woodticks.ca: Canadian tick field guide

Seasonal advisory · Spring 2026

Peak deer tick activity runs late April through June across southern Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes and southern Manitoba. Range is expanding north each year. Check yourself after every outing, including suburban yards.

✕ ✕ ✕ Triage start ✕ ✕ ✕

Found a tick?
Start here.

Pick what matches your situation. If a tick is on someone right now, go straight to Remove It. If it’s already off and you want to know what species it was, go to Identify It. If symptoms started in the 30 days after a bite, go to I Think I’m Sick.

Action · in the field

Remove it

Fine-tipped tweezers, straight pull. No matches, no Vaseline. Steps and the things that make it worse.

Open guide

Calm · informational

Identify it

Wood tick? Deer tick? Nymph or adult? What species you’re dealing with changes the risk.

Open guide

Urgent · symptomsURGENT

I think I’m sick

Fever, rash, joint pain, facial weakness? What to watch for and where to go: pharmacist, doctor, or ER.

Open guide

· Right here, right now ·

What’s the tick risk where you are?

Set your province, pick a tick, and the dial will show how active that species is right now in your part of Canada.

Set the dialProvince

Species

Month

Current reading

Low

Quiet this month. Still do a tick check after time outdoors.

Based on published seasonal activity patterns and where each species is established.

· Who is this for ·

For me. For my kid. For my pet.

The basics are the same. The tick-check spots, what to watch for, and the prevention options all change depending on who you’re worried about.

For me

Adult protocol

The removal steps, what never to do, and the 30-day watch after the bite.

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For my kid

Kids and ticks

Where to check, what nymphs really look like, and when to call the doctor.

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For my pet

Dogs (and cats)

Where to check, vet-prescribed prevention products, and the dog Lyme vaccine.

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For the moment when you find one

A printable field card you can keep with your first aid kit.

It shows what to do, what never to do, and what to bring if you end up at a pharmacy or doctor. One letter page. Print it, fold it, tape it to the inside of your first aid kit.

Use fine-tipped tweezers and pull straight up. The card shows the four steps.
Never use heat, Vaseline, nail polish, or twisting. Each one makes the bite more dangerous. The card explains why.
Save the tick on an index card with the date and bite location. Some labs can test the tick itself, faster than waiting for antibodies.
See an Ontario pharmacist within 72 hours of a deer-tick bite. They can prescribe a single preventive dose of doxycycline without a doctor visit.

Open the printable card Read the full guide

⟁Laminate it for the glovebox. Paper soaks through fast in a wet pack.

Never do these

✕Matches, heat, or flameForces the tick to regurgitate into the bite, which is how Lyme and co-infections get in
✕Nail polish or VaselineSame result: stresses the tick into emptying its gut
✕Soap on cottonSame mechanism, same risk
✕Twisting or jerkingMouthparts are barbed. Steady upward pull only
✕Digging out a broken mouthpartYour body pushes it out like a splinter. Digging causes more damage

How to remove it

1Use fine-tipped tweezers. Grip at the mouthparts where they enter skin, not the body.
2Pull straight up with steady pressure. It will resist. Hold firm. It releases within seconds.
3If a mouthpart breaks off, leave it alone. Your body will push it out.
4Clean the bite with alcohol or soap and water. Wash your hands.

Save the tick. Do not flush it

Tape it to an index card with clear packing tape. Write the date and location on your body. Keep for 30 days. If you develop symptoms, that tick goes with you to the doctor. Some labs test it directly, which is faster and more reliable than waiting for antibodies to show in your blood.

When to act immediately

If the tick was engorgedand you can’t confirm it was off within 24 hours, don’t wait for a rash. Many Lyme cases never produce a bullseye. A single preventive dose of doxycycline within 72 hours of a deer tick bite cuts the risk sharply.

Ontario residents

No doctor required. A pharmacist can prescribe the preventive doxycycline dose if you meet the criteria: deer tick, about 24+ hours attached, within 72 hours of removal. Walk in with the tick on a card and a clear timeline.

Designed to print on a single letter page · portrait

Three numbers

24 hours. 72 hours. 30 days.

24hours

Attachment threshold

A deer tick generally needs to be attached for 24 hours or more before it can transmit Lyme bacteria. Under that, your odds of infection drop sharply, so try to work out when the bite started.

72hours

Ontario pharmacist window

Within 72 hours of removing a deer tick, an Ontario pharmacist can prescribe a single preventive dose of doxycycline without a doctor visit. Bring the tick on an index card and a timeline.

30days

Symptom watch

Watch the bite site and yourself for 30 days. Most Lyme infections never produce a bullseye rash. Fever, fatigue, joint pain, facial weakness, and a solid red rash all count.

General information only, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911. Read the full disclaimer.

woodticks.ca

Found a tick?
Start here.

Remove it

Identify it

I think I’m sick

What’s the tick risk where you are?

For me. For my kid. For my pet.

Adult protocol

Kids and ticks

Dogs (and cats)

A printable field card you can keep with your first aid kit.

Tick Removal done right

24 hours. 72 hours. 30 days.

Seasonal alerts for your inbox.

woodticks.ca

Found a tick?Start here.

Remove it

Identify it

I think I’m sick

What’s the tick risk where you are?

For me. For my kid. For my pet.

Adult protocol

Kids and ticks

Dogs (and cats)

A printable field card you can keep with your first aid kit.

Tick Removal done right

24 hours. 72 hours. 30 days.

Seasonal alerts for your inbox.

Found a tick?
Start here.