This Is the Real Reason Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others

 If these suckers always seem to make a beeline for your flesh, you’ll want to read this before heading outdoors

When I was pregnant with my sons, mosquitoes feasted on my calves like they were Twix bars. While I’m not normally one of those people who gets bitten like crazy, I have those poor souls in the family (see: my younger son’s ankles). So I’ve been wondering: What makes some of us mosquito magnets?

Are some people just plain sweeter? Is it true mosquitoes target women who are expecting, as I experienced? And, most importantly, what can we all do to escape these pests and their itchy bites this summer?

Bite prevention matters because mosquitoes can cause serious health problems. “Most mosquito bites are simply an annoyance that causes itching and discomfort, but some mosquito species can transmit diseases including West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis and, in some parts of the world, dengue fever, malaria and others,” says Daniel Parker, PhD, an expert in mosquito-borne illnesses and an associate professor at UC Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health.

To understand why some of us feel like we’re always getting eaten alive and to learn how to dodge mosquito bites, I spoke with Parker and insect-brain researcher Gabriella Wolff, PhD, an assistant professor of biology at Case Western Reserve University. Here are the wild reasons you may be a mark for mosquitoes—and what to do about it.

Is it your imagination, or do mosquitoes find some people particularly delicious?

It’s not your imagination. “Some people appear to be more attractive to mosquitoes than others,” Parker confirms. Mosquitoes use carbon dioxide, body heat, skin odors and other factors to find hosts, he explains, which is why some of us end up covered in bug bites.

These little buggers are picky, and they put all their resources into finding the perfect targets. “Mosquitoes use their sense of smell, vision, taste, heat sensing and water sensing to find people to bite,” Wolff notes. (On the positive side: They went to an awful lot of trouble to pick you!)

Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?

Here are the main reasons why mosquitoes may be drawn to you.

The carbon dioxide (CO2) you breathe out

Here’s some fascinating science: “Mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide and follow plumes of this gas to find people to bite,” Wolff says. But wait—don’t we all exhale carbon dioxide? We do, but some of us breathe at a faster rate, so we expel more CO2 than others due to differences in metabolism, she explains.

Your body heat

Mosquitoes are also drawn to your body heat, Wolff says. In fact, a 2015 study found that the type of mosquito that can spread dengue fever seeks out human body temperature over much higher and lower temperatures. Other research suggests being a little warmer—as you get when exercising—may bring these suckers your way.

Pregnancy

I am not the only woman who finds herself extra yummy to mosquitoes while expecting. “Pregnant women have higher body temperatures and breathing rates, so they emit more heat and carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes,” Wolff says. “[And] their skin tends to contain more of a chemical called 1-octen-3-ol, which is attractive to some species of mosquitoes.”

Your sweat

When we work up a sweat, we give off lactic acid and other by-products. And while you may not love the scent of that post-workout funk, mosquitoes sure do. They’re drawn to components in your sweat, including lactic acid, according to a 2019 study published in Current Biology. But everyone who goes for a run or does hot yoga isn’t equally delicious. “Humans can have subtle differences in chemicals in their skin, breath and sweat that make them more attractive,” Wolff says. How lovely.

Exercise

Working out or playing sports outdoors achieves the trifecta for bug bites. As Wolff explains, “while exercising, people exhale more carbon dioxide, have higher body temperatures and build up lactic acid—all of which make them more attractive to mosquitoes.”

Your blood type

Among the weirder reasons for mosquitoes playing favorites: They may prefer a certain blood type. Some research suggests that people with type O blood get bitten more frequently. And a 2019 study looking into whether a certain blood type encourages the spread of dengue fever found that mosquitoes did prefer type O, though the mosquitoes that feasted on O didn’t produce more eggs (which is a good thing).

As a type A+, I kind of love this research. The only problem is, it isn’t settled science. “The studies are contradictory,” Wolff explains. “It’s still unclear if any blood type is the most attractive to mosquitoes.” You know what that means, right? All of us A’s, B’s and AB’s still have to apply our OFF!

Drinking beer and eating bananas

Do you love a cold brew on a warm night? You might want to rethink that if you’re in a buggy area. Same goes for munching on a banana. Turns out, drinking beer or eating bananas can make you mighty attractive to mosquitoes. “Eating these foods may increase the amount of ethanol and lactic acid released from skin, though the direct link hasn’t been found yet,” Wolff says.

Still, if you have a choice at that outdoor restaurant, you may want to go with a crisp white wine and dodge the beer-crazy mosquitoes.

Wearing basic black (yes, seriously)

Everyone loves black … even mosquitoes. Apparently, some mosquitoes may be more attracted to darker colors such as black and red, particularly after they’ve detected your carbon dioxide. When mosquitoes smell CO2 from our breath, it prompts their eyes to scan for certain colors that they associate with potential hosts, according to a 2022 study by University of Washington researchers published in Nature Communications. They are drawn to black, cyan (a deep blue-green), red and orange. But there’s no need to ditch your summer LBD or blue romper, Parker says, since other factors are more of a lure to