Tick Removal Tricks

Ticks are external parasites that need the blood of animals and humans to survive. The tiny creatures go through three transformative stages -- tick larvae, nymphs and adult tick form. They prefer an environment that is moist and shaded with overgrown trees, bushes and long grass or leaf litter. It is quite easy to come into contact with ticks if you are outdoors.

How Can You Pick Up Ticks?

• Ticks prefer an environment that is moist and shaded with overgrown trees, bushes and long grass or leaf litter. It is quite easy to come into contact with ticks if you are outdoors. A number of animals are regular hosts to ticks, including dogs, deer and cats, so it is possible for your pets to bring them into the house. You may also pick them up if you are doing yard work or sitting in your garden.

Identifying a Tick

• Though there are hundreds of different types of tick, very few of them interact with humans and it is relatively simple to identify one as they are all very similar. The first thing to remember is that ticks do not fly or jump, nor are they carried by the wind. So if you see a bug doing any of these things, it is definitely not a tick. Ticks are very small, between one third and one eighth of an inch in length (a deer tick being the larger size). They vary in color from dark brown to yellowy-green. Some have hard shell-covered bodies and others have soft bodies that look something like a raisin.

Removing a Tick

• Do not apply any chemicals, ointments or lotions to the tick before attempting to remove it from the host. To remove a tick properly you should use a pair of sharp-pointed tweezers (specially made tick tweezers are available) and grasp hold of the tick as close to the host's skin as possible. This ensures that you are getting a hold of it as close to its embedded mouth-parts as you possibly can. Try not to squeeze the tick's abdomen otherwise it may burst and expel organisms into the host's body. Once you grasp the tick in the appropriate place, pull it out with a straight and steady motion. Do not twist the tweezers or you risk leaving the head and mouth parts in the host's body. Do not try to burn the tick out. You should save the tick once you have removed it so that you can have it tested to find out what pathogens it contains.

  You can send ticks to be tested to:
  IgeneX Inc.
  797 San Antonio Rd.
  Palo Alto, CA 94303