Outdoor enthusiasts heading to southwestern Nova Scotia this summer should take simple precautions to avoid being bitten by ticks.
Ticks are tiny brown or black bugs which feed on blood.
Occasionally, ticks will bite humans instead of animals. Most tick bites don't lead to disease, but some may. A disease that can be transmitted by ticks is called lyme disease. There have been no cases of lyme disease in Nova Scotia, and the chances of a tick passing the disease along are very small. However, the ticks that may cause the disease have been found in southwestern Nova Scotia.