The province wants its residents to remember that it’s tick season. Bird migration increases the risk of Lyme-infected ticks.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Denise Worker identified the two types of ticks found in Saskatchewan. “The American dog tick is more common, but the real concern is the black-legged tick. It carries Lyme disease,” she said.

Worker added that although Lyme disease is present in Saskatchewan, the risk of infection is low but it is not zero. For removal, she advises to avoid tactics like lighting a match on them or smothering them with Vaseline. “Don’t squish the tick as you take it out because you don’t want to inject whatever’s in that tick into your skin and bloodstream.”

Dr. Worker noted that there are tick removal products available, but the best strategy is to use a tweezers to pull it out with its head intact.

Prevention, of course, is the most prudent strategy for avoiding the bacteria risks associated with ticks.

For the prevention of tick bites, Dr. Phil Curry of the Ministry of Health suggests keeping fully clothed in parkland areas and conducting a thorough tick-check for all warm, dark body parts, such as behind the ears.