Have you ever noticed that mosquitoes can bother one person and not another? Have you ever wondered why? Well, you may be surprised to know that mosquitoes aren't attracted to all people equally. They actually have some preferences that they go by. This is what we're going to take a look at today.
Here's How You May Be Attracting Dangerous Mosquitoes
Carbon Dioxide
Let's start with the big one. If you expel a lot of CO2, you're going to be attractive to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide gas, and they are drawn to it. In fact, the very first thing a mosquito will notice before it comes into your yard and invades your backyard party is the plume of carbon dioxide being created by you and your guests.
Moisture
A mosquito is born in damp habitats and stagnant water sources. When it takes to the air, it seeks out moist hiding places to keep itself from becoming dehydrated by the sun. This is likely why a mosquito will be more attracted to someone who is sweating, rather than someone who isn't.
Heat
A mosquito feeds on the blood of warm-blooded animals. It only makes sense that they would be able to detect heat. They use this ability to find warm skin and get a blood meal. The warmer you are, the more easily mosquitoes can detect your skin and land on you.
Pregnant Women
Mosquitoes are drawn to pregnant women for all of the factors listed so far. Pregnant women produce more CO2, have warmer skin, and tend to sweat and glisten, more.
Dark Skin or Clothing
Mosquitoes have poor eyesight and, even with all their abilities to detect things like CO2 and heat, they must resort to using silhouettes to lock on to their targets and land. If you have dark skin or you wear dark clothing, mosquitoes will have an easier time landing on you.
They Might Just Like The Way You Smell
Scientists have discovered that there are as many as 400 chemical compounds found on human skin that have the potential to play a role in how attractive a person may be to mosquitoes. It is possible that you may have a mixture of chemicals that make you more attractive to mosquitoes. Sorry.
There is another way you may smell good to mosquitoes that's worth mentioning. Mosquitoes feed on the nectar from flowers. If you smell like a flower, a mosquito might be more interested in you.
Alcohol
Recent studies have shown that consuming one beer is enough to increase mosquito attraction. If you have an opportunity to go to an outdoor party, it pays to be the designated driver. You'll probably get fewer mosquito bites.
Stinky Feet
This one is a little weird, but true. If you tend to have stinky feet, it could be what attracts mosquitoes to you. While stinky feet drive humans away, mosquitoes are drawn to the scent. Not only are they drawn to your feet, but they can also be drawn to the laundry that your socks have been put into.
An additional fact worth considering is that the mosquito species Aedes aegypti is particularly drawn to feet and ankles due to this factor. They have a well-developed sense of smell and will be drawn to the portion of the body that has the strongest odor. This causes them to bite feet and ankles, which is the location of your body you're least likely to notice them. Aedes aegypti are dangerous mosquitoes because they spread yellow fever, Dengue, and chikungunya. They're also suspected to spread Zika virus.
Can You Use This Knowledge To Prevent Bites?
You may be able to outsmart mosquitoes a little bit, but it isn't likely that you'll use any of these facts to prevent mosquito bites. The best way to prevent mosquito bites is to not have mosquitoes around. It might sound impossible, but we assure you that it can be done. Here are two reasons why:
- Mosquitoes don't go from yard to yard in search of someone to bite. They typically hang out a few hundred feet from where they hatch. The mosquitoes in your yard are mostly mosquitoes that hatched in your yard. A professional can make it difficult or impossible for mosquitoes to hatch in your yard and grow into adult mosquitoes.
- Mosquitoes rest a lot. If your yard has routine mosquito treatments performed by a licensed mosquito control professional, they will find a low toxicity agent in those hiding places that are only strong enough to take out a mosquito. If you take out a female, it can potentially stop hundreds of mosquitoes from hatching in your yard.
Mosquito Control In Atlanta
If you live in Atlanta, you're in our service area. Contact Tuxedo Mosquito Control today to learn more about how effective mosquito control can be, or to schedule service for your property.
What Tuxedo Mosquito Customers Are Saying
Tuxedo Mosquito is the only company we have used to control mosquitos in our yard. The service person sprays our shrubs in the woods behind our home and every shrub and plant in our yard. To the best of our knowledge this is our 9th year using Tuxedo Mosquito. Their service is excellent!!
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