How to remove a tick

The safest way to remove a tick is to use a tick removal tool. [72]. If you do not have a tick removal tool, use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers.

Do not

• Crush the tick’s body - This could cause saliva release or regurgitation of its infected stomach contents.[73]
• Use a lit cigarette end, a match head or substances such as alcohol or petroleum jelly to force the tick out. This could cause saliva release or regurgitation.
• Use your fingernails to remove a tick – infection can enter via any breaks in your skin.
• Squeeze the body of the tick – this may cause the head and body to separate, leaving the head embedded in your skin.

Tick removal devices such as tick ‘cards’ or ‘twisters’ are the most reliable way of reducing bacterial transmission as they lift the tick off the skin and avoid squeezing its stomach.

Tick removal tools are available at most outdoor shops, pharmacies and on-line. You can also get them at veterinary surgeries and pet shops.

Method 1: Tick removal tool

• Choose the most suitable tick removal tool according to the size of the tick
• Engage the tool by approaching the tick from the side until it is held securely
• Lift the tool very lightly and TURN IT (clockwise or counter-clockwise). The tick detaches itself in 2 or 3 rotations

Twist in one direction and do not use the tool to lever the tick as you would a crow bar. This could cause the mouth parts to break off.

How to remove a tick
Method 2: Fine tipped tweezers

• Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
• Pull upwards, firmly and slowly and try not to break off the mouthparts
• Do not twist or jerk as this may leave its mouthparts embedded
• Do not squeeze or crush the body of the tick

If you squeeze or crush the body of the tick its fluids (saliva and gut contents) may contain infections and leak into the host’s blood stream or on their skin

What to do after you have removed the tick

• Do not handle the tick with bare hands
• Once you have removed the tick, apply antiseptic to the bite area, or wash with soap and water
• Make a record of the area bitten and keep an eye on the area for several weeks for any changes

Certain disease-causing organisms may enter through breaks in the skin or through mucous membranes (if you touch eyes, nostrils or mouth). Apply antiseptic to the area of the bite to prevent localised pyogenic infection
A health information video about tick and Lyme disease plus how to remove ticks safely and effectively with the right tool [75]

What should you do with the tick?

You may want to save the tick for identification in case the person or animal the tick was attached to becomes ill within several weeks

To save the tick, write the date of the bite on a piece of paper and put it with the tick in a sealed plastic bag and store it in a freezer. Your doctor / vet can then identify that a tick bite has occurred and use this information to assist in making an accurate diagnosis.
If you do not want to keep the tick the best way to dispose of it is to place it in a tissue and squash it, then either dispose of the tissue in the dustbin or flush it down the toilet
You may send the tick to Public Health England (PHE) who run a tick surveillance scheme. This scheme records tick distribution in the UK on a National Scale. Tick samples sent to PHE provide valuable information on the distribution of tick species present across UK, their seasonal activity and host species. Full details about the scheme and how you can send any ticks you have are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tick-surveillance-scheme#tick-surveillance-scheme [76]