I grew up in the country on 50 acres of forest and fields. My childhood was spent building forts in the bush, wandering through tall grass, and coming home covered in dirt, mosquito bites, and burrs. But ticks? They were never something anyone talked about.

Not once do I remember my parents doing “tick checks” after I came inside. We never worried about Lyme disease. Summer camp permission forms certainly didn’t include pages of waivers warning about tick exposure.

Now, decades later, I recently had to sign multiple forms acknowledging the risks of tick bites before sending my daughter to camp not far from where I grew up. The woods haven’t changed that much. But the ticks certainly have.

So what happened?

The Explosion of Ticks in Southern Ontario

If it feels like ticks suddenly appeared everywhere in Ontario over the last 10–15 years, that’s because, in many ways, they did.

Blacklegged ticks — commonly called deer ticks — have expanded rapidly across Southern Ontario. Areas that once had very few established tick populations are now considered high-risk regions for Lyme disease transmission.  However ticks are known to carry multiple pathogens, and this week CBC news released a warning that the lone star ticks are making their way into Canada, which can cause a severe allergy to meat.

Ticks are no longer limited to remote forests or isolated rural pockets. They’re now commonly found in:

• Backyards
• Hiking trails
• Soccer fields
• Campgrounds
• Schoolyards
• Cottage properties
• Urban green spaces

For many families, avoiding ticks entirely has become almost impossible.

Climate Change Is a Big Reason

One of the biggest drivers behind the tick boom is warmer weather.

Ticks struggle to survive extremely cold winters. Historically, Ontario winters kept their populations relatively controlled. But Southern Ontario’s winters have become shorter and milder over time, allowing more ticks to survive and reproduce.

Longer warm seasons also mean:

• Ticks stay active for more months of the year
• They expand farther north
• More animals carry them into new areas

Scientists have been warning about this connection for years, and Southern Ontario is now seeing the effects firsthand.

Deer, Mice, and Expanding Forest Edges

Ticks don’t move very far on their own. They spread by hitching rides on animals.

White-tailed deer help transport adult ticks across large areas. But surprisingly, mice are actually one of the biggest contributors to Lyme disease spread. White-footed mice are excellent hosts for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

At the same time, Southern Ontario has experienced major landscape changes:

• Expanding suburbs
• Fragmented forests
• More edge habitats
• More interaction between humans and wildlife

That mix creates ideal conditions for ticks to thrive close to where people live.

Why Camps and Schools Are Taking It Seriously

The reason camps now include tick waivers isn’t fearmongering — it’s liability and public health awareness catching up to reality.

Most camps today have protocols that barely existed when many parents were kids:

• Daily tick checks
• Staff training
• Tick removal procedures
• Parent notification systems
• Education on Lyme disease symptoms

Because the reality is that children spend hours:

• Running through tall grass
• Sitting on logs
• Playing near brush
• Hiking wooded trails

Exactly the kind of environments ticks love.

I also recently heard that two schools in our area had their whole property sprayed for ticks.  This may sound concerning to hear, but it’s also proactive, protective and thoughtful.

Lyme Disease Changed the Conversation

For older generations in Ontario, ticks were mostly seen as annoying pests in other parts of North America.

That changed as Lyme disease cases increased dramatically in Canada.

Lyme disease can start with symptoms like:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Muscle aches
• A circular rash

But if untreated, it can sometimes lead to more serious neurological, cardiac, and joint problems.  A good family friend of ours had to get a pacemaker this year for a tick bite he got last summer.

The rise in confirmed Lyme disease cases has made both parents and organizations much more cautious.

The Strange Part: Nature Still Feels the Same

What feels unsettling for many people is that the environment itself often looks unchanged.

The same forests.
The same trails.
The same camps.
The same grassy fields.

But the risk calculation has changed completely.  As it has become more prevalent, our regions website has included resources including infographics, videos and tips for families on removing and identifying ticks.

Places that once felt carefree now come with routines our parents never considered:

• Checking socks after hikes
• Wearing bug spray daily
• Tucking pants into socks
• Showering immediately after outdoor activities
• Scanning kids for ticks before bed

For many families in Southern Ontario, that has quietly become normal.  The Durham Region Website

Can Anything Be Done?

Ticks probably aren’t going away.

Ontario’s climate and ecology now support established tick populations across much of the province, and experts expect their range to continue expanding.

But risk can still be reduced:

• Stay on maintained trails
• Wear light-coloured clothing outdoors
• Use insect repellents with DEET or icaridin
• Perform full-body tick checks
• Remove attached ticks quickly
• Keep grass trimmed around homes

Awareness is now one of the most important tools people have.

A Different Childhood Outdoors

I still want my daughter climbing trees, exploring forest trails, and getting dirty outside the same way I did growing up.

But it’s strange realizing that outdoor life in Southern Ontario now comes with a layer of caution that simply didn’t exist when I was a kid.

The forests haven’t disappeared.
Childhood adventures haven’t disappeared.
But the relationship many families have with nature has undeniably changed.

And for a lot of parents signing camp waivers today, that change feels surprisingly personal.

Contact us today for a Mom-Approved tick control in the Clarington & Durham Region.

No More Buzzing Around
– Mosquito Mom