A picture of a deer tick. (ID 40440498 © Christian Delbert | Dreamstime.com)

By Cam Lee

Ticks

SHA warns residents that tick season is here

Apr 24, 2025 | 12:00 PM

The warmer weather is a welcome sight, but there is an unwelcome aspect to spring.

Tick checks have become the norm again after the snow melt.

Saskatchewan Health Authority Medical Health Officer Dr. Mohammad Khan told northeastNOW that ticks are already out despite the weather just recently becoming warmer.

“If you look at the habitat of ticks they usually tend to live…near the ground,” said Dr. Khan, with ticks usually inhabiting grass, fallen leaves, brushes, and fallen logs.

He said children who play in the leaves, people who gather firewood, or outdoor enthusiasts in general are more susceptible to getting a tick on them. According to Dr. Khan people can reduce their risk by dressing defensively.

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“Long pants, long sleeves, wearing a hat, and usually wearing light-coloured clothing,” explained Dr. Khan. “If the ticks are on the light-coloured clothing, they are easy to spot.”

Insect repellent with DEET is also recommended to help avoid ticks.

Should you get a tick on you, Dr. Khan said the best way to remove it is with tweezers, being careful not to squish it and getting as close to the skin (or fur of your pet) as possible. The provincial government will likely begin their monitoring program soon, looking for deer ticks that carry Lyme disease.

“Instead of destroying the tick, they can remove the tick with a tweezer and keep it and call their local public health offices.”

It’s also very important to do tick-checks on your pets when they’ve been outdoors. Dr. Khan said dogs play outside and have plenty of places in the fur for a tick to hide, so they can become a tick magnet of sorts.

Dr. Khan said ticks are an even larger issue the further you go south, as they like the warm weather. Areas in central and northern Saskatchewan were less likely to have ticks years ago, but he said either those areas have warmed up sufficiently to allow ticks to thrive, or they have adapted to the cooler conditions.

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com