Remove tick: How to kill the bloodsucker correctly

Created: 06/27/2022, 09:22

By: Jasmin Pospiech

If a tick has bitten you, you need to remove it properly.

© picture alliance/dpa/Marijan Murat

After a tick bite, you should quickly remove the parasite.

But how do you dispose of it correctly without putting yourself in danger?

It works with these resources.

Now, in spring, their time begins again.

The small parasites lie in wait for their victims in the high grass and on bushes: hikers, joggers, but also dogs that stray around in the undergrowth on a walk in the forest with their master or mistress.

In their thirst for blood, ticks attach themselves to their host's skin in order to literally suck them dry.

In fact, that's not even the problem. 

Rather, ticks are known and rightly feared as carriers of dangerous diseases such as TBE (tick-borne encephalitis) or Lyme disease.

Remove ticks quickly and render them harmless

A particularly large number of cases of TBE infections have been reported from large parts of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in recent years, but also from southern Hesse and south-eastern Thuringia.

Every year, the Robert Koch Institute publishes a current risk assessment in Germany and a map of TBE risk areas to protect the population from the

.

But despite all precautionary measures: humans and animals are not completely safe from the bloodsuckers.

The alpha and omega of a tick bite is that the

.

But then the question quickly arises: where to put the bloodsucker?

Dispose of ticks - but what's the right way?

Researchers have now asked themselves this question and, in various tests, found out which methods are suitable for correctly disposing of a removed tick, because in

.

Ticks should be

without humans coming into contact with the tick's bodily fluids.

Read more

Because even a

could allow pathogens or eggs that are in the tick to get into the human organism.

So how do you properly kill a tick?

Should they be crushed or crushed, burned or rendered harmless with certain liquids? 

also read

If your nasal mucus is this color, then quickly to the doctor

You need a referral for these specialists

Endurance test: Only brutal methods are successful with ticks  

The researchers' results are striking because they show how robust the dangerous pests are.

Neither trampling on the heel of a shoe nor crushing it with a fingernail could harm the tick.

However, flushing the tick down the toilet also proved to be unsuitable, as it was shown that ticks can survive in water for a considerable period of time.

If a tick bite turns red, you should see a doctor immediately.

, such as a glass of water

, proved to be the most effective .

To do this, fold the tick in a piece of paper and pull the glass over it with pressure.

The researchers were also able to get rid of the ticks with

.

Two other, relatively brute methods:

with a sharp knife

. 

In this way you can immediately see whether you have contracted Lyme disease after a tick bite

.

Keep ticks on pets

Anyone who removes a tick from their pet should keep it.

Because the animal shows symptoms, the veterinarian can examine the parasite and find out whether the symptoms are related to Lyme disease or a disease caused by the tick.

In this way, the poor pet may be

that has been prescribed on suspicion .

Caution

.

.

Attention: These are the eight most common misconceptions about ticks

View photo gallery

How to properly remove a tick: 

People who spend a lot of time outdoors should

that they can use to quickly remove a tick.

The following tick removal methods have proven effective:

• Remove ticks with tweezers

  : The tweezers should be curved and pointed at the front so that you can grab the tick as close to the skin as possible by the mouthparts.

  Try to pull the tick's head out carefully and in a controlled manner at a perpendicular angle to the skin without crushing the tick's abdomen. 

• Pry a tick with a tick card

  : This special card has a V-shaped notch that can be used to pry the bloodsucker.

  Here's how you do it: Push the card flat against the skin against the tick and try to guide the tick sideways into the beak-shaped opening.

  Don't linger here, but continue along the map without interrupting your movement, removing the tick. 

• The

  tick lasso: Here you should place the end of the lasso loop as close as possible to the skin around the tick.

  Finally, use the stamp at the top of the device to tighten the lasso, raise the handle vertically and press lightly on the skin.

  Now pull the tick straight up and out. 

• Remove a tick with your fingers

  : If no tool is available, a tick can also be removed with your thumb and forefinger if necessary.

  Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible.

  You should also make sure that the abdomen is not crushed.

  Now carefully pull out the tick with slight loosening movements to the left and right.

Also interesting

: That's why you should go to the doctor immediately if a tick bite is itchy.

Also read

: With this app you now know about herds of ticks - and are guaranteed to protect yourself against TBE viruses.

jp