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In the summer months mosquitoes are literally everywhere and are very annoying. They can ruin a trip or even a holiday.
But how is it possible that they bite some people more often?
Does it ever happen to you that you wake up in the morning with your body covered in bite marks and don’t know where to start scratching first, while none of your other housemates have this problem?
You may not have known that there are a number of human factors that influence whether our blood is attractive to mosquitoes or not.
Some of them can be easily prevented, but unfortunately we cannot influence others. In such cases, often there is nothing left to do but lock yourself in the bathroom.
Mosquitoes don’t actually bite people because they’re hungry
They do it because our blood contains proteins and other compounds they need to produce eggs. For this reason only females bite.
Let’s take a look at 5 factors that can make you a tasty lure for any female mosquito.
1. Clothing color
If you like to wear red or dark colors such as shades of black and blue, we have very bad news for you. These colors attract mosquitoes much more than others.
Entomologist Dr. Jonathan Day explains: “Mosquitoes usually stay close to the ground. From there they recognize a host by comparing its silhouette against the horizon. Dark colors stand out, while light shades blend in.”
2. Blood type
Unlike clothing color, this is a factor we cannot influence. Mosquitoes can very likely recognize our blood type because 85% of people secrete a substance that enables this identification. If you have blood type O, the chance of a mosquito bite is 83% higher for you.
3. Alcohol
This factor explains a lot about unpleasant wake-ups after parties. If you drink alcohol, your metabolic rate and blood pressure increase, making you again more attractive to female mosquitoes.
4. Weight / pregnancy
There is of course a big difference between a pregnant woman and an overweight person, but not from a mosquito’s point of view. It chooses prey with a larger volume of exhaled carbon dioxide. And pregnant women exhale up to 21% more CO2 than other people.
5. Body chemistry
The last and also another unmodifiable factor is body chemistry. If you are a very active person, the excess lactic acid that you produce through your physical activity will make you much more attractive to mosquitoes.
A similar effect is also produced by, for example, steroids or high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Although by far not all of the mentioned factors can be influenced, we can all surely agree that two small changes in the form of changing the color of your clothing and reducing alcohol consumption could ultimately be worth it.
