Are Some More Prone to Ticks Than Others?

jamross65

Well-Known Member
Having read the sad news on another thread about a young stalker dying from lymes disease I didn't want to detract from that thread by asking the question on there.

But, I have never had to pull a tick from my body.

I have gralloched and handled plenty deer that were showing ticks from moderate infestation to quite severe, but only once can I recall seeing one crawling up the sleeve of my fleece which I flicked off.

I spoke a few years ago to a retired stalker from up north and he said that the worse case he had was removing 27 ticks from his stomack and back one evening after a day on the hill, all around the area of where his belt would have been and he felt that it was too tight for them to negotiate past it.

Just curious as to why they don't seem to like my body??? Only thing to add is that although I will get bitten by midges they don't cause a reaction in any way and I am fairly tollerant of them.
 
Yes, some people get more than others.

There are numerous theories , including blood type, body temp, diet.

Nothing conclusive as far as I know.

I have been on the hill with folk who have never had a tick and others who seem to attract.

remember it only takes one infected tick bite !

for more info, contact

Home page: BADA-UK
 
I think with all biting insects there will be people that are more attractive. Like me ! I'll always pick up bites where my wife will not. We eat the same things so diet could be ruled out (lots of garlic = less bites ?), so it must just be the way I smell at a very small level.

And before ths84 pipes up, I've washed the sour damp dog smell out of my smock :D
 
You are lucky
depends a lot on time of year,vegetation,if you crawl a lot, layers of clothing,
length of time out in the field.
Ive had quite a few, more from the highlands.
after two days I like to bag my old clothes up for washing
have a good shower and check my body all over for ticks
theyll attach in weird places you cannot easily see
back of your knees under your arm
I hate them
 
Don't know if its anything to do with it but I find if I'm taking anti histamine for hey fever I don't tend to get bothered by many ticks. A couple of years ago two of us were skinning several deer off and my mate was crawling with ticks, I only got one on my arm.
Wingy
 
I meant to add that for years now when gralloching stags I always slip on one of those long vets examination gloves over my right hand as that is the one that is generally inside the deer. I started doing that for 2 reasons. One, to keep the stink off my clothes from their belly (which keeps the wife happy)! But more importantly, a guy I know was doing some research work for the BDS that related to blood borne diseases and pathogens being transferred from deer into us through cuts. I always seem to have cuts and hacks on my fingers so after him saying to wear gloves when gralloching, for the last 10 years or so I have. Now it is as much a habit to ensure I have a couple of boxes in the landy, as it is making sure I have a knife.

Perhaps it helps a wee bit in them not getting any purchase to climb from the deer onto me?
 
Almost certainly. I did quite a bit of work a few years ago with the compnay behind the Midge Traps and other insect attractants / repellents. We all smell very different, and for some people our pheramones are very attractive to certain insect species. The bloody ticks and midges seem to love me.
 
I think some people are more prone to them but also i think its how people wear the clothing as well. I have a friend i stalk with had about thirty on his body and i ended up taking some off his back at first thaught he was prone to them until i took note of how he went out and shirt was out nothing tucked in loose cuffs and such like crawling around in the heather and bracken.
I usually wear a real thin base layer under my clothing and socks are over that everything is tucked in and cuffs tight and then gloves over that. I think then they dont get chance to get on the skin to crawl off and latch on . I have thaught about treating my clothing with permetherin to stop them getting on my clothing in the first place . its the tiny ones i am paranoid about as some of them you can hardly see .
does any stalker bother to send ticks off to be tested for the data base to help build up the picture of which areas lymes is present ?. atb wayne

just as a side note we went on holiday earlier this year and was told that vit b stopped mozzys so i started taking it as supliments with the wife everyone that went on that holiday came back bitten to death exept me and the wife
 
Last edited:
A big factor, is clothing. Tweed being the worst culprit!!!!!

Just because, you have never had a tick doesn't mean you never will!

The best advice is still the same

CHECK, CHECK, CHECK !

if in any doubt, go to your GP

If you remove a tick and you are suspicious about the bite, try and keep the tick for analysis.

Also keep your dogs as tick free as possible as they can transfer ticks into your home/garden. There are many cases of people getting infected via ticks picked up in urban garden areas.
 
I have a friend who is always picking up ticks when we are together and he always attracts midges too! Needless to say he has picked up that many ticks since I have known him he has also had Lymes disease. Again the same old with the doctors, oh no you wont get that down south, probably just flu, then a few weeks later insisting on a Lymes disease test and finding out it was in fact the said disease! True everyone could get it and it only takes 1 tick whether you are prone to picking them up or not, but don't get complacent.
 
We do have ticks in alberta, but it is unusual to find one on you( twice for me in over 30 yrs) Lymes disease,or rocky mountain fever as we call it, isn't that common here.I had no idea it was that much of a problem in the UK. Is it present throughout the UK, or is it more prevalent in some areas than others?

AB
 
A good friend and stalking colleague is quite a tick magnet at times. The rest of our little group myself included just dont seem to attract them the same.

However when we are abroad both him and me are mozzie bite victims. I react quite badly to them sometimes. MY wife is hardly bothered by them at all , what is the difference in us that causes some people to attract t hem so much more than others.
 
I always check after stalking, usually find one or two , why is tweed worse ?

I believe because the material allows the tick to grip, as opposed to some of the new technical clothing being too smooth and tight a weave.
 
As per the OP, I work all the time on heavily tick infested land. Have to treat my lambs pretty often, or they get ill from tick born diseases. Do all my own shearing, and ewes often covered in ticks. My sheepdogs all get ticks, and cattle covered in them too. Been doing this for about 25 years, but have never ever had a tick anyhere on my body! Yet there's other folk who only seem to look at a heather clad hillside and there's a tick crawling up their leg!
 
A friend of mine works in pest control and hardly ever gets a tick on him could be somthing to do with chemicals he handles
 
A friend of mine works in pest control and hardly ever gets a tick on him could be somthing to do with chemicals he handles

I had thought of that - the amount of stuff that must have soaked into my skin over the years when treating sheep has probably made me pretty unpalatable! Might also explain why, when the kids come home from school with headlice, I never catch them.
 
I have worked with sheep all my working life, i still shear over 30,000 a year many are tick infested,normally wearing a singlet on top half so plenty of exposed skin, been stalking for over 30 years,never hada tick on my body,had keds crawling up my arms by the dozen and when it comes to midges im strawberry flavour,i know of several shearers that have not been so lucky especially whilst working in the US where tick fever is/was a big problem, not sure if tick fever is same as lymes????
 
We do have ticks in alberta, but it is unusual to find one on you( twice for me in over 30 yrs) Lymes disease,or rocky mountain fever as we call it, isn't that common here.I had no idea it was that much of a problem in the UK. Is it present throughout the UK, or is it more prevalent in some areas than others?

AB

Lymes is present over much of the UK, evil fcukin disease. prevalent in some areas, particularly wilder mountain and wooded country. From memory parts of the south west, new forest, cumbria and west highlands have it.

GPs awareness of it is variable and some really have to be pushed before they will test for it, this situation is much better than it was 10 years ago in my experience

Been issued with hagopur tick repellent at work, yet to try it:
 
Back
Top