Removal: tick keys, lassos, and twister tools

01

These purpose-built tools each use a different geometry. Pick one and learn it before you need it.

02

Tick key: a flat metal tag with a teardrop-shaped slot. Slide the wide end over the tick, pull the tool sideways so the tick wedges in the narrow end, then lift. Best for medium-to-large adults.

03

Tick twister / hook: a small forked plastic claw. Slip the fork around the tick at skin level, then rotate the handle two or three turns and lift. The lift, not the twist, is what releases the tick - despite the name, ticks do not have screw-shaped mouthparts.

04

Tick lasso: a pen-shaped tool with a loop of fine wire that tightens around the tick's head. Useful for very small nymphs and for squirming children, but the angle of pull is not always vertical, so mouthparts can break off.

05

Whichever tool you use, do not squeeze the tick's body. Clean the bite afterward.