Why Do Mosquitoes Only Bite Some People And Not Others? It’s Because Of These Reasons

Why me? You have probably asked this question many times in your life, especially after a mosquito bite. Turns out these pesky little ~~motherfuckers~~ bloodsuckers are more attracted towards some people than others. But what makes those some people so delicious that they get bit more on a consistent basis. There are a number of factors that explain as to why some of us are more prone to mosquito bites than others. Here’s a list:

1. Blood Type

Certain blood types are more appetizing for mosquitoes. For instance, people with Type O blood are more prone to mosquitoe bites than people with Type A blood group whereas those who have Type B blood group fall in the middle of this spectrum. Not only this, about 85 percent of people secrete a chemical through their skin which indicates the blood type that they have. This makes things easier for mosquitoes as they prefer secretors over non-secretors, regardless of their blood type.

2. Carbon Dioxide

Mosquitoes have an organ called maxillary pulp which helps them to locate their targets by smelling the carbon dioxide emitted during the process of breathing in human beings. Therefore, people who exhale more of this gas attract more mosquitoes than others. Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide from as far as 164 feet away.

3. Exercise and Metabolism

Mosquitoes are attracted to people with higher body temperatures and target their victims by smelling the substances (lactic acid. uric acid, ammonia etc) expelled through their sweat.

4. Skin Bacteria

Researchers found that the types and volume of bacteria which naturally live on the human skin is also responsible for mosquito bites. This might be the reason as to why mosquitoes are more prone to bite our ankle and feet (as these have more bacteria colonies).

5. Beer

People who drink beer are more susceptible to mosquito bites than people who don’t, says a study. However, researchers had suspected that this was because drinking leads to sweating and high body temperature. Therefore, it’s a mystery yet to be solved.

6. Pregnancy

It has been found in many studies that pregnant women attract twice as many mosquitoes than others. This is because of two reasons. Firstly, they exhale about 21 percent more carbon dioxide and secondly, they are on average about 1.26 Fahrenheit warmer than others.

7. Clothing colour

Along with scent, mosquitoes also use their vision to locate humans. According to James Day, a medical entomologist at the University of Florida, wearing colours that stand out like blue, red, and black makes you easier to find.