Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:56 pm
Since ticks can transmit various diseases, the bloodsuckers must be removed from the body. After that, however, it is not enough to simply dispose of the arachnids, you must kill them first.
To the point
- Avoid contact with the tick, its eggs and secretions at all costs (disease transmission)
- Never dispose of ticks alive
- also lurk in your own garden
- preventive measure: garden design unattractive for ticks
Ticks
Ticks (Ixodida) form an order in the class of arachnids (Arachnida). About 1,000 species of ticks are known worldwide. Most species, about 80 percent, are classified in the family of shield ticks (Ixodidae). These include the common wood tick (Ixodes ricinus), which prefers humans as hosts in addition to wild and domestic animals.
Kill in the house
Ticks can certainly be killed indoors, as the various methods are deadly to the arachnids but harmless to humans.
Contents
Mechanical methods
Once the tick has been successfully removed with tweezers or tick forceps, the size of the arachnid makes it a good idea to crush it between your fingers or fingernails. You should not do this under any circumstances, as crushing releases pathogens. Likewise, do not use the heel of your shoe, as it is often not enough to destroy the arthropod’s hard shield.
Adhesive tape
The use of an adhesive strip is an effective way to kill the tick:
Catch the tick with the adhesive tape
fix completely with it
dispose of in household waste
Paper
For this effective killing method, you will need paper and a screw-top jar or other hard object. Proceed as follows:
Place the tick on the paper with the tweezers or tick forceps
fold (“snap”) it together once
run lid or bottom of screw jar firmly over paper (cracking sound)
dispose of crushed wood tick together with the pad in household waste
Note: Be careful not to come into contact with the tick secretions. If this happens, you should wash your hands immediately and then disinfect them.
Burn
Burning gives you a guarantee that the tick will not survive. However, you should make sure that it cannot escape the fire. Therefore, it is recommended to hold the wood tick directly into the flame of a lighter.
Alternatively, you can also place the animal on a fireproof base and finally set it on fire. An extremely brute tip is to douse the tick with lighter fluid in advance. In this case, you should take appropriate fire safety precautions.
With liquids
In addition to killing by mechanical means, you can also drown the ticks.
Water
The most obvious liquid to drown the arthropods is water. However, the cool wet is only conditionally suitable for killing the arachnids, since they can survive in water for up to three weeks, they can survive being flushed down the toilet and may even crawl out again.
Likewise, it is not advisable to wash the arachnids in the washing machine, as they will survive a 40-degree wash cycle, including spinning, without any problems. Some specimens are also said to survive temperatures of 60 to 90 degrees in the dryer or the washing machine.
The only effective application is to throw the tick into boiling water, because in this it dies after about five minutes. For hygienic reasons, however, you should not take pots for this, which you use for cooking food.
Alcohol
For pure alcohol to kill the tick after a few minutes, it should be at least 40 percent. If the liquid is put in a screw-top jar, you can seal it and store the wood tick. This way, in case of illness, the animal can be examined to determine the pathogen.
Tip: An alternative to alcohol is chlorine cleaner, disinfectant or Sagrotan.
Ticks in the garden
Although the arachnids are neither capable of flight nor travel long distances on foot, they can become uninvited guests in the garden. This is because the parasites can be carried over long distances by their hosts. For example, the arthropods use the following as a means of “travel”:
- Birds
- Hedgehogs
- Foxes
- Mice
Not to mention your own pets if they are not checked regularly for the arachnids. Since many animals benefit the garden and are also difficult to keep from invading, take steps to make life difficult for the wood tick:
- Create barriers of gravel or wood chips.
- create piles of leaves for beneficial insects in more remote corners
- Remove brush regularly
- Keep lawns short
- Do not plant dense ground covers in the immediate vicinity of frequently used garden paths.
- Cut back overgrown shrubs regularly (create more sunlight)
Tip: If you find a tick nest in the garden, you can kill the offspring with boiling water.
Frequently asked questions
Can I decapitate a tick?
Yes, you can decapitate it with a sharp knife. However, you must accurately hit the spot between the head and the neck shield. In addition, you should wear gloves for your own protection.
How safe is piercing the tick’s body with a needle?
If you can actually pierce the body, this will result in the death of the tick. However, the problem with this is that you will have to get very close to the animal in the process, which should be avoided if possible.
Can I grill ticks in the microwave?
Since the microwave is also used for food, drinks and groceries, you should refrain from using this method for hygienic reasons.