When ticks bite they actually secrete a cement like substance that cements their mouthparts in place. That is why they are so hard to remove. Disturbing the tick can cause it to regurgitate material potentially infected with the Lyme disease bacteria into the wound so increasing the chances of infection. Most experts agree that the safest course of action is to avoid the fancy folk remedies involving nail varnish, open flames, or screwing the tick out counter clockwise and go with
a straightforward tweezer removal - making sure you grasp the tick as close to the mouthparts as possible and pull smoothly away from the skin. The pictures here are form Cornell's '
Tick Biology for the homeowner' website.
When ticks bite they actually secrete a cement like substance that cements their mouthparts in place. That is why they are so hard to remove. Disturbing the tick can cause it to regurgitate material potentially infected with the Lyme disease bacteria into the wound so increasing the chances of infection. Most experts agree that the safest course of action is to avoid the fancy folk remedies involving nail varnish, open flames, or screwing the tick out counter clockwise and go with 
a straightforward tweezer removal - making sure you grasp the tick as close to the mouthparts as possible and pull smoothly away from the skin. The pictures here are form Cornell's 'Tick Biology for the homeowner' website.
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