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Why Mosquitoes Bite Some People and Not Others

Mosquitoes --- they’re like little flying specks of terror that sneak up on you when you least expect it to snack on your blood. They can carry diseases, although most of the time they just leave an itchy spot on your skin for a few days. Seriously --- it itches like crazy. We’re pretty sure mosquitoes aren’t going to win any popularity contests.

If you’re feeling like you are a skeeter magnet, it’s probably not your imagination. As it turns out, mosquitoes actually tend to have a preference for which unlucky victim they choose for their next meal. These are a few factors that might make you look more delicious to those skinny, six-legged critters.

Blood Type

Believe it or not, your blood type actually makes a difference in how attractive you are to mosquitoes. Studies have shown that people with type O blood are more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes than those with other blood types. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to fix this problem other than plan accordingly and bring plenty of bug repellent.

Carbon Dioxide

Yes, how much carbon dioxide you exhale matters. Mosquitoes seem to love it. People who breath more heavily have a tendency to attract more mosquitoes than those who breathe lightly. This one can also be hard to control since most people aren’t wired to concentrate on how much they breathe.

Alcohol

If you’re an alcohol drinker, you’re likely to look more appealing to mosquitoes. It’s unclear why this is the case, but some believe it could be related to the smell of the skin or the change in body temperature. Summer nights are prime time for people who like to have a beer by the bonfire, but drinkers could be accidentally sending a party invite to the mosquitoes, too.

Dark Colors

While you’re pulling out the long-sleeved shirt to protect yourself from the little vampires, you may want to be aware that color matters. if you’re going to try to protect yourself from mosquitoes using your clothing, it’s better to go with bright colors. Dark clothing seems to attract the blood suckers.

Exercise

If you exercise, that may make you more appealing to mosquitoes. The little guys tend to like certain chemicals in your sweat, and might go after you on your morning run. Maybe if you run fast enough, they won’t be able to catch you. Okay --- so that doesn’t really work, but forewarned is forearmed.

Unfortunately, you can’t change your own body chemicals to keep mosquitoes away. However, knowing what attracts them can help you better prepare to avoid them. Bug repellent, closed toed shoes, and light, colorful body-covering clothes can help protect you from their frustrating bites.

Other Source:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-mosquitoes-detect-people

5/1/2020 7:00:00 AM

Written by Wellness Editor

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Comments

Since I started doing the garlic pill that does not give odor, very seldom have I gotten bit - Also if you have any standing water around or like the lady ditches around her house - It takes very little cooking oil on the water to kill the babies so they won't hatch it suffocates them

Posted by Deborah Foresee

Add garlic to your diet. Mosquitos hate the taste. Eat enough garlic and the odor comes out in your natural sweat.

Posted by roneblack@comcast.net

I am definitely a mosquito magnet! I've been bitten by these "vampires" for years. I stopped wearing shorts in the summer a long time ago, and I wear long sleeved shirts when I go out at night. Some repellents work, like that deep woods off with that Deet chemical, but since I have three cats, I try not to use too many chemicals around them. Luckily they don't get bitten by mosquitoes. I give them this topical flea, and tapeworm medicine Advantage Multi which covers mosquitoes and other parasites. That's a good idea wearing light-colored material to keep away mosquitoes. One time this doctor gave me vitamin B12 pills. He said it would make me less attractive to mosquitoes. But after a few doses I had a side effect to the vitamin and was unable to take it. So I had to stop. That was a long time ago when I was younger. Now I try not to go out at night because the mosquitoes are bad at that time. We live in a rural area where we are surrounded by ditches, and they are definitely breeding places for mosquitoes. Sometimes these trucks come out in our area and spray for mosquitoes if they are bad, and that keeps them down. But like someone pointed out, all these chemicals kill other animals. Wish I knew where mosquitoes came from in the first place, and we could sue the country that brought them here. LOL Same with fleas and ticks and other parasites that are not indigenous to the US. So many plants, animals, etc. creep into the US by way of other countries, so now we are "stuck" with these creatures. Too bad we didn't ban these countries from bringing in all these non-indigenous plants, animals, and insects. Then we wouldn't have all these problems. :-( Anyway, good article! Glad I read this. :-)

Posted by NJS

"Unfortunately, you can’t change your own body chemicals to keep mosquitoes away." YES, you can! Drink a concoction of vinegar, sugar and ginger. Oh. and of course water! This will act as a strong repellent coming off your skin. LOL It Works, trust me!!!.

Posted by Don Ford

when I was a kid in the early 60's we use to let them fill up then smash them and let the blood splat. great fun.

Posted by Keith Parsels

Some of us aren't as afraid of mosquitoes as we are of the genetically modified kind that are being unleashed, without proper long-term-safety studies, into the environment by companies like Oxitec. Like other GMOs, these Frankenstein-like creations may bring about unpredictable and far-reaching negative ramifications. Also, there is the extensive overuse of pesticides which, among other things, may be destroying "bees" as a species. In the sterilized environment of the future, there will either be no mosquitoes (which will be disastrous for all the birds and fish that depend on them for food) or the GM kind--how these flying experiments will affect our own health in the long run is anyone's guess! Naturally-occurring mosquitoes, in other words, may soon be the least of your problems. Meanwhile, though, articles like this help to raise awareness and educate people. Well done!

Posted by Fred Fletcher

If you think about how a mosquito would find its warm-blooded prey, they'd have infrared receptors on their antennae to seek something warmer than the background, AND exhaling carbon dioxide. Carbonated beer would also release CO2 and so be natural triggers on their radar. Black clothing absorbs light, changing it to heat, so that's another heat signature for them to key in on. And, of course, it's only the females who bite. They need the proteins of animal blood to make their eggs work properly. So, each of your "donations to the girls" is leading to another generation of blood-suckers.
But if you look like a white corpse to them and don't breathe, they'll pass you by. As would most of your friends too.

Posted by Oregon Nancy