Ever wonder why you can sit outside for an hour without a bite while the person next to you gets covered in them? Mosquitoes use a combination of scent, carbon dioxide, body heat, blood type, and other signals to find their next blood meal, and some people naturally give off more attractive signals than others.
What Makes You More Attractive to Mosquitoes?
Are you the one always getting bit by mosquitoes while outside? There is likely a reason, and luckily for you, most reasons can be preventable.
1. Blood Type
Your blood type may play a role in how attractive you are to mosquitoes. Do you know your blood type?
Which Blood Type Do Mosquitoes Like Most?
One of the most frequently asked questions about mosquitoes is “do mosquitoes prefer a certain type of blood?” Research has found that certain mosquito species show a preference for people with type O blood over other blood types.
A 2004 study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology tested mosquito landing preferences among people with different ABO blood types. Researchers found that Aedes albopictus mosquitoes landed on type O subjects more frequently than type A subjects, with the overall preference ranking in the study being O, B, AB, then A.
Another study conducted in 2019 came to the same conclusion. After placing feeders with various blood types in the lab, the majority of mosquitoes still chose the type O blood to feed on.
That does not mean every mosquito will choose a person with type O blood over someone with type A, but blood type appears to be one factor that can influence mosquito behavior.
Which Blood Type Do Mosquitoes Like Least?
Type A had the lowest landing rate in the same studies from above, followed by AB and B. However, researchers have found different results between mosquito species and studies, so there is not necessarily a clear answer to “which blood type do mosquitoes like least?”
2. Your Natural Odor
Mosquitoes are extremely good at detecting human odors. They use their sense of smell to locate people, with carbon dioxide from our breath helping mosquitoes identify potential hosts from a distance. Human skin odor and compounds found in sweat provide additional information as mosquitoes get closer.
Everyone has a slightly different chemical makeup on their skin. That means two people standing in the same backyard can give off different scent signals to mosquitoes.
3. Body Heat & Sweat
Mosquitoes are attracted to warm bodies, which helps them locate exposed skin once they get close. Heat, moisture and other cues associated with a human body can all help a mosquito find a place to land and bite.
Sweating can also increase the amount of odor-producing compounds around your skin. If you have been exercising, working outside or simply sitting in the heat, you may become a more noticeable target.
4. Clothing Color
What you wear can also affect how easily mosquitoes locate you. Research on Aedes aegypti found that after detecting carbon dioxide, mosquitoes became attracted to certain visual wavelengths, including colors that humans perceive as orange and red. Darker, high-contrast objects have also been shown to attract mosquitoes.
Wearing lighter-colored clothing can therefore make you less visually noticeable than wearing black or other dark colors, especially when spending time outdoors.
5. How Much Carbon Dioxide You Produce
Every time you breathe, you release carbon dioxide. Mosquitoes can detect that carbon dioxide and use it as one of the signals that tells them a potential host is nearby.
This is one reason mosquitoes seem to find people so easily, even when there is plenty of other activity happening around them.
How to Prevent Mosquito Bites
Now that we have a better idea of why someone might get bitten more often than others, is there anything they can do to help fend off mosquito bites while outside?
1. Cover More Skin
Wear lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and long pants when spending extended periods outside. Covering your skin gives mosquitoes fewer places to bite, especially during times when mosquito activity is high.
2. Use a Fan Outdoors
A fan can make it more difficult for mosquitoes to reach you. Research has found that moving air can reduce mosquito host-seeking by dispersing the carbon dioxide and other odors mosquitoes use to locate people.
A fan blowing across a patio or outdoor seating area can provide some additional protection when you are trying to enjoy the evening outside.
3. Wear Lighter-Colored Clothing
Choose white, tan, light gray or other lighter colors when possible. Mosquitoes are attracted to darker, high-contrast objects, so lighter clothing can make you a less obvious visual target.
4. Use Insect Repellent
An EPA-registered insect repellent can provide another layer of protection when you are outside. Follow the product label for proper application and reapplication.
5. Have Your Lawn Treated for Mosquitoes
If mosquitoes are consistently ruining your time outside, the most effective approach is to reduce mosquito activity around your property instead of simply trying to avoid individual bites.
Professional mosquito treatments target areas around your property where mosquitoes rest and can significantly reduce the number of mosquitoes you encounter in your yard.
Professional Mosquito Control from ELDER Pest Control
You cannot change your blood type, body chemistry or the amount of carbon dioxide you exhale, but you can reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home.
ELDER Pest Control provides professional mosquito control throughout South Jersey. Our mosquito treatments help you take back your yard so you can spend more time outside without constantly swatting mosquitoes or covering yourself in repellent. Contact ELDER Pest Control to schedule professional mosquito control for your property.