New Delhi: We’re all probably familiar with the itchy red bumps that develop after we’re bitten by mosquitoes. Most of the time, they’re a minor annoyance that goes away over time. Some of us have also experienced that mosquitoes are not equal opportunity feasters. Some people can enjoy an evening in the backyard without a single bite, while others end up covered in itchy welts.
Here are some facts that make some people more attractive to mosquitoes than others:
Apparel
Mosquitoes actually use their eyes to target victims. As they are highly visual, “especially later in the afternoon, and their first mode of search for humans is through vision.” Research shows wearing dark colors (green, black, and red) makes you easier to spot.
Blood Type
It’s all about the blood for mosquitoes; well that and nectar. Adult mosquitoes survive on nectar for nourishment, but females rely on the protein in our blood for the production of eggs. So it’s little surprise that some blood types may be more desirable than others. In fact, that people with Type O blood are found to be almost twice more attractive to mosquitoes than those with Type A blood; Type B people were in the middle. In addition, 87 percent of people produce a secretion that signals what blood type they are; mosquitoes are drawn to those 87 percent more than the non-secretors, regardless of blood type.
Gas
Mosquitoes can sense carbon dioxide from a significant distance, and they can see humans from a distance of 5-15 meters. The more one exhales, the more attractive one becomes. Larger people exhale more. Also to note, since human beings exhale carbon dioxide through the nose and mouth, mosquitoes are attracted to our heads, which explains the whole “mosquitoes buzzing about the ears all night” misery.
Heat and Sweat
Mosquitoes apparently have a nose for other scents besides carbon dioxide; they can sniff down victims through lactic acid, ammonia, and other compounds emitted in sweat. They also like people who run warmer; a hot sweaty human must seem quite delicious to them – couch potatoes, rejoice. Strenuous exercise increases the buildup of lactic acid and heat in your body, while genetic factors impact the number of other substances naturally released by each person, making it easier for mosquitoes to find some people than others.4
Lively Skin
Some research has shown that the types and amount of bacteria on one’s skin can play a role in bringing on the mosquitoes as well.9 Our dermal casing is naturally teeming with microscopic life, and the whole shebang mixed with our sweat creates a distinct fragrance. In one study, a group of men was divided into those who were highly attractive to mosquitoes and those who were not.10 The delicious ones had more of certain microbes on their skin than the unattractive ones, but fewer types – a larger community but less diverse. The bacteria factor could also explain why some mosquitoes are drawn to ankles and feet, and especially ripe source of bacteria.
Pregnancy
Women with a bun in the oven are probably those least wanting to attract mosquitoes, but alas, some species are evidently more attracted to pregnant women than women who are not. One study in Africa found that two times as many mosquitoes gravitated towards pregnant women as to non-pregnant women. Researchers believe it is due to an increase in exhaled carbon dioxide – they found that women in late pregnancy exhaled 21 percent greater volume of breath than non-pregnant women. They also discovered that the abdomens of pregnant women were 0.7°C hotter, adding to the mosquitoes-like-warm-bodies component.11
Beer
Who knew mosquitoes had a taste for beer? In one study researchers found that significantly more mosquitoes landed on study participants after drinking a 12-ounce beer than before.12 However, the reason for this increase remains unclear, as neither ethanol content in sweat nor skin temperature showed any correlation between alcohol consumption and mosquito landings. Clearly, the crafty pests aren’t targeting inebriated folks as easy marks, but the findings do suggest that you should take precautions against mosquitoes when drinking alcohol.
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