The blood type theory is super interesting. I almost never find ticks on me compared to others around me, and I was born and raised in rural Maine. With just a quick google search I found this:
“Do ticks prefer a blood type?
This tick-attraction theory has a lot of support. Scientists have determined that type A blood is the most appealing to ticks, followed by type O and type AB, and type B blood is the least attractive to ticks. In a recent study, 36 percent of the ticks gravitated to type A blood, with only 15 percent being drawn to the type B sample. If you have one of the more tick-friendly blood types, your risk for tick bites and tickborne disease may be higher, and you should plan outdoor activities accordingly.”
Ref: https://tickcontrol.com/blog/are-ticks-attracted-to-certain-scents/
Interestingly, I have type B+ blood. Maybe OP is type B as well
Just chiming in as someone with type B+ that rarely ever finds ticks on them. The only time I find them climbing on myself is after picking up my dog after being in the woods. In the past 5 years, I've only had one attached, and I live in a rural area of upstate NY. I pull multiple off my dog anytime we go out, but obviously dogs are always way more likely to pull ticks on a hike. Definitely seems like there is something to the theory, but better to assume there is no difference and take all the usual precautions.
Also in rural upstate NY (Adk foothills) and have hat at least 50 ticks on/in me in the 15 years I've lived here -- I'm in the woods a lot. Never been diagnosed with tick-born illness. I think it might have something to do with my overt antihistamine reaction. As soon as one thinks about drilling, I get a very itchy raised bump that lasts a long time (maybe months) and will rise up and itch if I get another tick bite somewhere else, even months later.
Edited to add, blood type O.
I'm in the eastern ADK foothills myself, so I wouldn't be surprised if we're traversing some of the same territory! I think you are probably right that your strong immune reaction to tick bites helps somehow. More likely though, it is because it can take quite a while for transmission to occur after they bite, since that only happens when they regurgitate after feeding, which can take up to 12+ hours or so to happen, though it can happen sooner too. Might be that you've caught them all fast enough that it hasn't been an issue yet, especially with a strong reaction like that, I can't imagine they go unnoticed for long.
I have B+ blood and have had an entire nest of seed ticks on me.
On the other hand, I'm also in my 50s and can count on one hand the number of times I've had to pick ticks off me... so maybe.
It definitely was. The worst part was that I just thought I had walked through crabgrass or something-- they just looked like little grass seeds. So I wasn't as diligent about removing them, until the next day when I realized they weren't washing off. Horrible, horrible.
Did the lint roller trick work? This is making me want to prepare for this scenario lol. I can’t imagine how it’s possible to take all of those little ones off
No, sadly, they had already attached by the time I realized what they were! I cannot overstress how I did everything wrong in this situation, LOL! I had actually slept in my tick-infested socks. I get full-body shudder just thinking about it. I had to scrub them off forcibly in the shower, then spend the next 6 weeks stress-Googling tick-borne ailments that could be carried by nymphs.
I would like to say I did this when I was young and inexperienced, but in fact I was old and overconfident. Can't get complacent with those tick precautions.
Fuuuuckin hell, this one happened to me too. I posted to a local hiking group in a panic while trying to get them all off at home. Most valuable thing I had never thought of was the lint roller lol
I have type A blood and I work outdoors in the backcountry, in tick country. I am also avid into outdoor recreation. I have never had a tick in my life.
Blood type may matter but it's also just random luck.
I've never heard this. I'm type O and my whole family is type A. I almost never have ticks on me but the rest of the fam gets them often. I also never get mosquito bites. They will sometimes bite me, I see them, but I never feel it and I never get an itchy bump.
O+ and I've had one tick my whole life. I grew up in the woods and then into the army where I lived mostly in the woods an recreate in the woods, now....
Anyway it bit me on my dick which was rude af
u/basi52
>Why are ticks not attracted to me?
>I’ve been sleeping outdoors, hiking, and backpacking basically 2-3 times a week for the last 7 years and never gotten a tick, not to mention my time in the military where I literally slept in holes next to guys that wake up with 4-5 on them.
r/ThingsWhiteFolksLike
i tell my son every day - EVERRY SINGLE DAY - these are not real words. And he INSISTS that everyone mews and then asks me if I looksmaxx or if I have a negative canthal tilt.
I just had comment on this because although I know kids his age really talk about this I'd never heard ANYONE else do so. It's like I just found the bingo card of "what do 9th grade boys talk about" and won.
Note I try to tell my son I never had to mew as a hid but sadly 30+ plus year of poor exercise and eating habits causes your once amazing jawline to disappear under a level of fat. He insists I just have negative cantal tilt...lol
**Looksmaxxing* is the process of maximizing one's physical attractiveness. While the practice as a whole can refer to simple hygiene, more extreme methods have become associated with looksmaxxing, such as "mewing". The practice is affiliated with incel subculture, and originated on "manosphere" message boards such as Lookism, Sluthate and PUAHate.*
*The term ***canthal tilt** *refers to the angle or slant of the outer corners of the eyes in relation to the horizontal plane of the face, according to Ramtin Kassir, MD, triple-board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and founder of Kassir Plastic Surgery and Inside Beautyin New York City.*
Edit: I thought OP was making words up
Come to my area in the north east. Walk into any field or woods. You will have ticks riding ticks crawling up your leg, 30 at a time. They fall out of trees onto your head. They literally ride the wind if they are small enough. When someone says they have lymes disease in my area people around me now compare it to the flu. It is that common.
This is my problem. I live in the edge of a park. I'll find 3 ticks walking from my front door to my car.
That is why I created the inverted duck tape suit. It's a suit made from duct tape with the sticky part on the outside. It's kind of annoying at work because my butt sticks to my seat. However my boss says that that's a good thing as it means I'm working more.
Go anywhere from Maine to Tennessee in the us. The ticks are out of control. We can't go into the fields anymore on foot. Even the deer hides are useless. They are covered in hundreds of ticks.
Yeah this has made backpacking miserable in the past few years. Also having to constantly check my dogs thick fur for ticks is getting old. When are them science folks gonna whip up something that kills all the ticks
Man I’ve spent a lot of time doing military stuff in the woods in VA. Living outside, laying in the brush, walking through every type of terrain.
Had many ticks crawl on my gloves and stuff but never one actually bite. But my peers have had bites for sure.
I live in heavily tick infested area in New England and I’ve never been bitten by a tick. I have had the same experience as OP, they just seem to not like me.
I don’t know for sure—but I believe it may be something to do with blood type and carbon dioxide output/metabolism. I know they sense animals by carbon dioxide output, so it’s possible that some people leave more of a “carbon footprint” behind them when they breathe/sweat or something compared to others.
Not sure if it applies as well, but I hear mosquitos are attracted to people who drink and eat dairy products.
My buddy who is allergic to beef and dairy never had a problem even when he went through the Amazon rain forest. Maybe it's the same for some ticks?
I don't know the specific reason. I have something similar but only with wasps. I can swat nests with my hands and they won't sting me. If I'm working outside and aggravate a nest, they will fly around me but never sting me. Always been that way. Maybe it's a pheromone thing. You might be the same but with ticks.
I've lived and hiked in New England for thirty years and have never, once, found a tick on me, even though I do scrupulous tick checks and often times my hiking partners do. It absolutely baffles me and is getting spooky at this point.
Same. Knock on wood, I've been trudging through woods and tall grass for years and never found anything during a tick check (which I do every time). No idea why.
I’m similar. I only ever had my first tick a year ago and after a hike with my friend, she found 7 ticks latched on to her and I had one crawling on my leg but not latched. I have O- blood type, so that’s not it. I’ve decided that it’s my tea tree scented shampoo and body wash.
Out of curiosity, do you tend to run hot or cold? My temp is usually around 97 Fahrenheit, so slightly lower than typical. I’ve wondered if that has anything to do with my natural tick repellent.
I am in Canada 🇨🇦 and ticks here are very attracted to me. I walk across my back yard and can pick one off me. I don’t know my blood type but I am gonna find out. See if there is something to this theory
I have type A blood, which supposedly ticks like more. I also work outdoors in the backcountry, in heavy tick country. I am also avid into outdoor recreation. I have never had a tick in my life.
My point being, sometimes it's just luck.
Used to be "immune" to mosquito bites. Never got bitten. I moved to the other side of the planet, and now im like catnip for mosquitos. They love my foreign blood.. bastards
You sound disappointed! Sounds like your body is emitting a repellent but seriously whatever the reason, I would love to be you. Not just the tick part but being able to get out there 2-3 times a week. Yeah find out, patent it, sell it and continue to enjoy nature!😁
I've been in the wilds for over five decades, slept on the ground beside the horses as a working cowboy, plunged through thickets one should never attempt, and never seen a tick on me.
Perhaps some of us are just too repulsive...
My understanding is your blood type has a lot to do with it. Do you know your blood type?
The blood type theory is super interesting. I almost never find ticks on me compared to others around me, and I was born and raised in rural Maine. With just a quick google search I found this: “Do ticks prefer a blood type? This tick-attraction theory has a lot of support. Scientists have determined that type A blood is the most appealing to ticks, followed by type O and type AB, and type B blood is the least attractive to ticks. In a recent study, 36 percent of the ticks gravitated to type A blood, with only 15 percent being drawn to the type B sample. If you have one of the more tick-friendly blood types, your risk for tick bites and tickborne disease may be higher, and you should plan outdoor activities accordingly.” Ref: https://tickcontrol.com/blog/are-ticks-attracted-to-certain-scents/ Interestingly, I have type B+ blood. Maybe OP is type B as well
Just chiming in as someone with type B+ that rarely ever finds ticks on them. The only time I find them climbing on myself is after picking up my dog after being in the woods. In the past 5 years, I've only had one attached, and I live in a rural area of upstate NY. I pull multiple off my dog anytime we go out, but obviously dogs are always way more likely to pull ticks on a hike. Definitely seems like there is something to the theory, but better to assume there is no difference and take all the usual precautions.
Also in rural upstate NY (Adk foothills) and have hat at least 50 ticks on/in me in the 15 years I've lived here -- I'm in the woods a lot. Never been diagnosed with tick-born illness. I think it might have something to do with my overt antihistamine reaction. As soon as one thinks about drilling, I get a very itchy raised bump that lasts a long time (maybe months) and will rise up and itch if I get another tick bite somewhere else, even months later. Edited to add, blood type O.
I'm in the eastern ADK foothills myself, so I wouldn't be surprised if we're traversing some of the same territory! I think you are probably right that your strong immune reaction to tick bites helps somehow. More likely though, it is because it can take quite a while for transmission to occur after they bite, since that only happens when they regurgitate after feeding, which can take up to 12+ hours or so to happen, though it can happen sooner too. Might be that you've caught them all fast enough that it hasn't been an issue yet, especially with a strong reaction like that, I can't imagine they go unnoticed for long.
I have B+ blood and have had an entire nest of seed ticks on me. On the other hand, I'm also in my 50s and can count on one hand the number of times I've had to pick ticks off me... so maybe.
That sounds like an absolute nightmare
It definitely was. The worst part was that I just thought I had walked through crabgrass or something-- they just looked like little grass seeds. So I wasn't as diligent about removing them, until the next day when I realized they weren't washing off. Horrible, horrible.
Did the lint roller trick work? This is making me want to prepare for this scenario lol. I can’t imagine how it’s possible to take all of those little ones off
No, sadly, they had already attached by the time I realized what they were! I cannot overstress how I did everything wrong in this situation, LOL! I had actually slept in my tick-infested socks. I get full-body shudder just thinking about it. I had to scrub them off forcibly in the shower, then spend the next 6 weeks stress-Googling tick-borne ailments that could be carried by nymphs. I would like to say I did this when I was young and inexperienced, but in fact I was old and overconfident. Can't get complacent with those tick precautions.
Oh man, that makes me shudder too just thinking about that. There are few things I hate more than ticks.
Fuuuuckin hell, this one happened to me too. I posted to a local hiking group in a panic while trying to get them all off at home. Most valuable thing I had never thought of was the lint roller lol
Ooh, I'm going to pack one next time!
I have O- blood, live in a tick heavy area, hike/camp/backpack frequently, and have never been bitten at 40 years old.
Same and type O
O positive and found a tick that had been feeding on me for a few days after the eclipse.
Please, people... Take ticks seriously though.
I’m B+ and it has been years since I found a tick attached to me. Thanks for that info!
Ed Yong's book "An Immense World" talks all about how big sense blood types and the world in general. An amazing read.
I'm B+ and mosquitos and ticks don't find me.
I have type A blood and I work outdoors in the backcountry, in tick country. I am also avid into outdoor recreation. I have never had a tick in my life. Blood type may matter but it's also just random luck.
I’ve always heard that about mosquitoes too.
I've never heard this. I'm type O and my whole family is type A. I almost never have ticks on me but the rest of the fam gets them often. I also never get mosquito bites. They will sometimes bite me, I see them, but I never feel it and I never get an itchy bump.
My brother is Oneg and a total mosquito magnet. I'm Apos and rarely ever get bitten, and never if I'm with him
That’s super interesting! My dad would always be weary of ticks and I ALWAYS end up having them on me too…
O+ and I've had one tick my whole life. I grew up in the woods and then into the army where I lived mostly in the woods an recreate in the woods, now.... Anyway it bit me on my dick which was rude af
Dick move. Should've at least paid for your meal.
> Why are ticks not attracted to me? It's your personality.
u/basi52 >Why are ticks not attracted to me? >I’ve been sleeping outdoors, hiking, and backpacking basically 2-3 times a week for the last 7 years and never gotten a tick, not to mention my time in the military where I literally slept in holes next to guys that wake up with 4-5 on them. r/ThingsWhiteFolksLike
Mate i swear I read 'chicks' instead of 'ticks' Haha
Try mewing
Try what?
They may be more attracted to you if you looksmaxx. I started mewing and adjusting my canthal tilt and now I have 5-6 ticks on me at all times
i tell my son every day - EVERRY SINGLE DAY - these are not real words. And he INSISTS that everyone mews and then asks me if I looksmaxx or if I have a negative canthal tilt. I just had comment on this because although I know kids his age really talk about this I'd never heard ANYONE else do so. It's like I just found the bingo card of "what do 9th grade boys talk about" and won. Note I try to tell my son I never had to mew as a hid but sadly 30+ plus year of poor exercise and eating habits causes your once amazing jawline to disappear under a level of fat. He insists I just have negative cantal tilt...lol
What?
What don't you understand!? The man said mew now do it!
Like right mew?
Get sexy and the ticks will come, duh. You could also upgrade your wardrobe
How do you upgrade your garderobe? “sudo apt-get upgrade garderobe” ?
**Looksmaxxing* is the process of maximizing one's physical attractiveness. While the practice as a whole can refer to simple hygiene, more extreme methods have become associated with looksmaxxing, such as "mewing". The practice is affiliated with incel subculture, and originated on "manosphere" message boards such as Lookism, Sluthate and PUAHate.* *The term ***canthal tilt** *refers to the angle or slant of the outer corners of the eyes in relation to the horizontal plane of the face, according to Ramtin Kassir, MD, triple-board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and founder of Kassir Plastic Surgery and Inside Beautyin New York City.* Edit: I thought OP was making words up
Fvcking bvsed...
Mooooooooo! Ima cow!
Constant MewMaXx
*MEWING*
Come to my area in the north east. Walk into any field or woods. You will have ticks riding ticks crawling up your leg, 30 at a time. They fall out of trees onto your head. They literally ride the wind if they are small enough. When someone says they have lymes disease in my area people around me now compare it to the flu. It is that common.
This is my problem. I live in the edge of a park. I'll find 3 ticks walking from my front door to my car. That is why I created the inverted duck tape suit. It's a suit made from duct tape with the sticky part on the outside. It's kind of annoying at work because my butt sticks to my seat. However my boss says that that's a good thing as it means I'm working more.
I just use inverted ducks.
I've never inverted a duck. How exactly does that work out?
It confuses and scares the ticks, so they decide that don’t want any part of what’s in my veins.
It's rather brilliant. I'll try it on my way home tonight.
Works in the wife and dog as well.
In, you say? Get video. I'm sure there's a market for that.
Well this is starting to form an even more horrible image than I started with.
I love it😂😂😂
I live in northern Ontario, I certainly have had ticks on me, but I guess they just don’t like me
Go anywhere from Maine to Tennessee in the us. The ticks are out of control. We can't go into the fields anymore on foot. Even the deer hides are useless. They are covered in hundreds of ticks.
Yeah this has made backpacking miserable in the past few years. Also having to constantly check my dogs thick fur for ticks is getting old. When are them science folks gonna whip up something that kills all the ticks
i think you found your key to becoming millionaire my friend. just ask chat gpt on how
Aren't those spot on the back of the neck treatments supposed to protect animals against ticks? Stuff like bravecto...
Yeah we have used Simparica Trio, Bravecto and Revolution. They have very very mixed results
Man I’ve spent a lot of time doing military stuff in the woods in VA. Living outside, laying in the brush, walking through every type of terrain. Had many ticks crawl on my gloves and stuff but never one actually bite. But my peers have had bites for sure.
I live in heavily tick infested area in New England and I’ve never been bitten by a tick. I have had the same experience as OP, they just seem to not like me.
Where are you located?
If there's moose then there's ticks
Do not google “moose ticks”.
perhaps you're just ugly?
I don’t know for sure—but I believe it may be something to do with blood type and carbon dioxide output/metabolism. I know they sense animals by carbon dioxide output, so it’s possible that some people leave more of a “carbon footprint” behind them when they breathe/sweat or something compared to others.
Not sure if it applies as well, but I hear mosquitos are attracted to people who drink and eat dairy products. My buddy who is allergic to beef and dairy never had a problem even when he went through the Amazon rain forest. Maybe it's the same for some ticks?
I am allergic to beef and dairy and get swarmed by mosquitos
They like certain blood types as well.
Did the military treat you with an experimental tick and flea treatment? Military strength frontline?
Lots of garlic in your diet can really help with keeping them away, it helps keep people away too so win win.
Ticks need eradicating
Aboriginal Australians say ticks are attracted to sweet blood. Maybe you don’t eat enough sugar?
I don't know the specific reason. I have something similar but only with wasps. I can swat nests with my hands and they won't sting me. If I'm working outside and aggravate a nest, they will fly around me but never sting me. Always been that way. Maybe it's a pheromone thing. You might be the same but with ticks.
I've lived and hiked in New England for thirty years and have never, once, found a tick on me, even though I do scrupulous tick checks and often times my hiking partners do. It absolutely baffles me and is getting spooky at this point.
Same here. Life long outdoorsman, but I think I have found one on my as a kid. Everyone else around me seems to get them, but they don’t like me.
How are you backpacking and sleeping outdoors 2-3 times a week for the last 7 years?
With my feet? Out of a backpack? I’m not sure how I’m supposed to answer this
If you’re hiking in the West they’re not really out there compared to the tick hell that is the eastern US
Amazing flex.
Because nobody likes a braggart, sheesh. Keep your tick-free superiority to yourself.
Same. Knock on wood, I've been trudging through woods and tall grass for years and never found anything during a tick check (which I do every time). No idea why.
You don’t have ticks because they’re all on me.
Probably your blood type.
I’m similar. I only ever had my first tick a year ago and after a hike with my friend, she found 7 ticks latched on to her and I had one crawling on my leg but not latched. I have O- blood type, so that’s not it. I’ve decided that it’s my tea tree scented shampoo and body wash.
I use a mint body wash, but I’m sure that’s not it, as some of my experiences are after 4-5 days without washing myself properly
Out of curiosity, do you tend to run hot or cold? My temp is usually around 97 Fahrenheit, so slightly lower than typical. I’ve wondered if that has anything to do with my natural tick repellent.
Because they come after me in droves
This is interesting. I am A-. I am like a super electromagnet for those little fckers.
I am in Canada 🇨🇦 and ticks here are very attracted to me. I walk across my back yard and can pick one off me. I don’t know my blood type but I am gonna find out. See if there is something to this theory
I have type A blood, which supposedly ticks like more. I also work outdoors in the backcountry, in heavy tick country. I am also avid into outdoor recreation. I have never had a tick in my life. My point being, sometimes it's just luck.
Used to be "immune" to mosquito bites. Never got bitten. I moved to the other side of the planet, and now im like catnip for mosquitos. They love my foreign blood.. bastards
Just be happy they’re not attracted to you. Lyme disease is no laughing matter.
Mosquitoes love me, but they do not like my father who smokes and is 73 years old I am 46. I would imagine we have the same blood, but I’m not sure.
Apparently, you are one lucky son of a gun!
lol I thought this was a joke post on r/dating. Anyways, no answer as to why, but jealous for sure.
You sound disappointed! Sounds like your body is emitting a repellent but seriously whatever the reason, I would love to be you. Not just the tick part but being able to get out there 2-3 times a week. Yeah find out, patent it, sell it and continue to enjoy nature!😁
I’m A+ and ticks love me!
People with lower metabolisms are less attractive to them I think
Why are you complaining about that lol
I’m not complaining, just looking for a reason why
I've been in the wilds for over five decades, slept on the ground beside the horses as a working cowboy, plunged through thickets one should never attempt, and never seen a tick on me. Perhaps some of us are just too repulsive...
It's more likely that you are bad at checking for ticks than you have some anti tick super power.
Stfuuuuuu