Tick Removal & Testing
Tick Bite Bot
Interactive Tool for Tick Bite Management
The Tick Bite Bot is your go-to resource for managing tick bites effectively. This mobile-friendly tool guides you through the process of removing attached ticks and helps determine when it's necessary to seek healthcare. By asking a series of questions about tick attachment time and symptoms, the Tick Bite Bot provides personalized recommendations and resources based on your responses. Trust the Tick Bite Bot to assist you in taking the right actions after a tick bite.
Checking
Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Conduct a full body check upon returning from potentially tick-infested areas, including your backyard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check these parts of your body and your child’s body for ticks:
If you find a tick embedded on you or your child, you can bring it to Uncas Health District and have it submitted for testing at the CT Agricultural Experiment Station at no charge.
Please call us for more information at 860-823-1189
Safe Removal
If you find a tick attached to your skin, there’s no need to panic—the key is to remove the tick as soon as possible. There are several tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers work very well.
How to remove a tick
- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
- After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.
Follow-Up
If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor. Be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bite occurred, and where you most likely acquired the tick.
Avoid folklore remedies such as “painting” the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible–do not wait for it to detach.
Tick Testing in Connecticut
Connecticut residents may submit ticks for identification and testing through the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES). Tick testing is offered as a public service and can help identify whether a tick is the type known to carry certain tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, hard tick relapsing fever, and Powassan virus disease.
How to Submit a Tick
To submit a tick, complete the CAES Tick Submission Form and place the tick in a crush-proof container or sealed plastic bag. Do not place the tick on tape, in liquid, or with cotton, paper towels, or other materials.
Ticks may be submitted through your local health department or mailed directly to CAES. Testing is provided at no cost by CAES, though local handling or mailing fees may vary.
What to Know
CAES accepts all ticks for identification, but only certain blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are tested for disease-causing organisms. Results are provided by email only, and processing times may vary depending on seasonal volume.
Tick testing should not replace medical care. If you develop a rash, fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, or joint pain after a tick bite, contact your healthcare provider.