Burn, Suffocate, Smash or Flush? How to Properly Dispose of a Tick in Minneapolis

While we have recently shared vital information for proper and safe tick removal, we may have left you standing, tweezers and tick in-hand. Now what? If you were unfortunate enough to have to use our advice for tick removal, you may have Googled or asked a friend what to do with the tick. The advice you received could have varied from funny, to dangerous and even laughable. While some of the methods will certainly work, such as suffocating or burning a tick, we at Mosquito Squad of the Twin Cities have the best idea for what to do after removing a tick, and more importantly what NOT to do after removing a tick.

Common Tick Disposal Ideas

You may have heard you should flush, crush, suffocate or burn a tick after removal. Some of these methods work, but we have to say, NEVER EVER try any of these methods on a tick that is still attached to you or your pet.

• NEVER smash a tick. If they are infected and you crush it, you could become inadvertently exposed to the pathogen infecting the tick.
• Flushing a tick won’t kill it, as they don’t drown. However, flushing it will certainly result in you being rid of it as ticks don’t have the capability of climbing back up a porcelain bowl. Just make sure you watch the creep go down in the first place.
• Suffocating a tick in a plastic bag or jar will eventually kill it as well. Just make sure your method of suffocation is sealed tightly.
• Burning a tick will certainly destroy it. While burning a tick is possible, just be sure to do this in a safe environment like an outdoor fire pit or burn barrel.

The Best and Safest Way to Dispose of a Tick

At Mosquito Squad of the Twin Cities, we try to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advice whenever possible. In regards to safe tick disposal, the best method is to submerge the tick in alcohol within a sealed bag or container. This is our favorite method because it allows you to save the tick in a preserved manner for future tick testing. We recommend you date the baggy or container and save it for a month or two. If the person or pet bitten by the tick begins to experience illness, the tick can easily and quickly be tested for tick disease for fast diagnosis and treatment.

If avoiding this encounter with a tick altogether appeals to you most, call Mosquito Squad of the Twin Cities today. Our tick mist + tick tubes Intensive Tick Treatment program can reduce the ticks in your yard by over 90%. Lowering your risks for tick bites and tick-borne diseases like Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.