Tick removal

Many people seem to have heard of one or other supposed foolproof way to remove ticks. None of them seem to work very well though, or be any better than simply pulling the tick out. At least not according to 'Evaluation of five popular methods for tick removal' by Glen Needham from the Acarology laboratory at Ohio State.

It is recommended that the tick be grasped as close to the skin as possible with curved forceps; if these are not available, use tweezers or protected fingers. Pull straight up with steady even pressure. If cement or mouthparts remain, then extract if that is practical. Disinfect bite site before and after tick removal.

Commercial tools that function in this manner may make the task slightly easier.

Here's a video guide to removing ticks from the University of Rhode Island's TickEncounter Resource Center.