#### Summary points (advice for patients) Ticks are small blood feeding ectoparasites with a global distribution. They are important vectors of disease pathogens including rickettsiae, spirochaetes, and viruses. Prevention of tick attachment and rapid removal reduce the risk of contracting tickborne diseases, and there are many recommendations on how to achieve this. This article aims to review the evidence base for tick bite prevention and tick removal strategies. Ticks are arachnids and can be divided into two families known as Ixodidae (hard ticks) and Argasidae (soft ticks). Hard ticks have a shield-like scutum on their dorsal side and visible mouthparts that protrude forward. Soft ticks lack a scutum and their mouthparts are located on the underside and are therefore not visible. Hard ticks have a three stage life cycle, comprising larval, nymph, and adult stages, whereas soft ticks have two or more additional nymph stages. Larval hard ticks are typically 0.5 mm long (the size of a poppy seed) and have six legs. Nymphal ticks are about 1.5 mm long and adult unfed ticks are about 3 mm long, although once fed they can enlarge to 11 mm in length (fig 1⇓). Both nymphs and adults have eight legs. Tick coloration varies between species, …