Ticks are small arachnids that feed on the blood of mammals, birds, and reptiles. They are known carriers of serious diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, ehrlichiosis, and babesiosis. Naturally, no one wants a tick latched onto them sucking their blood. A common reaction when finding a tick is to immediately try to squish, smash, or crush the tick to kill it. But is squishing an attached tick an effective way to kill it and is it safe?
Can you successfully kill a tick by squishing it?
Squishing or crushing a tick is often an instinctual reaction when trying to quickly remove one that has latched onto you. However, this method is generally not very effective at killing ticks for a few reasons:
- Ticks have hard, rounded bodies that are difficult to fully crush.
- Their small size makes them hard to squish with fingers.
- They can often survive partial squishing and continue feeding or crawling.
- Squishing can cause the tick to rupture and release fluids, potentially increasing disease transmission risk.
One study tested common tick removal techniques by attaching ticks to rats, waiting till they were engorged with blood, and then attempting to kill them. Squishing was one of the least effective methods – only killing the tick in around 20% of attempts. The tick’s body is sturdy enough that even strong compression often fails to rupture it enough to cause death.
Is it dangerous to try and squish a tick?
There are a few potential risks with trying to kill an attached tick by squishing it:
- Incomplete removal – If you don’t fully crush the tick, it may remain alive and attached, potentially regurgitating infected fluids into the bite wound.
- Increasing disease transmission – Squishing a tick often causes it to rupture and release bodily fluids. This can increase the risk of it transmitting any infections into the bite site.
- Leaving mouthparts embedded – If you do manage to crush the tick’s body, its barbed mouthparts may remain stuck in the skin, leading to infection.
Overall, squirting increases the chances of regurgitation or incomplete removal compared to proper tick removal techniques like using fine-tipped tweezers. One study found disease transmission rates can be up to 10 times higher from squishing versus tweezer removal.
What are the best ways to kill and remove an attached tick?
Instead of trying to squish a tick, experts recommend using fine-tipped tweezers to carefully detach a tick from the skin. Proper tick removal techniques include:
- Use fine-tipped tweezers and grasp the tick close to the skin’s surface.
- Pull straight up with steady, even pressure – do not twist or jerk.
- Clean the bite area with disinfectant after removal.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after.
- Dispose of the live tick by submerging it in rubbing alcohol or flushing it down the toilet.
This method minimizes the risk of the tick rupturing or leaving mouthparts in the wound. Studies show it has much higher success rates for killing ticks and preventing disease transmission compared to squishing.
How to kill a tick after removing it
After properly removing a tick with tweezers, you want to make sure it is dead so it can’t crawl away and reattach. Recommended ways to kill a tick after removal include:
- Alcohol – Drop the tick into a container with rubbing alcohol. This will desiccate and kill it.
- Freezing – Place the tick in a sealed plastic bag and put it in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
- Flushing – Flushing down a toilet will drown the tick in most cases.
- Burning – Touch a hot match to the tick briefly. Use caution to avoid burning yourself.
- Crushing – After removal, you can crush the tick between two hard surfaces with pliers.
Avoid using your bare fingers to kill a tick, as its fluids may enter through small cuts or scratches. Wear gloves or use tools like tweezers or pliers to handle and kill ticks.
What to do after tick removal
After properly removing and disposing of a tick, be sure to:
- Clean and disinfect the bite site.
- Apply antibiotic ointment if desired.
- Watch for signs of illness like rash or fever over the next several weeks.
- Contact your doctor if you experience potential Lyme disease symptoms.
- Talk to your vet if your pet was the host and monitor them for illness.
- Consider submitting the tick for testing to check if it carries disease pathogens.
Catching Lyme disease or other tick-borne illnesses early greatly improves outcomes. Monitor your health closely after any tick bite and seek medical care if you have concerns.
Conclusion
Trying to squash a tick with your fingers is not an effective or recommended way to kill one that has latched onto you or your pet. The tick’s small size and rounded body makes it hard to fully crush. Squishing often fails to kill the tick while increasing the risk of disease transmission. Use fine-tipped tweezers instead to carefully detach ticks from the skin without crushing them. After removal, ticks can be effectively killed by submersion in alcohol, freezing, flushing, or burning. Monitor the bite area for several weeks for signs of potential illness and save the tick for disease testing if possible. While squishing a tick may seem like the quickest solution, proper mechanical removal minimizes the risks of infection.