Why Do Mosquitoes Bite You More Than Others?

These days a person venturing outdoors cannot be too careful when it comes to preventing mosquito bites. The recent Zika virus outbreaks and the effects of climate change on insect life has led many people to exercise caution outdoors. However, when it comes to a person’s chances of contracting a mosquito-borne disease, it is worth considering how attractive they are to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes simply prefer some types of people over others. As it turns out, there are several factors that determine how often you will be bitten by mosquitoes while outdoors.

One of the more well known factors that causes mosquitoes to gravitate toward particular humans involves body heat. Mosquitoes prefer to collect their blood meals from those who emit the greatest amount of body heat. It has also been found that mosquitoes prefer our limbs to be relatively cool relative to the rest of our bodies.

Mosquitoes are also attracted to lactic acid. Many people are unaware of the connection between exercise and mosquito bites, but most people can tell you that mosquitoes seem more apt to bite while exercising and sweating outdoors. During exercise our bodies release high amounts of lactic acid, which mosquitoes love. Lactic acid levels increase in accordance with the amount of effort exerted during exercise. Mosquitoes have adapted biological sensors that detect lactic acid levels in humans, so maybe exercising indoors is not such a bad idea. In addition to being able to hone in on people who secrete the greatest amount of lactic acid, mosquitoes have also adapted a sensory system that detects carbon dioxide.

Next time you and your significant other venture outdoors for a picnic, the two of you may want to wear clothes with light colors. Mosquitoes typically choose their targets from a long distance, which means people wearing darker colors stand out more to far away mosquitoes. There are rumors claiming that mosquitoes are particularly attracted to the color blue. However, this claim needs to be verified by further studies.

Do mosquitoes seem to prefer biting you on specific locations on your body?