Do Ticks Or Other Blood Sucking Bugs Show Preference To Certain People?

Ever been on a hike with your friends and found that you are more attracted to ticks than your friends? Is there a reason that creatures seem to ‘love’ you more than my friends?

Ticks do not care at all
Researchers have claimed that ticks do not show a preference. The female explodes out her larvae into a small space. Moreover, they do not travel unless hooked on a food source. Their movement is only up and down the leaf litter. Most likely you walked through a patch of larvae and your friends have picked up the odd nymph which are more dispersed as they have travelled on a host.

Ticks do have a preference
However, other researchers have proven that both ticks and mosquitoes tend to target people. They do this by detecting the CO2 the person release from their bodies. So if your metabolic rate is higher than average and produces more carbon dioxide, you are more likely to attract these insects. Blood type O is also preferred over A and B for them as well.

Blood-sucking insects are known to orient themselves preferentially towards certain host species, so it’s not unreasonable to expect that they could also have preferences between human individuals. However, there may be other factors to consider. For example, it’s normal for some mice to have many more ticks than other mice. This is generally attributed to the infested mice having travelled further and so encountering more of these insects. Ticks are not terribly mobile compared to mosquitoes, so you’re picking up more ticks than your friends, it may just be that you’re walking in a manner that facilitates them, or maybe your clothes are easier to latch onto.

It could also be the colour of the clothes you’re wearing. There’s a blood-drinker native to a lot of the central African nations called the Tsetse fly which is attracted to and seeks out dark blue and black clothing. On the other hand, research by Dr.Zivin-Tutella has also claimed that these creatures are attracted to lighter colours.

So do you believe ticks and other blood-sucking insects have a preference? Like us know what do you think in the comments below! To read more visit us at www.infolores.com