Released: June 05, 2003

Tick Bits:

Ticks Don’t Respond to Tricks

MANHATTAN, Kan. – No matter what you learned from grandpa or your camp counselor, petroleum jelly and irritants don’t help remove ticks. Neither do lit cigarettes or other heat sources.

Whether to "unscrew" embedded ticks by twisting clockwise or counterclockwise has long been a subject for argument and debate. But both are bits of folklore that increase the odds for problems.

Research has found the safest way to remove the little bloodsuckers is to grip them as close to their head as possible – preferably using tweezers or forceps at your skin level. Then gently and relentlessly pull straight away from your skin. Ticks will usually relax their hold within just a few seconds.

– Source: K-State Research and Extension Entomology

Ticks ‘Cement’ Themselves to Skin

MANHATTAN, Kan. – People may believe so many myths about the best way to remove ticks because all kinds of things SEEM to work, so long as a tick hasn’t had time to embed itself securely.

When it’s deeply attached, however, a tick has two anchors: (1) microscopic, recurved teeth and (2) a cement-like substance that ticks secrete, said Ludek Zurek, K-State Research and Extension entomologist.

Persuading a tick to "melt" that cement and relax its bite requires gently gripping (or "tweezing") the tick at its head or neck level, then constantly pulling it up – at right angles to the host’s skin and with no tilting or twisting, Zurek said.

– Source: K-State Research and Extension Entomology

Partly Removed Tick Rarely a Problem

MANHATTAN, Kan. – If a tick breaks while you’re trying to remove it and the mouthparts remain in your skin, your chances of getting a disease will be only slightly higher – so long as the tick hasn’t been embedded for more than 24 hours.

"You should just disinfect the area and wait until the tick parts clear themselves from your skin – sort of like a scab," said Ludek Zurek, entomologist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

Infections are the biggest risk with ticks that aren’t removed completely or quickly, he said. To be safe, however, anyone who develops flu-like symptoms within two weeks of being bitten by a tick should immediately contact a doctor.

– Source: K-State Research and Extension Entomology

‘Seed Ticks’ Don’t Exist

MANHATTAN, Kan. – "Seed ticks" are a case of mistaken identity, not an actual tiny pest.

"Basically, they’re the larval stage of any tick species," said Kansas State University entomologist Ludek Zurek. "In Kansas, that primarily means seed ticks are the larvae of lone star ticks."

As such, they deserve the same respect as their disease-transmitting parents.

"Lone star ticks – one of the most common species in Kansas – need a blood meal in every growth stage except the eggs," Zurek said. "Unlike most ticks, lone stars can and will bite people when they’re larvae and nymphs, as well as adults."

– Source: K-State Research and Extension Entomology

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Kathleen Ward, Communications Specialist
kward@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News