How to Properly Remove a Tick

[pannaking22]

It's that time of year again when the ticks are emerging and I just wanted to post this so that you know how to properly remove a tick!

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html

If you do get an embedded tick, do not use fire, oil, or any other home remedies. These can severely stress out the tick and may cause it to vomit into the bite, almost certainly guaranteeing infection if the tick is carrying a pathogen of some sort (Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Heartland Virus, etc.).

In terms of identification, check the picture links below:

Black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) - found east of the Rocky Mountains. There is a similar species west of the Rockies, Ixodes pacificus.

Dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) - found east of the Rockies. There is a similar species west of the Rockies, Dermacentor occidentalis.

Lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) - southeast US (range map).

Gulf coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum) - southeast US. Similar to Amblyomma cajennense, which occasionally comes up in the deep South.

Keep in mind that these ticks are small and the larval and nymphal stages are even smaller. Be sure to check skin/clothing when you finish hiking (or collecting ), wear long pants, and use bug spray containing DEET.

 

[Micrathena]

Some veterinary clinics also have special "tick spoons", which work wonders on humans as well as other mammals.

 

[The Snark]

"If you do get an embedded tick, do not use fire, oil, or any other home remedies. These can severely stress out the tick and may cause it to vomit into the bite, almost certainly guaranteeing infection if the tick is carrying a pathogen of some sort (Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Heartland Virus, etc.)."

Or a Winchester 30-30 rifle as one genius tried.

 

[Curious jay]

"If you do get an embedded tick, do not use fire, oil, or any other home remedies. These can severely stress out the tick and may cause it to vomit into the bite, almost certainly guaranteeing infection if the tick is carrying a pathogen of some sort (Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Heartland Virus, etc.)."

Or a Winchester 30-30 rifle as one genius tried.

Lol care to expand on that story Snark? Sounds like an entertaining one.

 

[pannaking22]

Some veterinary clinics also have special "tick spoons", which work wonders on humans as well as other mammals.

I don't have any personal experience with those (I always just use forceps), but I've heard a lot of good things about them.

"If you do get an embedded tick, do not use fire, oil, or any other home remedies. These can severely stress out the tick and may cause it to vomit into the bite, almost certainly guaranteeing infection if the tick is carrying a pathogen of some sort (Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Heartland Virus, etc.)."

Or a Winchester 30-30 rifle as one genius tried.

I'm with Curious jay, I'm curious to hear that story too lol

 

[The Snark]

Lol care to expand on that story Snark? Sounds like an entertaining one.

There was a couple of pictures spread around in medical circles for a while of an arm with an avulsion about 2 inches across and an inch deep. Let's just repeat to old adage, 'Ma nature hates a vacuum'.

 

[viper69]

It's that time of year again when the ticks are emerging and I just wanted to post this so that you know how to properly remove a tick!

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html

If you do get an embedded tick, do not use fire, oil, or any other home remedies. These can severely stress out the tick and may cause it to vomit into the bite, almost certainly guaranteeing infection if the tick is carrying a pathogen of some sort (Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Heartland Virus, etc.).

In terms of identification, check the picture links below:

Black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) - found east of the Rocky Mountains. There is a similar species west of the Rockies, Ixodes pacificus.

Dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) - found east of the Rockies. There is a similar species west of the Rockies, Dermacentor occidentalis.

Lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) - southeast US (range map).

Gulf coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum) - southeast US. Similar to Amblyomma cajennense, which occasionally comes up in the deep South.

Keep in mind that these ticks are small and the larval and nymphal stages are even smaller. Be sure to check skin/clothing when you finish hiking (or collecting ), wear long pants, and use bug spray containing DEET.

Thanks for this link!!! I have read in that mineral oil was OK to use- glad I saw your post, I do not want Lyme Disease!

 

[pannaking22]

There was a couple of pictures spread around in medical circles for a while of an arm with an avulsion about 2 inches across and an inch deep. Let's just repeat to old adage, 'Ma nature hates a vacuum'.

Good lord, lol. Well as long as he got the tick, right?

Thanks for this link!!! I have read in that mineral oil was OK to use- glad I saw your post, I do not want Lyme Disease!

You're welcome! Lyme disease is always good to avoid, but if detected early, medications pretty much guarantee a full recovery!

 

[Smokehound714]

get a sceloporus occidentalis and perform a blood transfusion

 

[The Snark]

Pannaking22. A request from myself and a doc friend of mine. For years he has labored under the impression that using H2O2 on the tick as it is biting will devascularize the wound and arrest all disease transmission. Can you supply some info contradicting this? It is understood that H2O2 is not the antiseptic of choice in hospitals as it expands the injury but it is widely used as chemical curettage when an ongoing infector is present.

 

[pannaking22]

Snark (and doc friend). I don't have any experience with using H2O2 for ticks, though I have read up on it recently since you brought it to my attention. I can see it being more effective for ticks that have been on a person for a short time. In the case of Lyme disease, the general consensus seems to be that a tick has to be feeding for 12-24 hours before infection can occur. Some diseases are transmitted in a shorter amount of time (I believe Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is 6 hours, but don't quote me on it unless I find the source), while others take even longer than Lyme. I can certainly see the merit of using H2O2 on ticks, especially considering how quickly it works (people on YouTube seem to like injecting ticks with H2O2 to cause them to explode). I believe he can continue to use H2O2 without ill effects. I'll ask my adviser about that on Monday to see if he has any thoughts on it. Considering that he has gotten Lyme disease several times already, I'm sure he'll have more info than I do.

 

[pannaking22]

Snark - Sorry about the delayed response. I talked with my adviser about using H2O2 as a removal technique, and he said that it will still result in the tick vomiting into the bite site. For a tick to remove itself from your skin, it uses a compound in its saliva to dissolve the "cement" that allows it to stay firmly embedded. By applying a steady pulling pressure while using forceps, you force the tick to use these compounds to dissolve the bond. When you use H2O2, fire, soap, etc., this forces the tick to dissolve the bond much more quickly using any method possible. Unfortunately, to obtain a quick break, the tick will vomit (while sucking blood, the tick also sucks up a fair amount of its saliva with all the other compounds it has produced). This drops any pathogens that had been sitting in the gut into the bite site, drastically increasing the chance of being infected.

 

[The Snark]

So the old tried and true method proves the best. Grasp the tick, and keep on grasping pinching until you have it's entire body between finger and thumb. When you have it properly pinched the pinching force alone levers the tick up, assuring the head comes as well. And of course, always burn the tick to kill the babies, (they float and can survive for hours on water) and wash wash wash those fingers immediately. Using surgical rubber gloves gives excellent grip on the buggers. Or, if you are fussy, grab the Kellys.

 

[Smokehound714]

I just use forceps, grab their mouthparts, and yank em out before they get a chance to vomit into you.

It takes practice, you kinda have to catch them off guard.

 

[pannaking22]

So the old tried and true method proves the best. Grasp the tick, and keep on grasping pinching until you have it's entire body between finger and thumb. When you have it properly pinched the pinching force alone levers the tick up, assuring the head comes as well. And of course, always burn the tick to kill the babies, (they float and can survive for hours on water) and wash wash wash those fingers immediately. Using surgical rubber gloves gives excellent grip on the buggers. Or, if you are fussy, grab the Kellys.

Not sure if you need to burn them, though you are certainly welcome to Mine always get dropped in alcohol. They are great at surviving though. I've collected some and dropped them in alcohol and they'll still be flailing around a couple hours later. Very hardy!

 

[The Snark]

Not sure if you need to burn them, though you are certainly welcome to Mine always get dropped in alcohol. They are great at surviving though. I've collected some and dropped them in alcohol and they'll still be flailing around a couple hours later. Very hardy!

The old saw: 'A feeding tick is a breeding tick.' In tick country keep a disposable lighter handy.

 

[pannaking22]

Since it's getting to be that time of year again, here's a tick bump!

 

[windscorpions1]

Since you bumped the thread might as well add something to it....what we do to remove a tick here is we get s tweezers grab a hold of them and turn counter clockwise I got one last turkey season did this and it came right out.

 

[pannaking22]

That definitely works! As long as you get the head out and don't cause the tick to vomit it's all good.

 

[pannaking22]

Ticks are out and about again, so here's another tick bump! Enjoy the outdoors and do your tick checks when you come back inside!