Signs You Could Be a Mosquito Magnet

Studies have shown that up to one in five people are mosquito magnets. That’s a massive 20 percent of the human population! Whether you’d like to think of it as a case of prey versus predator or a story of boy meets girl, the unavoidable truth is that some people are, unfortunately, more attractive to these pesky blood suckers than others.

And what exactly is the reason behind this? There are several myths that surround this mystery, including the assertion that mosquitoes prefer blondes, sweeter blood sugar levels, and nicer smelling perfumes.

First of all, not one of them has been proven. Secondly, don’t assume that it’s you – sometimes it’s them. According to Janet McAllister, Ph.D., an entomologist in the Division of Vector-Born Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “different species of mosquitoes have different cues for being attracted.”

One thing we can be certain of, however, is that only female mosquitoes feed on human blood and males don’t. Here are some other signs that could raise your chances of getting bitten:

Your Dressing

Unknown to most of us is the fact that mosquitoes are highly visual creatures. Among the many factors that determine who is or isn’t fit to be the next victim, mosquitoes often have their eyes on those dressed in darker colours such as black, navy blue and red. If you tend to move around quite a bit, you might like to know that mosquitoes are very attracted to movement. Humidity and body temperature are also influential factors, and mosquitoes flock towards pregnant women for their extra body heat.

Your Body Size

Bigger people have greater appeal to mosquitoes because of the amount of carbon dioxide they produce. Mosquitoes can detect the emission of carbon dioxide from an impressive distance of up to 50 metres away. They have an unexplainable attraction to carbon dioxide, which is the reason why adults are more likely to get bitten than children and why men make better feeding sites than women. People who are bigger tend to emit more carbon dioxide, hence their preference for men over women and adults over children. This can refer to those who are overweight, more muscular, and again, even pregnant women are targets because of their greater-than-average exhaled carbon dioxide.

Your Metabolism

Not quite the metabolism we all know of, the metabolism we are talking about here is that of cholesterol. The love for the added taste of cholesterol in their meal draws mosquitoes to those who are able to metabolize cholesterol quicker than others. Note that it is those who metabolize cholesterol quickly and not those who have high cholesterol that may attract mosquitoes. This attraction is due to the surfacing of byproducts of the metabolism on our skin.

Your Smell

Mosquitoes have an extremely acute sense of smell. In addition to their ability to sniff out the carbon dioxide we produce, these tiny bloodsuckers can also detect acetone and estradiol released through our breath and the many compounds and bacteria found on our skin.

People who produce excess amounts of certain acids, such as uric acid from the breakdown of purine and lactic acid from sweat glands, explains entomologist John Edman, PhD, spokesman for the Entomological Society of America, are prime targets for mosquitoes. The scent of lactic acid can be very alluring, especially if you’ve just worked out.

Lactic acid (given off when exercising), estradiol (a breakdown product of estrogen), and acetone (a chemical released through your breath) are all released at different levels and in different concentrations. How much of these you release will determine if you could possibly be next unexpecting victim.