How a Nova Scotia mother’s kitchen experiment became a scientific breakthrough – CTV
June 22, 2026
BLOCKHOUSE, N.S. – Rural and wooded areas like Blockhouse, N.S., are known for having a lot of ticks.
“It’s actually increased exponentially,” said Nicoletta Faraone, who had to stop being interviewed when she noticed a tick on her arm.
Faraone, a biochemist at Acadia University who specializes in tick research, said these arachnids carry dangerous diseases. “Particularly Lyme disease, caused by the blacklegged tick.”
About 12 years ago, brothers Lucas and Darian Wallet both became sick with tick-borne illnesses.
“I woke up, and I couldn’t even get out of bed,” said Lucas. “It was so bad.”
After a heavy dose of antibiotics both boys returned to normal health, but their mother Lisa Learning was determined to make sure it never happened again.
“I started to look for my own solution,” said Learning. To avoid anti-tick chemical sprays, she began doing research on natural remedies, using essential oils as the basis for a tick repellent.
