Ticks are back in Saskatchewan, risk of Lyme disease remains low

Tick season is underway in Saskatchewan.

The creepy crawlers are typically active in Saskatchewan between April and July with the peak happening in May and June.

Dr. Maarten Voordouw with the Department of Veterinary Microbiology at the University of Saskatchewan said their territory is expanding.

“They’re expanding, they’re moving northwards,” he said. “This has been a phenomenon across Canada.”

Researchers have been hearing from people for years who never saw a tick in their area for decades and are now seeing them by the dozen.

That’s where eTick, an online reporting tool, comes in to help researchers learn more about ticks in the province.

The service allows a person to take a photo of a tick and submit it, where experts will identify the type of tick and the relevant health information.

Last year, eTick received 2,000 submissions from users across the province.

The most predominant tick in Saskatchewan is the American Dog tick, which does not carry Lyme disease. Black-legged ticks carry Lyme disease, and while they have been reported in Saskatchewan, occurrences are rare.

“Only 11 of them were black-legged ticks,” Voordouw said of the 2,000 submissions. “It’s not very common, but it does occur.”

Researchers were able to test seven of the 11 ticks, with three carrying Lyme disease.

“Black-legged ticks are not very common in Saskatchewan, but if you’re lucky enough to meet one, they do have a chance of being infected with Lyme disease,” Voordouw said.

Voordouw said ticks’ expanding territory isn’t unique to Canada.

Scandinavian countries and other northern territories across the globe have been noticing ticks expanding their territory, which can partially be attributed to climate change.