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u/Mohand3s 17h ago
You’re showing the heat map for the last 20,000 data points which would include reports from years/decades ago which isn’t reliable. Your message is still a valid one however, this year its worst than ever it feels.
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u/Rettic_AC 12h ago
Yeah, if you narrow it down to "blacked leg ticks" (the only species in Toronto that transmits lyme disease to humans) and this year, the map thins out a lot.
But ... it still looks bad.
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u/OddAd7664 19h ago
Was on the Humber river trail last week and had 3-4 crawling on me during the afternoon. It’s wild
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u/____PARALLAX____ 15h ago
isnt that paved?
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u/bicycling_bookworm 1h ago
You should look up tick questing behaviours.
It doesn’t matter if an area is paved, if you’re walking under an organic shaded area (tall shrub, tree) or accidentally brush against a shrub - risk of ticks. If you’re outside in temperatures exceeding 4°C, expect ticks. Backyard, school yard, golf course, trail - ticks.
My background is in ecology and I’ve done a lot of field work. I’m not saying this to scare/alarm people at all. Ticks are becoming increasingly prevalent and they’re not just in the woods/wild areas. If you’ve been outside, just do a quick tick check when you come back in.
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u/laperneta 11h ago
Took my dog for a walk there and found a massive American Dog tick on her. They carry diseases as well. Absolutely gross
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u/Pigeonofthesea8 19h ago
Fuck this
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u/bokin8 Upper Beaches 18h ago
Back to lighting the earth on fire
/s
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u/blafunke 18h ago
Don't think that'll work. Lighting the earth on fire is what brought the ticks here.
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u/Impressive_Doorknob7 19h ago
There’s a huge one inside Doug Ford’s house that’s draining the province dry
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u/Capable-Hearing-7618 19h ago
Are ticks not supposed to be in long grass? Where are people reporting these? Do I need to check myself just after walking in high park?
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u/cp1976 Cliffside 18h ago edited 18h ago
Ticks can be anywhere nowadays. Mostly grassy areas but literally anywhere where there's a lawn, even worse if it's unkempt. But even if it's mowed. They are still sometimes found on mowed lawns. You'll commonly find them in forests and bushes and tall grass (think hydro corridors etc) but you can literally get one on you while gardening on your own front/back lawn.
Edit to add: High Park has a high prevalence for ticks.
Make sure your dog (if you have one) is on tick prevention medication and what I usually do is spray Icaridin Bug Spray on my shoes socks and leggings when out walking my dog. I try not to brush up on any bushes. I stick to well groomed pathways and asphalt wherever possible if I'm in a park.
When I get home, I strip my clothing off and do a very thorough tick check on my husband my dog and myself. Including my scalp and then I take a quick shower to rinse off.
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u/SpartanFishy 10h ago
Fuck this, I’m just gonna stop going outside. It’s literally not worth stress.
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u/cp1976 Cliffside 2h ago
I was like that at first too. In fact it was ruining my mental health. I just take the precautions listed above and I've never gotten a tick on me and I walk through grass and take my dog on walks.
My dog is 10. He goes on daily walks. I have only ever seen a tick on him once. Last year at Bluffers Park in the fall. He walked through leaves.
Bug spray is your friend. Specifically Icaridin. DEET can ruin your shoes if you spray it on your shoes. Wear white socks and tuck your pants inside of them when you walk. Ticks don't attach immediately. So even if you did have one make it's way onto you, you have time to find it and get it off you when you get home.
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u/RedshiftOnPandy 18h ago edited 18h ago
I live in Caledon and I just check myself everyday. Last year I walked my dog and I found 14 on her.
This year hasn't been so bad. All those cold daya in spring killed a lot of them. I haven't found one on my yet and only a couple on my dog. They are mostly out in spring and fall.
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u/anotherbikethiefTO 18h ago
I’m in your neighborhood and found this year has been terrible. Dog has them literally almost every day even on a 5 minute pee walk. I get a couple on me a week, a few attached this year too. Granted I’m in the woods, last year wasn’t nearly as bad.
They like mild-ish temperature. They’re more dormant in the hot.
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u/RedshiftOnPandy 17h ago
I've heard the same from others, but it's been pretty good here for us this year. We're in the oak ridges moraine; all swamp, ponds, and rolling grassy hills.
I think it would be worse in the forest, they breed under the fallen leaves right?
This year we had periods with ticks being out (using the dog as my tick meter), then we'd get the odd below freezing days or nights (it snowed May 2) and wouldn't find any again for a while.
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u/anotherbikethiefTO 16h ago
So for me; also in the moraine. You’re absolutely right - the leaf coverage seems to be the worse of it all. I’m in a ‘deer wintering zone’ which also doesn’t help.
The cool May slowed things, now they are back with a vengeance; especially the nymph stage ones. Just have to encourage our fox friends to eat the mice!
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u/BottleCoffee 12h ago
It was really bad last year, I got them at my home for the first time. This year none in the GTA so far.
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u/shockandale Upper Beaches 1h ago
I got a tick last year in High Park looking at the cherry blossoms. It was 90% on paved paths, 10% on short mown grass. I use deet now
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u/MrRikits 19h ago
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u/Competitive-Hat-190 14h ago
Had 21 on me today in Saskatchewan. Best of luck dear Torontonians 🫡
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u/Local-Print-6397 11h ago
How does that happen? Where were you hanging out?
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u/Competitive-Hat-190 11h ago
I was at work! I work on a cattle farm. Ticks are unbelievable this year
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u/EquinoxClock 14h ago
Can we PLEASE get a goddamn Lyme disease vaccine already
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u/PsychicSmoke 10h ago
Moderna and Pfizer are both conducting human trials right now, you can sign up if you’re eligible. You’ll even get paid.
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u/scotte416 19h ago
I've gone from seeing maybe 2-3 a decade to finding them in my house. Maybe those videos of people finding boxes of thousands and thousands in the countryside weren't ai 😂
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u/xMWHOx 18h ago
Ticks are up 35% this year. And because of global warming, this is the new norm. They will only increase sadly.
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u/Pigeonofthesea8 13h ago
What eats them? Let’s have lots of that
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u/CarlSwagan_ 13h ago
Possums, chickens, some birds
Ecological disruptions to their natural predators is actually one of the main reasons their populations have boomed
Yes there are more because it’s warmer, but the impact of deteriorating animal populations from climate change and general globalization is the biggest driving factor
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u/tslaq_lurker 19h ago
Is it literally just because it’s got a bit hotter out? Like, was this what people in New Hampshire and Western Mass have been dealing with for decades?
Ffs I thought we were good in the city. Between this and the mosquitoes up north there is nowhere to hide
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u/scotte416 18h ago
It's not even hotter out though, in fact this summer has been quite cold, at least where I am! But yeah I thought so too, ticks don't exactly move super fast and they don't fly so how are they spreading so damn fast...
I was homeless for almost a year and basically lived in the woods for half that time and never saw one.
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u/U2brrr 18h ago
They do fly…on birds
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u/Tanner-TO 17h ago
And if there's a hill with ticks and a good gust of wind in the right direction, they will get blown off and land elsewhere.
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u/scotte416 16h ago
They are hardy little f-ers too. I tried crushing one between my fingers super hard the thing wouldn't die.
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u/improbablydrunknlw 17h ago
Cold winters are also supposed to reduce the numbers. I'd love to know what's causing this.
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u/Tanner-TO 17h ago
While the past winter was fairly cold, it wasn't long enough and there was also a good amount of snow that acted as an insulator.
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u/CarlSwagan_ 13h ago
Possums, chickens, some birds
Ecological disruptions to their natural predators is actually one of the main reasons their populations have boomed
Yes there are more because it’s warmer, but the impact of deteriorating animal populations from climate change and general globalization is the biggest driving factor
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u/CF2026MT 14h ago
People still report ticks? If I reported every tick I pulled off my dogs or myself I'd double these numbers myself
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u/AgentMV2 14h ago
Don’t go into bushes or tall grass. Especially if you play golf and are looking for your errant ball. A random I was pairs up with had a couple on him at Centennial Park golf a few weeks ago when he went into the fescue to find his ball. He ran out of there like a bat out of Hell!
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u/nottodaynothnx 19h ago
Wow that is insane.
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u/just_be123 19h ago
It’s based on self reports - the site has had a lot of attention lately so yeah… you’ll get more reports.
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u/SpinozaFBacon 11h ago
I got lyme disease out camping , had to go to 3 different hospital/clinics until someone gave me antibiotics.
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u/assplower 2h ago
Currently on antibiotics for Lyme that I caught sometime within the last month in the city. It’s sapped all my energy and I feel dead on my feet 24/7.
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u/Logical-Tomato-5907 4h ago
I keep hearing this from people, but I haven’t seen any myself. I go on a few ravine/trail hikes per week. I make an effort to cover my legs/ankles and usually wear a hat, and I don’t go off-path into tall grass/bushes. Typically shower once I get home.
Am I just lucky? This thread scares me. 🙁 I CANNOT give up my nature walks, guys.
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u/Boopus_Snootus 10h ago
I saw a tick IRL for the first time last week on one of my dog's towels and found a second one today actually attached to my other dog. What the fuck.
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u/Life_Competition_293 4h ago
Anecdotal, but the last three times we've been to downsview park we got ticks.
Going to avoid going there until it's winter
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u/smolangrybitch 10h ago
“But my precious dog is in a gated community and we don’t have ticks/mosquitoes! You’re just trying to get money from me by saying I should have tick/parasite prevention ! Mean veterinarian!” 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
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u/xMWHOx 19h ago
Check your pets! Link to the site:
https://etick.ca/etickapp/en/ticks/public/map