15-minute at-home Lyme disease tick test

Post by CamperBob2 » Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 3:51 AM UTC

mgerdts wrote: post #8

kaikai wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My understanding is that the ticks only transmit disease after they have been attached long enough to become engorged. None of the ticks shown were engorged. I’ve hear stats as long as 24 hours and as short as 30 seconds. One nurse told me that removing ticks by grasping and pulling means they transmit immediately, because you squeeze their contents through their mouths. I no longer believe any of the stats; seems…

> you squeeze their contents through their mouths Whenever someone recommends removal using tweezers, I wonder if the person offering this advice has ever removed a well attached tick. I’ve found tools like a Tick Tornado work better, but are still problematic with smaller ticks. https://www.zenpetusa.com/tick-tornado

Post by aorloff » Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 5:00 AM UTC

CamperBob2 wrote: post #21

mgerdts wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you squeeze their contents through their mouths Whenever someone recommends removal using tweezers, I wonder if the person offering this advice has ever removed a well attached tick. I’ve found tools like a Tick Tornado work better, but are still problematic with smaller ticks. https://www.zenpetusa.com/tick-tornado

We always covered them with coal-tar ointment (ichthyol / ichthammal) for a few minutes. They detached without a problem after that, with nothing more than a subtle hint from the tweezers. Just breaking out the tweezers and yanking away was most emphatically not recommended. It can leave the mouth parts behind, if nothing else.

Post by Fomite » Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 5:21 AM UTC

zzzeek wrote: post #15

viccis wrote: post #9

How about loosening restrictions on deer hunting as part of the policy change to reduce deer populations and, consequently, tick populations, that Governor Healey grandstanded^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H spoke passionately about earlier this year

and the rabbits and chipmunks and mice and squirrels, as well as that you have to kill basically all deer to the point of about 8 deer per square mile, since one deer can carry 2000-3000 new ticks. which is basically impossible on mainland because new deer just wander over.

Post by any_throw777 » Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 5:29 AM UTC

zzzeek wrote: post #15

viccis wrote: post #9

How about loosening restrictions on deer hunting as part of the policy change to reduce deer populations and, consequently, tick populations, that Governor Healey grandstanded^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H spoke passionately about earlier this year

and the rabbits and chipmunks and mice and squirrels, as well as that you have to kill basically all deer to the point of about 8 deer per square mile, since one deer can carry 2000-3000 new ticks. which is basically impossible on mainland because new deer just wander over.

Post by sciencejerk » Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 5:54 AM UTC

aorloff wrote: post #23

CamperBob2 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We always covered them with coal-tar ointment (ichthyol / ichthammal) for a few minutes. They detached without a problem after that, with nothing more than a subtle hint from the tweezers. Just breaking out the tweezers and yanking away was most emphatically not recommended. It can leave the mouth parts behind, if nothing else.

On dogs my friend likes to strike a match, touch the extinguished tip to the back of the tick, and then pull it out with tweezers. Seems to work