When getting rid of ticks, a lot of us reach for the toilet handle first thing. But is flushing them down the drain really the best way to get rid of these annoying bugs? It’s not as simple as you might think to answer.
Ticks are known for being very tough animals that can survive in harsh circumstances. But whether they can handle being flushed down the toilet varies on a number of things, such as the temperature, pH, and length of time they are underwater. Some ticks may drown in the moving water, but others may be able to stay on the bowl’s top or just stay alive because they don’t need much air and have a tough shell.
So, what makes ticks so tough? The answer lies in the way their bodies work. They wear armour made of a tough skin that protects them from harm and external stresses. Some ticks don’t need to eat for months at a time and can survive both hot and cold conditions.
Ticks face many problems when they are buried in water. The cold water can shock their bodies, stopping their metabolism, and staying in the water for a long time keeps them from getting air. Being in polluted water can make it even harder for them to stay alive.
Even with these problems, ticks are known to survive in places where many other insects would die. This is why getting rid of and removing ticks properly is so important for lowering the risks of tick bites and the diseases they can carry.
If you want to get rid of the tick, don’t flush it down the toilet. Choose one of these alternatives instead: put the tick in rubbing alcohol, drop it into hot water, or put it in a plastic bag with a lid before throwing it away.
To stop outbreaks, it’s also important to know where ticks live and how they act. Ticks like dark, shady places to live, and they can attach to people and animals by detecting carbon dioxide, body heat, and movement.
Keep your windows and doors closed, install screens, keep your yard clean, use bug repellant, check your pets often and if you live in an area with a lot of ticks, you might want to hire a professional exterminator.
Finally, putting a tick down the toilet might seem like a quick and easy way to get rid of it, but it doesn’t always work. By being careful and knowing how ticks act, you can better keep yourself, your family, and your pets safe from the harm that these stubborn pests can cause.
