How to Remove a Wood Tick

People who frequent the outdoors will often have encounters with ticks such as the wood tick. These creatures are parasites and live off the blood of another living thing. Wood ticks are capable of transmitting diseases to humans such as Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularaemia, so one must take extreme care when removing them form the body.

Instructions

How to Remove a Wood Tick

1. Remove any ticks from your person immediately after discovering that they are attached to you. The longer you wait, the better the chance for the tick to transmit a harmful ailment into your bloodstream.

2. Utilize tweezers to remove a wood tick. You may also employ special instruments that are designed specifically for tick removal. People who constantly venture into the woods, such as fishermen, hunters, hikers and campers, should include a pair of tweezers in their equipment.

3. Grab the tick with your tweezers as close to the skin as possible. Get a firm grip on the tick but take great care not to crush the tick. Crushing a still-attached tick can force the contents of its stomach into the bite, with a possible infection or disease as a result.

4. Apply steady pressure and gingerly pull upward on the tick. Never twist the tick as you do so or yank it quickly, as this can leave the mouthparts still lingering in the bite site. Pull until the tick becomes unattached.

5. Wash the affected region where the tick bit you with warm water and soap. In the event that you do crush the tick, it would be prudent to apply an antiseptic.

Tips & Warnings

• Never cover a tick with substances such as Vaseline or nail polish in an attempt to make it let go. This action can cause the tick to regurgitate its stomach contents into the bite, and it will still have enough oxygen available to continue feeding.

References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site
• Lyme Disease Foundation website