How to Kill & Remove a Tick

Ticks are common in grassy, wooded areas during the warm months. These insects burrow into your skin and can carry disease, making prompt removal imperative. Just removing a tick isn't enough though; these tenacious insects can easily hop on an animal or human from the floor or uncovered garbage. The diseases ticks carry depend on their geographic location, but can include Lyme disease, southern tick-associated rash illness, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber gloves
• Tweezers
• Zip-seal plastic bag
• Cotton balls
• Rubbing alcohol
• Adhesive bandage

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Instructions

• 1

  Put on your rubber gloves. These will protect your hands from the tick during removal.

• 2

  Clean the tweezers with rubbing alcohol before using. The open nature of a tick bite makes the skin susceptible to infection.

• 3

  Apply the tweezers around the tick close to the skin. Firmly pull the tick outward with a steady motion. Do not twist or yank the tick, as this could leave the mouth parts inside your skin.

• 4

  Place the tick in a plastic bag and store the bag in the freezer. Keep the tick for a few days so that authorities can identify the source of the illness if the bite victim becomes sick.

• 5

  Clean the bite with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol. Apply an adhesive bandage.