‘It’s tick season’: How Manitobans can protect themselves while out in nature

Tips to stay safe from ticks leads MedicalWatch for May 5, 2025.

They’re back.

Manitobans are being reminded to take precautions while going outside, as ticks have already been observed and submitted to the national surveillance site.

“In Manitoba, if there is no snow on the ground, it’s tick season,” said Kateryn Rochon, an associate professor of entomology at the University of Manitoba.

Rochon noted most Manitobans will encounter two different types of ticks in their travels -- the American dog tick (also known as the wood tick) and the deer tick (also known as the black-legged tick). She said the black-legged tick is the one people need to be extra mindful of.

“They are the ones that can transmit the tick-borne pathogens we are concerned about,” Rochon said. “It’s black-legged ticks that are responsible for transmitting diseases like Lyme disease.”

Rochon said there are several things people can do to protect themselves from ticks when they’re out and about. This includes wearing closed shoes, long pants, and brighter colours, as it creates contrast to help identify the ticks.

“The idea is you want to keep the tick away from the skin,” she said.

If one gets attached to the skin, tweezers are the best thing to remove them with.

“You want to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible, and then just pull up,” Rochon said.

Once the tick is removed, soapy water should be used to help clean it, Rochon said, and you should monitor the site of the bite for reactions.

“The tick did get some saliva into you, and your immune response is to respond to that saliva by having a bit of an itchy reaction,” she said. “What is not normal is having a rash that is more than five centimetres in diameter. If you’re starting to get these rashes, and a rash that grows, that’s not normal. That’s a sign of infection.”

Manitoba is also part of the eTick database and app that allows people to submit photos of ticks for surveillance and for public safety. Information on the database can be found online.