Responses of Ticks to Immersion in Hot Bathing Water: Effect of Surface Type, Water Temperature, and Soap on Tick Motor Control

Dr. Benjamin Clarke, PhD, Professor in the Department of the Biomedical Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus, co-authored a publication titled “Responses of ticks to immersion in hot bathing water: Effect of surface type, water temperature, and soap on tick motor control.” This research article was published in PLoS One Journal online, December 17, 2021.


Most of us who live in tick-prone areas are accustomed to self-checking for ticks to avoid a potential infection from these pathogen carriers. Could a hot water bath be another preventative measure? Is it plausible that immersing ticks in hot water lead them to fall off the skin? Dr. Clarke and his peers studied the matter to investigate how ticks at the adult and nymphal stages responded to immersion in hot water. Did the effects of hot water lead the ticks to detach from the skin? Read all about it here!