Ticks in British Columbia are usually active from April through October. Activity is often highest from June through August.
You can still encounter them outside those months during mild weather, especially when temperatures rise above freezing. Knowing when and where tick season occurs helps you plan safer hikes, camping trips, and walks with your pets.
Your risk is highest in brush, long grass, forest edges, and overgrown trails. A quick tick check after outdoor activity is worthwhile in every season.
Most tick bites are not serious when you remove the tick promptly. Some ticks can transmit Lyme disease or cause other health problems.
BC Tick Activity by Month and Region
Ticks in British Columbia follow seasonal and regional patterns. The Rocky Mountain wood tick is most active in the interior during spring.
The western black-legged tick is common in coastal areas and can spread the bacteria associated with Lyme disease.
Spring Peak: March Through June
The Rocky Mountain wood tick, or Dermacentor andersoni, becomes active as early as March. It is most common from March through June.
You are more likely to find this tick in open, grassy, or rocky terrain across the dry interior of BC, including areas east of the Coast Mountains and around the Thompson region.
The western black-legged tick, also called the western blacklegged tick, or Ixodes pacificus, is active mainly in spring and early summer. It lives in coastal forests, brush, low vegetation, and trail edges, particularly around Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and the Gulf Islands.
Summer and Fall Activity: July Through October
Tick activity often remains high through July and August, especially in warm, dry conditions. A BC tick safety alert identifies June through August as a peak period and notes risk in Southern BC, the Lower Mainland, the Gulf Islands, and the Southern Interior.
Activity generally decreases in September and October as temperatures fall. Ticks can remain active during mild spells.
Check yourself, children, and pets after outdoor activities throughout the fall.
Coastal and Interior Differences
Coastal areas support western black-legged ticks because of their moist forests and dense vegetation. Higher-risk locations include Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, coastal mainland areas, and parts of the Fraser Valley.
The Rocky Mountain wood tick is more typical of the drier interior. Regional conditions vary, so a local trail, park, or rural property can still have ticks even when nearby urban areas appear low risk.
What the Main BC Ticks Can Transmit
Most ticks do not carry pathogens. A bite can occasionally lead to a tick-borne disease or another medical problem.
The type of tick, its location, and how long it remains attached all influence your risk.
Lyme Disease Risk From Western Black-Legged Ticks
The western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus, can carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Not every tick carries it.
Lyme disease remains uncommon in BC, although locally acquired cases do occur. Possible symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, and a rash that may expand or resemble a bull’s-eye.
Symptoms can appear days or weeks after a bite. Tell your healthcare provider when and where you were bitten.
Tick Paralysis and Rare Wood Tick Illnesses
The Rocky Mountain wood tick can cause tick paralysis after feeding for several days. This rare condition may cause weakness that begins in the legs and moves upward, difficulty walking, poor coordination, or trouble swallowing and speaking.
Rocky Mountain wood ticks can transmit illnesses such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever or tularemia in some regions. Serious wood tick illness is rare in Canada.
Prompt tick removal reduces the time available for toxins or pathogens to affect you.
Symptoms That Need Medical Advice
Contact a healthcare provider if you develop fever, rash, worsening headache, unusual fatigue, joint pain, or flu-like symptoms after a tick bite. Seek urgent medical care for weakness, paralysis, trouble breathing, or difficulty swallowing.
Keep the removed tick in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer if identification may help. The Province of British Columbia’s tick guidance describes warning signs and safe removal steps.
Preventing and Handling Tick Bites
You can reduce your risk by covering exposed skin, using an appropriate insect repellent, and checking your body and pets after time outdoors.
Removing an attached tick quickly and correctly is just as important as preventing the bite.
Outdoor and Pet Protection
Wear long pants, high socks, and closed shoes when walking through grass or brush. Tuck your shirt into your pants, stay near the center of maintained trails, and use insect repellent containing DEET according to the product label.
Check pets after walks, especially around the ears, collar, toes, and between the legs. Ask your veterinarian about tick prevention products suited to your pet, and inspect clothing before bringing it indoors.
How to Do a Thorough Tick Check
Complete a tick check as soon as you return indoors. Examine your legs, waist, groin, armpits, neck, scalp, and behind your ears, using a mirror or another person for hard-to-see areas.
Check children carefully and inspect bags, jackets, and pets. If you find a tick in BC, you can submit a photo through eTick.ca for identification.
HealthLink BC also provides guidance on tick bites and identification.
Safe Tick Removal and Follow-Up
Use fine-point tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible. Pull upward slowly and steadily.
Clean the bite and your hands with soap and water or an antiseptic cream. Do not twist, crush, burn, or cover the tick with petroleum jelly.
Record the date and location of the bite. Monitor yourself for symptoms.
Contact HealthLink BC or the B.C. Centre for Disease Control if you need advice. The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends that you remove the tick promptly and monitor yourself after a tick bite.
