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Ticks still active in winter in the Okanagan

Naramata resident finds tick on her dog after short walk on the KVR trail
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Karla Cox pulled this engorged tick off her dog while out for a walk in Naramata recently. (Facebook)

Ticks may not be top of mind in winter in the Okanagan but a recent encounter with a fully engorged tick proves they’re still around.

Karla Cox pulled an engorged tick off her dog after a short walk on the KVR trail in Naramata Nov. 28.

“We were on the KVR by the Arawana parking lot headed north towards the falls,” said Cox.

She just found the one on her dog. But the find was definitely not what she expected.

“We haven’t seen any since late summer. I was only outside about an hour and half walking on the street to get to the trail,” she said.

Usually ticks start to become a problem in late March and continue through the summer.

Last spring and summer was a bad one for ticks in the Okanagan.

Ticks tend to hang out in long grasses and bushes and dogs tend to be bitten around the neck and head.

READ MORE: Tips to removing ticks from dogs

The Rocky Mountain wood tick is the most common tick found. They aren’t known to carry Lyme Disease, according to Interior Health. Ticks have been collected in various locations in the Okanagan to better understand if and what diseases ticks carry in the region.



Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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