Do you believe you get an unfair amount of attention from mosquitoes compared to others? Do you get more mosquito bites than others? You might want to take this ride with me as we consider a combination of environmental factors as well as your genetic make-up that might have made you a mosquito magnet.
Are mosquitoes more attracted to you than others?
There is some evidence to suggest that certain chemicals in your sweat based on your genetic makeup might make you more attractive to mosquitoes than others.
Some believe that having blood type group A, makes you a preferred choice for the mosquito to bite but the jury isn’t out yet on that theory.
There is, however, some evidence that mosquitoes prefer to bite men more than women.
It is a fact that mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide (the air that we breath out) and heat.
Mosquitoes also prefer to bite adults more than children probably because adults have a larger body size and emit more carbon dioxide than children.
Mosquitoes love to bite pregnant women more. This is partly because pregnant women breath out more heat and carbon dioxide which attracts mosquitoes.
Playing soccer or jogging outside makes you hot and sweaty. You would also be breathing heavily which means you will be giving out lots of carbon dioxide. This makes you the favorite person for the mosquito to bite.
Using color to repel mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes are said to be attracted to dark clothing. You might want to avoid these colors when outdoors.
Using sound to repel mosquitoes.
There are gadgets that you plug into a power source that makes a certain noise that is believed mosquitoes don’t like. There is now an app that can generate this sound from your phone. This is said to repel mosquitoes. From my experience, these are not effective.
Using smell to repel mosquitoes.
Mosquito repellant sprays work based on the theory that certain odors repel mosquitos.
If certain odors or scents repel mosquitoes, it makes sense to assume certain odors will attract mosquitoes too.
Some work is being done to isolate mosquito attractive odor so that mosquitoes can be attracted and trapped.
The question though is to be sure you are not wearing a scent or body odor that unfairly makes you as a target for mosquitoes to bite.
Smells that attract mosquitoes
The smell of beer is said to attract mosquitoes. Drinking beer outdoors might make you a mosquito magnet.
Potassium rich foods like bananas, raisins and potatoes also attract mosquitoes. You might want to reconsider packing these items for an outdoor picnic in a mosquito infested area.
Eating candies, sweets, cakes, pies in the park will emit a sweet aroma that attracts all. Well, the mosquitoes are attracted too!
Smells that repel mosquitoes
You might want to eat a sizeable portion of garlic bread or garlic pasta because mosquitoes are going to run away from the smell of garlic on you. The problem though is that other animals like dogs, cats and humans are likely to run away from you too!
The sound of the mosquito is very annoying. The bite is worse. Then the itch from the bite and you wish you could peel your skin off. To add salt to injury, mosquitoes, their bites, and the itch are not all we get. Mosquitoes carry around and infect us with Malaria, Yellow Fever, Dengue fever, West Nile disease and lately Chikungunya disease in the Caribbean.
Without a doubt, the mosquito is the most dangerous animal in the world killing more than one million people every year according to the W.H.O.
In addition to the above tips, the use of chemically treated mosquito nets, clearing of broken plastics, bottles and puddles that serve as a breeding ground for the mosquitoes will go a long way in winning the war against mosquito-transmitted infections.
