Questions and Answers

General

• What is the best way to remove a tick?
• Do folklore remedies work?
• How can ticks be controlled?

Disease Specific Questions

Do folklore remedies work?

No. Folklore remedies, such as the use of petroleum jelly or hot matches, do little to encourage a tick to detach from skin. In fact, they may make matters worse by irritating the tick and stimulating it to release additional saliva or regurgitate gut contents, increasing the chances of transmitting the pathogen. These methods of tick removal should be avoided. See the Tickborne Rickettsial Diseases tick removal page for instructions on the proper way to remove a tick.

How can ticks be controlled?

Strategies to reduce the tick population through area-wide application of acaricides (chemicals that will kill ticks and mites) and control of tick habitats (e.g., removal of leaf litter and brush) have been effective in small-scale trials. New methods under development include applying acaricides to rodents and deer by using baited tubes, boxes, and deer feeding stations in areas where these pathogens are endemic. Biological control with fungi, parasitic nematodes, and parasitic wasps may play important roles in integrated tick control efforts. Community-based integrated tick management strategies may prove to be an effective public health response to reduce the incidence of tick-borne infections. However, limiting exposure to ticks is presently the most effective method of prevention.