Introduction
Every year, the summer season rolls around, and we often think of sunshine, vacations, relaxation, no school, and, of course, sleeping in. But for some people, summer is the season of all that and something else, frankly, less enjoyable: mosquitoes. Every year, it feels like the little bugs appear out of nowhere in mass, like they’ve been preparing for years. And what makes it even more ominous is the fact that they seem to have preferences for certain people. Like, it truly surprises me how some people can spend hours outside without a single mosquito bite in sight. One day, after experiencing many itchy bites myself, I found myself wondering about the possible causes of what seemed to me mosquito partiality. So, I started researching and now want to share with you what I found.
Why mosquitoes bite some people more
After some short research, I learned how female mosquitoes (it’s only the females who bite to produce their eggs) even find us. They use their antennae, and something called palps, or the organs they have between their antennae, to detect two things: carbon dioxide and odor. So, people with higher metabolic rates and those who emit more carbon dioxide, such as pregnant women and exercisers, tend to attract mosquitoes more. So, I guess I finally know how to catch a break from our tiny little friends. All I have to do is stop breathing; easy, got it.
So, people with higher metabolic rates and those who emit more carbon dioxide, such as pregnant women and exercisers, tend to attract mosquitoes more
But wait, there is more. Even more things that mosquitoes are attracted to and use to their advantage to seek out people. For starters, certain species of mosquitoes have preferences for certain blood types. The Asian tiger mosquito, for instance, prefers blood type O, and the marsh mosquito prefers types AB or B. They can determine our blood type because certain people will produce secretions that signal their blood type.
Another allure for mosquitoes is body heat. Female mosquitoes can sense body heat and are attracted to it. This makes lots of sense to me because heat is what separates living organisms from, well, something like a rock. Although, it would be nice if they bit rocks instead. This ability to sense body heat, as revealed by Melissa Breyer from Very Well Health, also explains why pregnant people tend to get bitten more; their stomachs tend to be warmer.
One of our five senses is smell; like mosquitoes, it is essential in helping us find our food. One thing thing that mosquitoes can “smell” for is sweat. To us, a sweaty person is not very aromatic, but for mosquitoes, it’s like a sweet barbeque smell or a nice-smelling perfume. In the case of our friendly buggers, this perfume is chemicals, namely carboxylic acid, and ammonia, that we release when we sweat. Skin bacteria also contribute to our buzzy friend’s favorite scent. One study found that mosquito magnets also tended to have larger communities of microbes. One experiment that illustrates this perfectly was conducted in the 1950s. Scientists put human-shaped tanks in forests and found that mosquitoes were highly attracted to tanks dressed in sweat-soaked clothing.
Moving on, I learned that diet can perhaps make you a tastier meal for mosquitoes. During my research, two particular consumables were commonplace: beer and bananas. Wow, surprising. It is hypothesized that potassium-rich foods, for instance bananas, attract mosquitoes. And according to Very Well Health, researchers have found that mosquitoes tended to fly more towards those who had drank one liter of beer. Despite these scenarios showing a correlation between factors and the frequency of bites, little has been uncovered to suggest and confirm the reasoning behind this correlation. So, multiple articles don’t suggest giving up these food items entirely if you find yourself an unfortunate target of mob mosquito biting. Nevertheless, I find this information very interesting and also look forward to sharing it with friends as an interesting fact.
While I had heard some of these things before in casual conversation, what I had no idea about and found surprising is that mosquitoes have their own favorite colors. I learned mosquitoes like darker colors like red, orange, cyan, and black. At the same time, having a distaste for lighter colors, such as white. So wearing lighter-colored clothes may help keep drill bugs away!
Lastly, one thing I found pleasant in the sea of facts and research is the simple logic that, like humans, mosquitoes are lazy. Being lazy often entails going for the easiest targets, such as people who aren’t actively protecting themselves. As we can’t control the chemicals we emit or the amount of carbon dioxide and heat we give off, our best bet is to take active action in preventing mosquito bites, whether that be through wearing full clothing or mosquito repellent.
Conclusion
All in all, I enjoyed learning more about mosquitoes and how they have adapted to find the resources they need to survive. In the end, I realized that despite how annoying mosquitoes are, they aren’t cruel by nature. Just like how we humans care for our own young, they are doing all they can to endure their environment and persist on the planet we all call home. So I say the next time you get bit by a mosquito, replace your annoyance with admiration and compassion and merely protect yourself from bites the next time around. Thanks for reading my rant today. I hope you learned something new. Have a great day!
Citations
(n.d.). Why Are Some People Tastier to Mosquitoes Than Others? | Pfizer. https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/why_are_some_people_tastier_to_mosquitoes_than_others#:~:text=The%20Rules%20of%20Mosquito%20Attraction&text=That%20means%20people%20who%20have,be%20more%20attractive%20to%20mosquitoes.&text=The%20question%20of%20whether%20mosquitos%20prefer%20a%20certain%20blood%20type%20is%20controversial.
Breyer, M. (2024, January 28). 9 Reasons Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/reason-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-others-4858811#toc-darker-clothes-are-easier-for-them-to-spot
Khan, T., & Tran, L. (2024, February 27). What Are Mosquitoes Attracted To? The Scientist Magazine®. https://www.the-scientist.com/why-do-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-than-others-71475
Giordano, C. (2022, November 18). Why Do Mosquitoes Bite Some People More? GoodRx. https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/environmental/why-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more
Crouch, M. (2023, August 16). The Blood Type Mosquitoes Crave. AARP. https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2023/what-attracts-mosquitoes.html
Cp-Fs, D. B. B. C. (2023, July 12). Are Mosquitoes Attracted to Certain Colors? Hawx Pest Control. https://hawxpestcontrol.com/are-mosquitoes-attracted-to-certain-colors/#:~:text=One%20study%20found%20that%20red,reduce%20your%20risk%20of%20bites.