Ticks are an increasing concern for people in Atlantic Canada, and beekeepers are particularly at high risk with long hours spent in fields, wooded areas, and tall grass, which are all habitats for ticks. Understanding tick risks, and associated disease prevention strategies, is essential for beekeeper’s health.
Tick Safety in the Apiary
The
Maritimes are home to many types of ticks, but the black-legged tick (Ixodes
scapularis) is the only one currently known to transmit disease to humans.
These include Lyme disease, caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi,
as well as anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus disease 1.
Both Lyme disease and anaplasmosis are now considered endemic diseases in Nova
Scotia 1. Other ticks found in the Maritimes include the American
Dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) and the groundhog tick (Ixodes
cookei). While these species can carry pathogens, they are not known to
transmit diseases to humans in the Maritimes 2.
Ticks in
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are active when the temperature is consistently
above freezing and can be found in woods, shrubs, leaf litter, long grass and
gardens 1. With a warming climate, black-legged ticks have expanded
their range, meaning even beekeepers who have not encountered ticks in previous
seasons should be aware of the risks 2.
Ticks
develop through four life stages: egg, larva, nymph and adult 3.
Black-legged ticks feed on many hosts, including dogs, deer, rodents, birds and
humans, allowing disease-causing bacteria to spread 3. Both nymphs
and adults feed on animals and can spread diseases to humans.
Beekeepers
can reduce the risk by taking precautions such as dressing appropriately, using
repellents, managing the landscape of the apiary, managing tick hosts and doing
thorough tick checks. When working in an apiary, an effective strategy is
wearing correct clothing such as closed-toed shoes, long pants, long sleeves,
and light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to spot, and tucking pants into
socks or wearing tall boots to create physical barriers. Many of these
practices also overlap with sting-prevention, making them easy to integrate
into routine beekeeping strategies.
Repellents
are another important step, but you must be careful that they will not disturb
the bees 4. Using products that contain DEET or icaridin (picaridin)
can be applied to exposed skin and clothing, and permethrin can be used on
clothing to repel ticks on contact.
Make sure to follow label instructions when using these products. After
spending time outdoors, beekeepers should perform tick checks, especially
checking warm places on the body, as well as showering or bathing, and drying
outdoor clothes on high heat to kill any ticks that may be attached.
Managing
the environment of the apiary can also help reduce the risk of tick encounters.
Keeping grass mowed, maintaining clear pathways to colonies, and placing hives
on pallets or stands can make these areas less attractive to ticks 4.
Some beekeepers also use gravel in the apiary to reduce vegetation around the
hives and make the area less suitable for ticks. Reducing tick hosts, such as
deer, small mammals and rodents, by using fencing or reducing rodent habitats
around the apiary can lower the number of ticks around the bee yard. Together
these prevention strategies create a safer work environment and can help
beekeepers remain healthy.
Connecting with ATTTA Specialists
If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:
visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/
Email attta@perennia.ca
1. Government of Nova Scotia. (n.d.). Tick safety. Available at https://novascotia.ca/ticksafety/ (Accessed: 19/05/2026)