Tick Removal & Testing

What to Do After a Tick Bite

Learn the right way to remove a tick and how to have it tested for disease.

How to Safely Remove Ticks

Prompt and proper tick removal is essential to reduce the risk of acquiring a tick-borne disease, such as Lyme disease. The longer a tick remains attached, the greater the chance it can transmit harmful pathogens. 

When you discover an embedded tick, follow these tick removal steps:

  • Don’t squeeze, twist or squash it. Don’t burn it with a match or cover it with Vaseline.
  • Use fine-point tweezers or a special tick-removing tool. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. If you don’t have tweezers, protect your fingers with a tissue.
how to remove a tick
  • Pull the tick straight out with steady, even pressure. Click here to view a tick’s mouth and why it is so important to pull out the tick correctly.
  • Disinfect the bite area and wash your hands.
  • Save the tick for testing (alive if possible) in a small bottle or plastic bag with a green leaf or damp piece of tissue.
  • Label it with your name, date, site of bite and how long tick was attached.

Remove Ticks & Save for Testing

Tick Removal Tools

When you have a tick bite, it’s important to use the right tick removal tools and follow a careful procedure to ensure that the entire tick is pulled out correctly.  Several specialized tools include: 

  • Needle nose tweezers
  • Tick Key
  • Tick Spoon
  • Tick Twister
Tick Removal with Tweezers

After you’ve removed the tick, clean the bite area with soap and water or antiseptic. And, consider saving the tick in a sealed container for testing ─ in case you later develop symptoms.

Save a Tick for Testing 

In order to submit ticks for testing, you must preserve the tick by placing it in a sealable container like a vial or a plastic bag. Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to preserve it. This kills the tick and prevents decay.

Then, write the date and if possible, the part of the body where the tick was attached. Keep the container in a cool place until it can be sent to a testing facility. Avoid crushing or drying out the tick.Note: You should not put a tick in the freezer if you plan to have it tested. Freezing can damage the tick’s DNA, which may make testing for pathogens less accurate.



Tick Removal & Testing Trends

USED A TICK REMOVER

A study by BMC Public Health found that 67% of people who had been bitten by a tick used a tick remover as recommended.1

USED UNSAFE TECHNIQUES

A study by BMC Public Health found that 24% of people who had been bitten by a tick used methods that are not recommended for tick removal, including using oil, ether, or other products..2

increase in submissions

Between March and May 2025, tick submissions to research laboratories in NYC increased by 217% compared to the same period in 2024.3

Tick Testing Labs

If you’ve removed a tick, you can save it and send it in for testing. Some county and/or state vector boards offer testing but usually only check if the tick is harboring Borrelia burgdorferi ─ the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. They typically don’t check for other strains of Borrelia or co-infections, like Babesia or Bartonella.

Since ticks can carry and transmit multiple diseases, you could still be exposed to a tick-borne illness—even if the tick tests negative for Borrelia burgdorferi.

There are several commercial labs that will test the tick for multiple pathogens.  Check their websites for procedures on submitting ticks and associated fees.s.