A Look at The Things That Attract Mosquitoes

They say opposites attract, and as you likely aren’t a blood-sucking parasite, it makes sense that a blood-sucking mosquito would be attracted to you. The feeling probably isn’t mutual though, so if you want to keep mosquitoes away, learn what drives them wild about you – so you can do the opposite.

Body Temperature

Mosquitoes are attracted to higher body temperatures. They don’t sense your heat until they’re a few yards away, but once they do, they’ll make a beeline for your increased temps.

Umm… Stench

Look, we don’t want to make things awkward here, but if you’re sporting some strong B.O., you’re just making it easier for mosquitoes to find you.

In addition, if you have stinky feet, you can almost guarantee a mosquito will be attracted to you. Mosquitoes are attracted to the bacteria that grows on human feet, and that bacteria is more present if your feet haven’t been cleaned in a while.

Sweat

Mosquitoes love moisture, and we already established they’re rather fond of body odor, so sweat is a magic combination for mosquitoes.

Movement

Mosquitoes track their prey with sight as well as scent. People who are moving a lot will capture the attention of the nasty parasites more than those who are sitting still. Playing sports, doing yard work, and exercising are all excellent ways to fill your time, but they’re also excellent ways to get caught by a searching mosquito.

Dark Clothing

Dark colors help mosquitoes find their targets from a distance because they provide a nice contrast from the environment around you. If you’re wearing dark clothing, especially dark blue, you’re making it all that much easier for a mosquito to locate you. Lighter colors help you camouflage into the background a bit better.

Potassium and Salt

Mosquitoes like the potassium, salt, and lactic acid released from your body, so if you’re going heavy on the bananas or dried fruit, you’re making yourself all the more delectable to a passing mosquito.

Lotions and creams with alpha hydroxy are also high in lactic acid. It’s best to avoid these products if you’re going to be spending time outdoors.

Perfume

Mosquitoes love floral scents, so if you lather up with scented lotion or spritz yourself with perfume, you might be making yourself more attractive to mosquitoes.

Alcohol

When you drink alcohol, your skin produces a chemical that mosquitoes really like. Not only this, but alcohol increases your temperature, and we’ve already established mosquitoes are attracted to warmer temperatures.

Blood Type

You knew there had to be a reason you seem to get all the mosquito bites while others around you walk away bite free. If you have type O blood, you’re 83 percent more likely to attract mosquitoes.

Breathing

It’s not like you can avoid it, but yes, breathing will bring the mosquitoes to your neck of the woods (and your neck!). Mosquitoes track their next meal by searching for CO2 output. This is because CO2 output indicates a living, breathing being to feast upon.

Pregnant Women

Pregnant women attract twice as many mosquitoes as non-pregnant women because they exhale more carbon dioxide, have more blood circulating through their bodies, and run higher temperatures. This is bad news when you’re hoping to avoid the Zika virus, so it’s imperative a mosquito repellant is used if you’re pregnant.

Mosquito Prevention

You can’t really stop breathing, moving, and sweating. And you shouldn’t have to worry about the color of your T-shirt or how long ago you ate your last banana. You can try to stay indoors during dusk and stay away from standing water as much as possible, but the best overall mosquito prevention is the professional, long lasting mosquito spray available from Barefoot Mosquito .

Related Posts

• Everything You Need to Know About Mosquito Bites
• Do You Feel Like a Mosquito Magnet?
• Why Mosquitoes Love to Bite Our Feet and Ankles
• A Look at the Different Types of Mosquitoes
• How Your Diet Can Repel Mosquitoes