Tick season really isn't far off. Get equipped to face it
Tick season starts way earlier than you think.
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It might seem a little soon, but it’s true: ticks can be stirring as early as March and April, and you’ll definitely want to be prepared, both you and your pet – particularly as the range of Lyme disease-carrying ticks has been expanding in recent years. Here are our best suggestions for keeping the eight-legged pests away.
Natrapel Insect Repellent Spray
SHOP NOW on Amazon.ca: We tend, as much as possible, to favour products made with more natural ingredients and fewer chemicals here at Shop the Weather, and for your standard insect protection, this offering from Natrapel does the job well. It’s marketed largely as proof against mosquitos, but its lemon eucalyptus base is just as repellent to ticks as well – and, I can tell you from personal experience, smells a lot less acrid than other varieties.
Atlantic Tick Attack Botanical Insect Repellent
SHOP NOW on Amazon.ca: Here’s great favourite of ours here at Shop The Weather. A made-in-Canada success story, this Nova Scotia-based brand, in collaboration with Acadia University, features an effective all-natural lemon eucalyptus base to keep ticks away for up to five hours, and mosquitos up to six hours. They’ve released a new formula this year, and the brand as a whole has proven wildly popular among buyers at Shop The Weather.
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Advantix Flea and Tick Treatment
SHOP NOW on Amazon.ca: The one drawback of essential oil-based and other purportedly all-natural products is that, though they’re effective, that protection typically lasts a few hours before you need to reapply. For a one-and-done method, this option can provide protection for up to a month, provided it’s applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Multiple versions are available for different sizes of dog, so there should be an option for your furbaby.
Mosquito Barrier Insect Repellent
SHOP NOW on Amazon.ca: This, here, is what you might call the nuclear option when it comes to tick (and mosquito) management. It’s a concentrated garlic-based solution, and when properly applied, it can provide up to a month of protection to whichever part of your property you want the ticks to stay away from. Just be sure to use it according to manufacturer specifications (it is NOT meant to be sprayed on yourself).
Azarxis Hiking Gaiters
SHOP NOW on Amazon.ca: If you’d like to dispense with sprays altogether, or just want to add another literal protection, a good set of gaiters will suit you well, and if you’re an avid hiker they should be in your kit anyway. This pair from Azarxis is among the best-reviewed on Amazon.ca. Waterproof, tearproof and comfy, they’ll keep your lower legs clear for a good long while.
Atlantick Tick Removal Kit
SHOP NOW on Amazon.ca: If you do happen to fall victim to a tick bite, you know you can’t just rip it out of your flesh. You’ll need a proper removal kit, and we like this one the best. From Atlantick, whose specialty all-natural spray appears earlier in this article, this nine-piece kit has everything you could conceivably need to manage the critter, including three different size removal tools, alcohol swaps, an identification card, a vial to store the extracted tick for lab testing.
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Our trusted Product Specialists recommend high-quality items that we think will enhance your experience with Canadian weather conditions. Prices and availability of items are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
