It’s a humid summer evening, and you’re swatting mosquitoes left and right. Meanwhile, your friends lounge comfortably, bite-free, and wonder what all the fuss is about.
If this scenario sounds painfully familiar, brace yourself for some unsettling news: mosquitoes are more sophisticated—and selective—than you might think.
While you may think you’re just unlucky, stats show that nearly 20% of people are especially attractive to mosquitoes, thanks to a combination of metabolic and genetic factors…
It turns out, mosquitoes are experts at sniffing out carbon dioxide.
With an extraordinary sense of smell, they can detect CO₂ from up to 100 feet away.
This means that if you’re active, have a higher metabolism, or are even pregnant, you’re painting a huge target on yourself.
Once mosquitoes sense this CO₂, their vision adapts to look for human skin tones.
It turns out our skin reflects red and orange light, no matter the skin color. So mosquitoes ignore blue and green lights, and make their way straight to the reds and oranges.
Then there’s the sweat factor. Mosquitoes are drawn to body heat, and when you sweat, it only gets better (for them, at least).
Your sweat contains lactic acid and ammonia, which are irresistible signals to these bloodsuckers.
And if that isn’t personal enough, they’re also zeroing in on the bacteria living on your skin.
“Mosquitoes pick up on bacteria profiles, and some people’s bacteria produce smells that are basically mosquito catnip,” says Glenn from Backyard Pests, an expert on mosquito behaviors.
“The grossest part? The most enticing bacteria colonies live on your feet and ankles, making those areas prime biting spots.”
Interestingly, mosquitoes may actually be more attracted to “clean” skin because freshly washed skin can remove natural body odors that might otherwise hide the scents mosquitoes use to find you, like carbon dioxide and lactic acid.
While not washing could reduce your attractiveness to mosquitoes by making it harder for them to detect you, it’s not a foolproof method. Mosquitoes still rely heavily on cues like body heat and carbon dioxide, so even with dirty skin, they’re likely to find you if they’re hungry enough.
When a mosquito bites, it injects saliva laced with anticoagulants and enzymes that keep your blood from clotting. This saliva is what causes the itch and can also transmit diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika.
In fact, mosquitoes are responsible for over one million deaths annually, making them the deadliest animals on Earth.
And if you’re Type O blood? Sorry to say, but mosquitoes are statistically twice as likely to bite you as someone with Type A blood.
About 80% of people secrete signals that indicate their blood type, and mosquitoes use these cues to decide who to bite. The scent of Type O blood is very appealing to a mosquito’s sense of smell, making people with this blood type irresistible to these pests.
So what’s a mosquito magnet to do to stop being bitten?
Glenn suggests a simple but surprisingly effective hack: “Rubbing plain mustard oil on your skin by hand or with a sunscreen applicator is a great way to keep mosquitoes at bay. The smell won’t bother you at all but it throws off a mosquito’s senses, so you don’t get bitten. This method works great for biting midges too!”
