I don’t know if it was the full moon last week, but the ticks decided to eat me alive while I was out in the woods teaching survival classes. Annoying as the little insects can be, they gave me the chance to test out a new tick removal tool, the Tick Key.

The brave and determined ticks made their way up my DEET-soaked pants and dug in all around my waist and a few places we can’t mention on our family-friendly web site.

The Tick Key claims to remove 99.9% of all ticks regardless of size and type. I must have been infested with all of them that make up the other .1%. Try as I might to get a hold of them, the teardrop shaped opening on the tool kept turning the ticks, sideways which allowed them to slip out of the clutches of the tool.

In theory, the tool seemed like it should work, and it is well constructed from high-strength anodized aluminum. But it did not latch on to the tiny, small and medium-size ticks as well as I had hoped. My advice is to simply stick with a quality pair of pointy-nosed tweezers, which are more effective than most tick-removal tools at pulling out splinters and thorns and other things that tend to find their way into the skin of outdoorsmen more often than ticks.

Comments (7)

from Newyorkflyangler 7/21/2011 at 03:28pm

What happened to the old tried and true method of pressing a just blown out match head against the tick to encourage it to stop eating and move away so you can pick it off and crush it?

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from Newyorkflyangler 7/21/2011 at 03:24pm

What happened to the old tried and true method of pressing a just blown out match head against the tick to encourage it to stop eating and move away so you can pick it off and crush it?

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from Newyorkflyangler 7/21/2011 at 03:24pm

What happened to the old tried and true method of pressing a just blown out match head against the tick to encourage it to stop eating and move away so you can pick it off and crush it?

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from Tc505 6/30/2011 at 02:28am

ok folks, ticks used to eat me alive in mo. and after 9 years of it I found a few tricks to keep them off and kill the itch. first, a pair of panty hose sprayed down with permethrin or deet. sounds funny but they are comfortable. also tape down your pant bottoms as much as you dare. after the bite use preparation H or tronolane 3 times or so per day and the itch will be gone in about 3 days. also used for chiggers which used to itch for months and get infected. nothing else that I tried was helpful until I found out about this.

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from charlie elk 6/25/2011 at 02:01pm

Agreed the tick key is not all that effective. From my experience deet is ineffective at repelling ticks. For prevention spray your clothes with permethrin it is the only effective tick repellent I know of. Helps repel other bugs too.
later,
charlie

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from Sidewinder 6/25/2011 at 09:53am

Tim, ticks aren't insects, they're arachnids.

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from cuz 6/25/2011 at 02:49am

Thanks for a legit review, it brings authenticity to your publication.

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from charlie elk 6/25/2011 at 02:01pm

Agreed the tick key is not all that effective. From my experience deet is ineffective at repelling ticks. For prevention spray your clothes with permethrin it is the only effective tick repellent I know of. Helps repel other bugs too.
later,
charlie

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from cuz 6/25/2011 at 02:49am

Thanks for a legit review, it brings authenticity to your publication.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Tc505 6/30/2011 at 02:28am

ok folks, ticks used to eat me alive in mo. and after 9 years of it I found a few tricks to keep them off and kill the itch. first, a pair of panty hose sprayed down with permethrin or deet. sounds funny but they are comfortable. also tape down your pant bottoms as much as you dare. after the bite use preparation H or tronolane 3 times or so per day and the itch will be gone in about 3 days. also used for chiggers which used to itch for months and get infected. nothing else that I tried was helpful until I found out about this.

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from Newyorkflyangler 7/21/2011 at 03:24pm

What happened to the old tried and true method of pressing a just blown out match head against the tick to encourage it to stop eating and move away so you can pick it off and crush it?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Newyorkflyangler 7/21/2011 at 03:24pm

What happened to the old tried and true method of pressing a just blown out match head against the tick to encourage it to stop eating and move away so you can pick it off and crush it?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Newyorkflyangler 7/21/2011 at 03:28pm

What happened to the old tried and true method of pressing a just blown out match head against the tick to encourage it to stop eating and move away so you can pick it off and crush it?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Sidewinder 6/25/2011 at 09:53am

Tim, ticks aren't insects, they're arachnids.

-3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Write a Comment Your comment (200 characters or less):

 

All submitted answers are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.