Why should you never flush ticks down the toilet?

You actually can flush ticks down the toilet, and it is generally considered safe and effective way to dispose of ticks, so the idea that you should never flush ticks is a myth, though some sources advise against flushing because ticks can survive in water for some time and may not die immediately, but flushing still removes them from home. Ticks can survive submerged in water for days, as they are resilient and can close their spiracles, so flushing alone may not kill tick instantly, but it carries tick to sewage system where it is unlikely to return or survive long, and it prevents tick from escaping from trash where it could reattach to pets or humans. The concern about flushing is that if toilet does not have strong flush, tick might survive and crawl back, though this is unlikely with modern toilets. Better methods to ensure tick is dead before flushing include placing tick in sealed bag with rubbing alcohol which kills within minutes, then flushing, or wrapping in tape. Some pest control guides say do not flush because water treatment may not kill ticks and they could survive, but in practice flushing is acceptable for disposal after removal. However, if you want to save tick for identification in case symptoms develop, place it in sealed bag with date rather than flushing. So you can flush ticks, but to be extra safe, kill tick in alcohol first then flush, and clean toilet after.