How to Remove a Tick

Finding a tick on yourself, someone else, or a pet is fairly common in Minnesota. The most important thing is to stay calm.

Using a Tweezers or Your Fingers:

  1. Use the tweezers or your fingers to grasp the tick as close to the head as possible.
  2. Pull directly up to remove the whole tick (not at an angle).
  3. If the tick's head or mouthparts remain, do not attempt to dig them out. Once the body is removed, the tick can no longer transmit disease, and the remaining parts will naturally be broken down by the body.
  4. Wash the area with soap and warm water.
  5. Dispose of the tick by putting it in a sealed container.
  6. Check for other ticks.
Figure 1) Grasping a tick with tweezers.

Using a Tick Key:

  1. Place the tear-drop shaped opening over the tick.
  2. Apply pressure to the skin and slide the key towards the tick, ensuring the small opening of the key is on the part of the tick closest to the skin.
  3. Continue sliding until the tick is removed.
  4. If the tick's head or mouthparts remain, do not attempt to dig them out. Once the body is removed, the tick can no longer transmit disease, and the remaining parts will naturally be broken down by the body.
  5. Wash the area with soap and warm water.
  6. Dispose of the tick by putting it in a sealed container.
  7. Check for other ticks.
Figure 1) Grasping a tick with tweezers.

How to Identify a Tick

Look for patterns and colors on the tick to help identify the species:

Female deer tick - reddish orange on the bottom and black on the top and legs.

Female Deer Tick

Male Deer Tick - mostly black with a white

Male Deer Tick

Adult female wood tick

Female Wood Tick

woodtick-male-cutout

Male Wood Tick

lone-star-female

Female Lone Star Tick

lone-star-male

Male Lone Star Tick

tick-nymph-cutout

Nymph Tick

Free Tick ID Service

MMCD Tick Specialists will identify your tick at no cost. Learn more at our Tick Surveillance webpage.

How to Prevent Ticks

  • When in tick habitat, stick to the center of the trail. Deer ticks hide out in dense underbrush.
  • Wear light colored clothes so ticks are visible.
  • Use a tick preventative on your pets. Consult a veterinarian to determine the best product for each breed.
  • Use insect repellent. Follow label directions. Use the EPA tool to find the best repellent for you.
  • After being in the woods, do a complete body check, shower, and vigorously towel dry.
  • Put clothes in the drier on "high" for 10 minutes to kill ticks.
  • Carefully check your kids and pets for ticks.
  • Save activities like brush-cutting for August when all stages of deer ticks are at their lowest numbers.

Learn more about the MMCD tick program at our Tick Surveillance page!

Request a Free Mosquito & Tick Safety Kit

MMCD offers FREE Mosquito & Tick Safety Kits that include tools and materials that will help reduce your risk of mosquito- and tick-borne disease. Kits come in a white pouch with the MMCD logo and feature inside:

  • Tick removal key
  • Deet wipes
  • Antiseptic wipes
  • Guides to remove a tick
  • Printed Resident's Guide
  • Tick identification card
  • Small baggie to deposit tick

Launch the Form to Request Your Kit Now!

Materials of tick kit including Resident's Guide, Pouch, Tick identification cards, deet wipes, antiseptic wipes, tick removal key, and more!