Climate change is pushing ticks into new habitats across southern Canada, and experts say the blood-sucking pests will keep advancing.

Disease-carrying ticks were barely on Canada’s radar until the 1990s, but scientists say various species are travelling north from the United States at a rate of 35 to 55 kilometres per year.

“Where the vast majority of the Canadian population lives, which is near the American border, are all in areas that are already climatically suitable for tick populations,” said Katie Clow, an assistant professor in the department of population medicine at the University of Guelph. “Likely, the invasion process is just going to continue to sort of fill that ecological niche.”

Clow says parts of southern Canada that do not yet have ticks will likely see them emerge over the coming decade.