now on pine tree branches waiting to hitch a ride when someone walks beneath? Be particularly vigilant after working underneath your cabin. It is also advisable to check pets regularly, although most take tick meds that kill ticks when they bite/embed in their skin. However, if a pet picks up a tick, it might transfer over to a human in the family, rather than embed in the pet.
The primary tick-borne illness in Canada is Lyme disease which we know can be serious without prompt attention. There are 3 other tick-borne illnesses (carried by the blacklegged tick) also on the rise in Canada. These are anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus. The latter is rare but can cause encephalitis. For those worried about the Lone Star tick and contracting alpha-gal syndrome, the risk of contraction is low in Canada as these tick populations are not established here. Alpha-gal results in an allergy to red meat.
While not all ticks carry disease, the risk is high enough that a tick bite should never be ignored. Thankfully, in Ontario, if you find and remove a tick and you don’t think it has been on your body for long, you can visit your local pharmacy. However, if you develop a rash, headache, fever or other flu-like symptoms, you should see a health care provider or go to the West Parry Sound Hospital.