Are you like me? In a roomful of people, I will be the most likely to get bitten by mosquitoes. If yes, then you are also a mosquito magnet.
Why is it that mosquitoes are drawn to some people more than others? I had been wanting to know that because then, I could take deliberate actions so that I become ‘invisible’ to these bloodthirsty creatures. So I did some researching and here is a list of the top 7 mosquito magnets.
Magnet #1: Scent
There are different kinds of scent that make us attract mosquitoes:
a. Carbon dioxide + octenol – Mosquitoes hone in on a steady flow of carbon dioxide – our breath! But we cannot stop breathing! Carbon dioxide alone may not be the factor since we all breathe out carbon dioxide. Depending on our biology, we may be exhaling different levels of octenol. Mosquitoes can detect octenol from over 100 feet away. It is the combination of both that could determine who becomes the target of mosquitoes.
b. Body odor – Ironically, the body odor that repels other humans is the one that attracts mosquitoes. The stronger one’s body smell, the greater a magnet he is.
c. Secretor status / Blood type -More than just one’s blood type, mosquitoes are attracted primarily to secretors. This article defines secretors as “a person who, simply put, secretes saccharides (sugar based chemicals) and antigens through their skin which can indicate their blood type”. Also, a study published in Nature (Wood and Dore, 1972) showed that mosquitoes were most attracted to type O blood and least to type A. So in the order of priority for a mosquito, they will first seek out secretors, regardless of blood type. And…with all things being the same, they will prefer Type O blood over Type A.
d. Lactic acid – Exercise makes us exude more lactic acid from our skin as it is produced when we work up a sweat; the kind of food we eat also has an effect on the lactic acid we excrete. Wipe off more often during and after a good workout to remove most of the things that would draw these suckers to you.
Magnet #2: Body Heat
While carbon dioxide attracts mosquitoes to us, heat gives them the area on our skin to bite. The circulation of our blood already produces heat and tells mosquitoes that fresh meat is not far off. Drinking alcoholic drinks, which tend to make our faces look flushed, warms our body even more, making us that much more desirable to the mosquitoes. Regularly bathing or washing our bodies can throw them off our heat but be sure that you also towel dry because that leads us to the next magnet – moisture.
Magnet #3: Moisture
We already know that mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant water so any moisture regions are attractive to them either as breeding ground or as feeding stations. After rigorous exercise or swimming, when we are breathing faster, our body heat is elevated, and we are sweating hard or damp from swimming, it is good to towel dry thoroughly to be less attractive to mosquitoes.
Magnet #4: Movement
Movement changes waves of light around the moving object. Mosquitoes see that and go towards the direction of the movement.
Magnet #5: Color
Mosquitoes are attracted more to dark colors. So if you want to lessen chances of being ‘spotted’ by a mosquito, wear light colors.
Magnet #6: Pregnancy
Sorry, young mommies, but pregnancy ups the chances of being bitten by a mosquito. This study shows that mosquitoes prefer pregnant women, especially the malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The study further found that “women at an advanced stage of pregnancy exhaled 21% greater volume than non-pregnant women.” and that “the abdomens of pregnant women were 0.7°C hotter”, making them much more visible to mosquitoes. If you are pregnant, keep this in mind and stay indoors more or cover up when you are out.
Magnet #7: Alcohol
Alcohol drinkers, watch out! In this study, mosquito landings were higher on volunteers who were made to drink liquor, specifically beer. Researchers concluded that “drinking alcohol stimulates mosquito attraction”.
There are many ways to neutralize or minimize our attraction to mosquitoes. One of them is using a mosquito repellent. We use mosquito repellents in the house but we have shifted out of chemical-based repellents and are now using brands with natural, non-toxic ingredients. However, I’m just finishing my stock of branded natural mosquito repellents and will be making my own from now on.
In a future post, I’ll cover homemade natural mosquito repellents using essential oils. Watch for this.
References:
2. http://www.allmosquitos.com/what-attracts-mosquitos/what-attracts-mosquitoes.html
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1127358/