If you feel like youโre the victim of itchy mosquito bites more often than others, it may not be all in your head.
Sonja Swiger, Ph.D.,ย Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Serviceย entomologist, professor in theย Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciencesย Department of Entomologyย and self-proclaimed mosquito magnet from Stephenville, said there is some scientific evidence that mosquitoes have preferences for who to land and feed on.
Mosquitoes primarily rely on carbon dioxide to locate their targets, Swiger said. Body temperature and odor also play significant roles, so anything that alters these factors can make someone more or less attractive to mosquitoes.
To separate evidence from anecdotes, Swiger discussed some of the attributes or conditions that studies have shown to entice mosquitoes.
Blood type matters, sometimes
Several studies have shown mosquitoes prefer type O blood. One study published in theย Journal of Medical Entomologyย found a mosquito species preferred to land on type O blood compared to others, but the difference was only significant between type O and type A.
Though itโs often reported that mosquitoes prefer type O blood, Swiger said itโs worth considering the limitations of these studies.
โSome projects have shown that there may be some correlation between blood type and mosquito preference, but in a comparative study, thereโs always a winner,โ she said. โThat doesnโt necessarily mean itโs the absolute winner all the time.โ
Some foods and alcohol
People who are intoxicated tend to put out more carbon dioxide and sweat more, which seems to attract mosquitoes โ possibly along with other unknown factors.
Swiger said diet can also impact mosquito attraction, though the extent of its effect hasnโt been fully explored. Garlic and vitamin B are often anecdotally reported to deter these bugs, but the evidence is limited.
However, Swiger said bananas and other high-potassium foods have shown to attract mosquitoes, perhaps because they lead to an increase in lactic acid production in the body, which helps mosquitoes locate animals.
This also impacts a personโs skin microbiota, or the microorganisms living on the skin.
โThere is some research to support that changing your diet will make you give off different scents,โ Swiger said. โSo, it may be possible to change your attractiveness to mosquitoes based on what youโre eating.โ
Pregnancy attracts mosquitoes
Pregnant women also seem to attract more mosquitoes, primarily because of the increased carbon dioxide output. Itโs estimated that women in the advanced stages of pregnancy exhale about a 21% greater volume than non-pregnant women.
Swiger said this goes along with other physiological changes, like increased body temperature, that together make pregnant women easier for mosquitoes to find.
A taste for the local flavor
Sometimes mosquitoes develop more specific tastes in a location over time as an evolutionary trait.
โMosquitoes in certain neighborhoods can become accustomed to specific scents and start to prefer those over others,โ Swiger said. โTheir generations are about two weeks long, and urban mosquitoes that bite humans often donโt travel far. As a result, they seem to get familiar with the local scents.โ
Other genetic predispositions
Thereโs still much to uncover as far as mosquito preferences. Swiger said there seems to be other genetic predispositions for what attracts mosquitoes, but these arenโt all clear just yet.
โIf you find yourself swatting more mosquitoes than your friends, there is probably some science behind it,โ she said. โWhile thereโs no getting around genetic predispositions, staying covered and using repellant might just help you tip the scales in your favor.โ
