Combatting Ticks: How to Prepare for a Strong Comeback this Summer

2024-04-19 21:41:00

Published April 19, 2024 at 17.41.

Once once more this summer a strong comeback of ticks is expected, especially due to the climate being more favorable for them throughout the year. The harmful insect, which can go a very long time without feeding on blood, tolerates Quebec winters well and benefits from early spring and late fall.

An accelerated life cycle

With cold temperatures often arriving slowly in autumn, the fight once morest the expansion of tick populations becomes difficult.

“Late autumn, which sometimes extends to December, means that the tick activity season is much longer, cumulatively it is also warmer given climate change,” explains Catherine Bouchard, veterinary epidemiologist. The increase in global temperature favors the survival of the tick, but above all accelerates its life cycle. »

The resilient nature of ticks distinguishes them from mosquitoes. The tick lives under layers of dead leaves in the forest, and is protected from extreme temperatures in winter and summer.

When it is very dry, the tick remains dormant under this layer of leaves which conserves some moisture.

“What determines tick activity is the temperature above 4℃,” says Dr. Bouchard. This temperature, accompanied by a relative humidity in the soil of more than 80%, brings them out of dormancy. »

A year without eating

The insect can easily go a year without feeding.

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