· Before you head out ·
Prevention.
It mostly works.
Three things move the needle on tick prevention: what you wear, what you put on it, and the tick check after. Repellent on its own is good. Repellent plus treated clothing and a careful body check is closer to 99% effective. The good news is that none of it is hard.
Layer one
Clothing — your first defence.
Ticks crawl. They climb up. They look for skin. The clothing strategy is to make them visible while they’re still on the fabric, and to make the climb to skin as long as possible.
- Wear light colours. A nymph is dark, the size of a poppy seed, and lost on dark fabric. On a tan or beige pant leg, the same nymph looks like a moving comma.
- Long sleeves, long pants, tucked in. Trouser cuffs into socks, shirt into trousers. The extra inch of fabric is the difference between a tick on your sock and a tick in your armpit.
- Closed-toe shoes. Sandals and flip-flops are the easiest possible entry to skin. Gaiters help in really brushy terrain.
- Skip the bug net for ticks — it doesn’t help. Head nets are useful against mosquitoes and black flies, not ticks. Ticks climb from the ground, not the air.
Layer two
Repellent — Icaridin first.
Health Canada’s preferred repellent for tick protection is Icaridin (also sold as picaridin in the US). It works against ticks, mosquitoes, and biting flies, has a better skin-feel than DEET, doesn’t damage plastics or synthetic fabrics, and is recommended for children as young as six months at the right concentration.
First choice
Icaridin
- 20% concentration is the standard adult formulation. Lasts ~7 hours against ticks.
- 10% is fine for children (and is approved by Health Canada for ages 6 months and up).
- Common Canadian brands: Off! Defense, Watkins Insect Repellent, NoBite.
- Apply to exposed skin. Reapply per the label, especially after sweating.
Also effective
DEET
- 20-30%is the useful range — more isn’t more effective, it just lasts longer.
- Avoid 30%+ on children. Health Canada recommends DEET-free options under age 12.
- Will damage some plastics, synthetic fabrics, and watch crystals.
- If you used DEET as a kid, the modern Icaridin formulations are simply nicer.
Skip these
Things that don't work.
Layer three
Treated clothing — the Canadian situation.
The most effective fabric treatment for ticks is permethrin — a synthetic version of a chrysanthemum-derived insecticide that kills ticks on contact when they walk on treated clothing. In the United States it’s sold in spray bottles for do-it-yourself application. In Canada the picture is more complicated.
Health Canada has not approved any consumer-use permethrin spray for sale in Canada. You can’t buy Sawyer or Repel-brand bottles at Canadian Tire, MEC, or anywhere else. Importing them commercially is blocked, though individuals occasionally pick up a bottle when crossing the border for personal use.
Two legal options are available in Canada:
Option 1
Permethrin-treated clothing
Mark’s sells the No Fly Zone line — pants, shirts, and jackets factory-treated with permethrin and approved by Health Canada. Look for the Pest Control Product (PCP) number on the label.
One catch: Health Canada approved this line only for mosquito repellency, even though permethrin works the same way on ticks. The protection is there; the label just doesn’t advertise it.
Option 2
IR3535-treated socks
IR3535 (also marketed as Si Repel) is a different active ingredient with similar end-effect — repels ticks, bonded permanently into the fabric, lasts about 100 wash cycles. Hunting socks in this category are sold on Amazon.ca and protect the calf-and-ankle band where most ticks climb on from grass.
For most Canadians, the practical answer is: Icaridin on skin, treated socks on feet. That combination covers the two surfaces ticks actually contact — the lower legs where they climb on, and any patch of exposed skin. If you cross the US border regularly and want to DIY-treat your own hiking outfit, a bottle of Sawyer Permethrin Premium is legal to bring back for personal use; just don’t expect to find it locally.
Where the ticks actually are
Habitat — it's not where you think.
Most people picture ticks in deep forest. They’re actually concentrated in transition zones — the messy edges where one habitat meets another.
High risk
Where to be careful.
- Leaf-litter understory in mixed forest.
- Tall grass, especially the edges where grass meets shrub or tree line.
- Brushy trail margins and overgrown footpaths.
- Suburban yards backing on wooded ravines — the wildlife corridor matters.
Lower risk
Where you can relax (a bit).
- Open meadow with mowed grass and full sun.
- Deep mature forest with closed canopy and a clean leaf layer (less host density).
- Rocky alpine terrain above the treeline.
- Sandy beaches and dry sun-exposed dunes.
Ticks need humidity to survive. The driest, sunniest places are the safest; the dampest, shadiest leaf litter is where they accumulate.
When you get back
The post-outing protocol.
The single most effective prevention step is the body check after. A blacklegged tick has to be attached for roughly 24 hours before it can transmit Lyme. A check in the first hour and another the next morning catches almost every one.
- 1Clothes go in the dryer first.If they’re dry, tumble dry on high heat for 10 minutes. If they’re damp or wet, run a full drying cycle on high heat (40-60 minutes)— wet fabric holds humidity and a short cycle won’t kill ticks. Heat is what kills them; washing alone often doesn’t.
- 2Shower within two hours. Studies show showering soon after exposure reduces Lyme risk meaningfully. Crawling ticks wash off; attached ones become easier to spot.
- 3Full body check — twice.Once in the bathroom after the shower; once the next morning in good light. Use a mirror, or a partner, for the spots you can’t see. Pay extra attention to behind the ears, scalp, neck, armpits, navel, waistband, behind the knees, and the groin. Nymphs love warm, hidden, slightly damp spots.
- 4Check the dog. Run a flat hand slowly through fur in the same spots — ears, between toes, armpits, groin, base of the tail. Engorged ticks on dogs feel like small grapes.
If you find one
What's next.
Related
More from the field guide.
- In the field — how ticks find you, what to do mid-outing.
- Tick identification — four Canadian species and which carry what.
- For pet owners — dog-specific protocols and product recommendations.
Last reviewed
General information only — not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911. Read the full disclaimer.