Weather is warming up, and ticks are coming back to Manitoba. Do you know how to spot a tick?

Richard Rusk, a medical officer of health at Manitoba Health said that it is officially tick season in Manitoba. 

Ticks become active in Manitoba as soon as it gets to be above five degrees says, Rusk.

Rusk explained, the ticks come out after hibernation or hatch and start looking for food. Ticks usually go to animals like mice for their food but they can also bite people so it's important to protect yourself with tick repellant and proper clothing.

"The ticks that we are really worried about here in Manitoba are the Blacklegged ticks" which are as big as a poppy seed says, Rusk.

These ticks can be found on the "groin, they will go into your belly button They will go behind your ear, up into your hairline," said Rusk. Because they are so small it is important to look very closely. "The reality is it should be in the tub," says Rusk explaining the importance of tick checking.

"The Blacklegged tick, unfortunately, is capable of carrying a variety of diseases. Here in Manitoba, we have Lyme disease, that has been here for many years, then more recently we have found a disease called Anaplasmosis." Rusk said there is a variety of diseases some of which are caused by the same bacteria found in Lyme disease.

Lastly, Rusk mentioned it has recently been discovered that some Blacklegged ticks in Manitoba can carry a virus called Powassin. There are only a handful of ticks like this says Rusk, but it is still important to understand the risk.

Rusk explained the perfect habitat for ticks as areas with longer grass, trees with big leaves (ex. birch or oak) and forests.

"If you are just on a playing field no problem whatsoever, that is actually part of our recommendation," says Rusk. Ticks actually cannot get across a clean lawn or asphalt so if you stick to areas like these you should have nothing to worry about.

If ever you do find a tick there are a few things you can do to make sure you are not in danger of any of these diseases and protect others at the same time. 

If you find a tick, take a picture of it and send it to The Manitoba Tick Checker. This site can tell you if the tick is a Wood tick or a Blacklegged tick as well as let you know if you should see a doctor.

In addition to this, you can put the tick in a sealed container and send it into the city to help let other Manitobans know where not to go.

Rusk explains letting the city know where you got the tick helps in major ways, "The way we have been able to track how these ticks have progressed across the province, so just by getting samples in then that tells us where we need to go out and look for ticks in that area."