The following human characteristics attract mosquitoes to certain people and not others: Obese and overweight people because they exhale more CO2.
People who exert themselves physically while outdoors (exhaling heavier and more frequently) and those with a higher resting metabolic rate (mainly pregnant women and people who are overweight) produce more CO2 – and therefore attract more mosquitoes.
Science reveals that a variety of factors might make you more palatable to mosquitoes, from your skin microbiota and carbon dioxide emitted in your breath to the color of clothing you're wearing (with colors like red, orange, and black being the most attractive to mosquitoes).
Basically, to avoid being a mosquito-target you should stay as scent-free as possible, wear light clothes, avoid bogs and use an effective repellent (such as those containing DEET or icaridin).
Most insects and animals are attracted to sweet foods because of their scent. Mosquitoes are no exception. Steer clear of the cakes, pastries, and candies if you're going to be outside for a lengthy period of time. Salty foods also increase the lactic acid your body gives off.
Mosquitoes are attracted to certain blood types and the amount of lactic acid found on the skin. The following human characteristics attract mosquitoes to certain people and not others: Obese and overweight people because they exhale more CO2. Those that have an O blood.
Mosquitoes hate peppermint much like wasps and other common pests. Lavender – Lavender is not only an effective mosquito repellent, it's also touted as a powerful ointment to relieve itchy mosquito bites. This oil has a pleasant floral scent and is the safest choice for children.
People with higher levels of compounds called carboxylic acids on their skin were more attractive to mosquitoes, and this trait remained stable over years. Understanding which skin odors attract mosquitoes could lead to the development of better ways to prevent bites and mosquito-borne diseases.
Keep mosquitoes away from exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks. Tuck shirts into pants and pants into socks to cover gaps in your clothing where mosquitoes can get to your skin. Stay indoors when possible, especially if there is a mosquito-borne disease warning in effect.
Your Feet Stink
The short answer as to why mosquitoes go after feet and ankles is that our feet often carry a strong odor.
While many think they are more attracted to the sweeter sex due to women's higher estrogen levels, the fact is that gender does play a role but not in the way most people think. As one report in the Annals of Internal Medicine points out, men are more likely to be attacked, primarily because of their body size.
In fact, about 85 percent of why mosquitoes are attracted to you comes down to your genetics, researchers say. Things like your blood type and how much lactic acid you have on your skin play a big role.
The body wash you use in the shower may react with your natural odour to make you more attractive to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes use various methods to find a target for their next blood meal, such as detecting an animal's body heat, odour and the carbon dioxide they emit.
According to an article by Business Insider, some scientists believe that certain types of bacteria can act as a deterrent for mosquitoes. They say that the bacteria - or microbes- on our skin emit different scents for different people; some of which are more attractive to mosquitoes than others.
Some mosquito species are leg and ankle biters; they cue into the stinky smell of bacteria on your feet. Other species prefer the head, neck and arms perhaps because of the warmth, smells emitted by your skin, and closeness to carbon dioxide released by your mouth.
Researchers found that mosquitoes were attracted to human scent that contained a high level of carboxylic acids, which are secretions that protect the skin, said the study published in Current Biology.
The best colors for repelling mosquitoes, according to researchers at the University of Washington, are white, green, blue and purple. That isn't because mosquitoes don't like these colors, but because they reflect heat and light, which mosquitoes really don't like, which is why they start to emerge at dusk.
Mosquitoes hate the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass and rosemary. They also hate smells such as smoke, for further insight, see our exploration on, does smoke keep mosquitoes away?
Deter Insects
We may be fans of Vicks, but insects decidedly are not. Dab a bit on your arms, legs, neck, or other areas of exposed skin to keep bugs (including mosquitoes) at bay, however, it is not as effective at preventing bites as a commercial insect repellant.
While we'd love to apply the golden rule, “Treat others the way you would like to be treated,” we can't exactly bite a mosquito back. However, we can fight back.
The bottom line is that mosquitoes clearly preferred fruit- and flower-scented soap, and disliked coconut-scented soap. Just how much they prefer a soap scent depends on how the soap interacts with a person's natural body odor, the study showed.
Andrew Murphy, a fellow at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. It also could mean you've developed an immunity to mosquito bites. "When a person has had repeated exposure to the mosquito allergen, her immune system can stop recognizing the allergen as a problem, and there is no reaction," Murphy says.
One chemical odor can attract one strain of mosquito while a different odor attracts yet another strain. “Much of our skin chemicals and carbon dioxide emissions are genetic,” says Dr. Bergquist. “Some of us may be destined to be better meals for these critters.”