Arachnid · High risk
Blacklegged Tick
The blacklegged tick is a small blood-feeding arthropod and the main carrier of Lyme disease in Quebec. Active from spring onward, it latches onto the skin during walks in the woods or in tall grass and can transmit bacteria, usually after more than 24 hours attached.
1 TO 3 MM · BROWNISH BLACK, OVAL BODY
§1Distinctive features
How to identify it
Tiny, the blacklegged tick has a flat, oval body and eight dark legs. Unfed, the female measures about 3 mm; engorged with blood, she swells up to 1 cm and turns greyish. The male, smaller and darker, rarely feeds.
§2Habitat
Where to find it
It is found along forest edges, in tall grass, ferns and dead leaves. It climbs onto vegetation and waits for a host to pass by. Wooded lots, trails and yards bordered by shrubs in southern Quebec are its favourite habitats.
§3Reproduction
Lifecycle
Each engorged female lays up to 2,000 eggs; without habitat management, the population settles in on the property for good.
§4What to look out for
Signs of infestation
- Ticks found on clothing or skin after an outing
- Painless bite with the tick still attached
- Ring-shaped or bull's-eye redness around the bite, a possible sign of Lyme disease
- Deer or rodents near the property
§5Why act fast
Risks
- Transmission of Lyme disease
- Other infections (anaplasmosis, babesiosis)
- Skin reactions and a risk to pets
§6Prevention
How to avoid it
- Mow the lawn short and clear tall grass
- Create a strip of mulch or gravel between the woods and the lawn
- Wear long pants tucked into your socks in the woods
- Check your skin, children and pets after every outing
§7Pro method
How MW works
Inspection
Inspection of the property to find high-risk areas: woodland edges, tall grass, rodent shelters and wildlife corridors.
Treatment
Targeted treatment of edge areas and dense vegetation where ticks wait for their hosts.
Landscaping
Landscaping recommendations: mowing, mulch, managing rodents and deer to reduce tick habitat.
Follow-up
Seasonal follow-up in spring and fall to keep pressure on tick populations.
§8Your questions answered
Frequently asked questions
Does the blacklegged tick transmit Lyme disease?
How do I remove a tick attached to the skin?
When are ticks most active in Quebec?
The blacklegged tick carries Lyme disease, and it is spreading further every year in Estrie and Montérégie. Control means treating the transition zone between the lawn and the woods, where it waits for its host. See our pest control service, offered on wooded properties in Granby, Bromont, Magog and Sherbrooke.
Sources consulted for this fact sheet: Québec.ca, Lyme disease · Québec.ca, removing a tick · INSPQ, tick distribution maps · Health Canada, blacklegged ticks.
React quickly, sleep well.
The longer the infestation lasts, the more expensive it becomes.
