The CDC has a web page about removing ticks: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/rmsf/rmtnsfvr.htm Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2000 08:41:09 -0400 From: Michael Waldvogel Medical professionals and the CDC do not recommend putting anything like vaseline, nail polish, etc. on the tick; just gently pull it loose with a pair of tweezers. There are several online pubs about biting/stinging pests (including ticks) available at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/Insects/Urban/biting.htm -- ============================================================ Mike Waldvogel Dept. of Entomology, NCSU-Box 7613, Raleigh, NC 27695-7613 Ph: (919) 515-8881 Fax: (919) 515-7746 Internet: Mike_Waldvogel@ncsu.edu http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/DIRECTORY/waldvoge.html ============================================================ From jleblanc@nature.berkeley.edu Sun Jul 17 22:45:12 EDT 1994 Article: 10429 of misc.rural From: jleblanc@nature.berkeley.edu (John W. LeBlanc) Newsgroups: misc.rural,rec.backcountry Subject: Re: Need info on ticks Date: 14 Jul 1994 17:48:02 GMT Organization: Univ. of Calif. Cooperative Extension Lines: 31 Message-ID: References: <2vtp0i$q0c@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu> <301v76$kjl@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: mul1mac13.berkeley.edu Xref: bigblue.oit.unc.edu misc.rural:10429 rec.backcountry:47901 I have had great sucess removing ticks from the dog with a tool called TICK NIPPERS which I got at at R.E.I. (Recreational Equipment Incorporated 1-800-426-4840) . It is a plier like tool made of plastic with a scoop shaped head and stops on the handle so the jaws do not close all of the way. This slight gap prevents squeezing the tick and allows hair to pass through. I've pulled about a dozen or so - everyone came out alive with mouth parts intact. The tool contains a magnifying glass in the handle that is supposed to help you identify the tick - but I found it next to useless. Plastic lenses just don't work well at 20X. At about $6.00 they are pricey - but they do work. Besides you can torture the live tick to your hearts content. There was a long thread on rec.backcounty about various tick torture methods that we do not need to repeat here. The butt-burn method is reported to cause the tick to regurgitate. If it is infected iwth Lyme disease you can enhance the chances of infection this way. The tweezer method can also cause regurgitation - if you squeeze too hard. I have yet to use them on myself, family, or other humans, but the dog (a big sissy) does not seem to mind. She did not like the tweezer method - it took one person to hold her steady and another to pull the tick (and glob of hair that always came with it). With TICK NIPPERS I can do it alone. Just my $6.00 worth - John LeBlanc -- jleblanc@nature.berkeley.edu