{"id":171942,"date":"2025-08-24T14:54:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T14:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/171942\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T14:54:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T14:54:10","slug":"why-do-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-than-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/171942\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever been at an outdoor party or BBQ during the fading hours of daylight and don\u2019t personally notice an increase in the number of mosquitoes<\/a>, you\u2019ll probably hear someone complaining about it. That\u2019s because mosquitoes are selective insects, and some people are more likely to get bites than others. <\/p>\n

There are a few factors that could contribute to why this happens: In one controlled study<\/a> by the Journal of Medical Entomology, the bugs landed on people with blood Type O nearly twice as frequently as those with Type A. The researchers noted this has to do with secretions we produce, which tips mosquitoes off on a person\u2019s blood type. <\/p>\n

More research needs to be conducted on mosquitoes\u2019 potential preference for certain blood types over others, said Jonathan F. Day, an entomology professor at the University of Florida. But he agreed that mosquitoes do pick up on some cues we give off that make the bugs more likely to land on certain people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese cues let them know they are going to a blood source,\u201d Day said. \u201cPerhaps CO2 is the most important. The amount of CO2 you produce, like people with high metabolic rates \u2015 genetic, other factors \u2015 increases the amount of carbon dioxide you give off. The more you give off, the more attractive you are to these arthropods.\u201d <\/p>\n

But what separates us from the nonliving entities that give off carbon dioxide, like cars? Mosquitoes look for primary cues in conjunction with what Day calls \u201csecondary cues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lactic acid \u2014 the stuff that causes our muscles to cramp during exercise \u2014 is one of those secondary cues, for example. Lactic acid is released through the skin, signaling to mosquitoes that we are a target, Day said.<\/p>\n

Mosquitoes also have other qualities that help them pick up on secondary cues.<\/p>\n

\u201cMosquitoes have excellent vision, but they fly close to the ground to stay out of the wind,\u201d Day said. \u201cThey are able to contrast you with the horizon, so how you\u2019re dressed matters. If you have on dark clothes, you are going to attract more because you\u2019ll stand out from the horizon, whereas those wearing light colors won\u2019t as much.\u201d<\/p>\n

A mosquito also takes in \u201ctactile cues\u201d once it has landed on you.<\/p>\n

\u201cBody heat is a really important tactile cue,\u201d Day said. \u201cThat comes into play with genetic differences or physiological differences. Some people tend to run a little warmer \u2014 when they land, they\u2019re looking for a place where blood is close to the skin.\u201d That means those whose temperatures are a little higher are more likely to get the bite.<\/p>\n

Lifestyle or other health factors may also play a role, said Melissa Piliang, a dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf body temperature is higher, you\u2019re exercising and moving around a lot, or if you\u2019re drinking alcohol, you are more attractive to mosquitoes,\u201d Piliang said. \u201cBeing pregnant or being overweight also increases metabolic rate.\u201d <\/p>\n

One study<\/a> showed that people who consumed just one can of beer were more at risk of attracting mosquitoes than those who didn\u2019t. Of course, drinking outside is a popular summer and fall activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve been moving around all day doing yardwork and then you stop around dusk and drink a beer on your patio, you\u2019re definitely at risk of bites,\u201d Piliang said. <\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

Photoboyko via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Close-up of young female backpacker tourist applying bug spray on hands<\/p>\n

How To Prevent Mosquito Bites<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just because you might be more prone to bites doesn\u2019t mean they have to be an inevitability.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the very best things to do is to avoid peak activity times [for mosquitoes],\u201d Day said. \u201cThere are very, very few species that are active in the middle of the day. They are very selective. Sunrise and sunset are when you\u2019ll see peak activity.\u201d Switching your early morning run to an after-work run could help here.<\/p>\n

Of course, this tip won\u2019t help you if you\u2019re, say, throwing a BBQ for friends later at night. Try to cover as much skin as you can in these cases, Day said, especially in areas or at times mosquitoes are most likely to be present.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the fishing shirts and the long-legged outdoor pants that are breathable, but they prevent mosquitoes,\u201d Day said. \u201cA repellent that has a good protection time \u2015 defined as the time from when you apply to when you get the first bite \u2015 is also great. Roughly 5% DEET sprays gives you 90 minutes of complete coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEET is a common ingredient in insect repellents, and sprays with DEET are probably the way to go if you know you\u2019re at risk of bites, Piliang said. Despite the controversy over the health effects of DEET, a 2014 review by the Environmental Protection Agency<\/a> re-concluded that normal use of DEET products does not pose a risk to one\u2019s health, including<\/a> children, pregnant women and breastfeeding women.<\/p>\n

\u201cDEET is the most effective,\u201d Piliang said. \u201cIf you are going to be in a mosquito-prone place, knowing that they carry disease, it is your best bet. Take a shower later to wash it off, and put on just a little bit.\u201d Always read the directions on a spray before using it, and help children apply products by following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> guidelines.<\/p>\n

And while you may have heard that candles containing natural repellents like citronella oil can be useful, there is no research<\/a> to support it yet. Instead, keep the fan on or hang out in a breezy area.<\/p>\n

\u201cMosquitoes can\u2019t get around very much,\u201d especially in wind, Piliang said. \u201cYou can run a fan to keep air moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you do end up with a bite, you may or may not be bothered. \u201cThis all depends on how allergic you are to the chemicals in the saliva of the mosquito, and that can vary based on the type of the mosquito or how reactive you and your skin are to things in the environment,\u201d Piliang said.<\/p>\n

If it is itchy, the worst possible thing you can do is scratch it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do, then more histamine is released and it gets itchier,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you scratch it, you\u2019re also more likely to break skin. You can get bleeding, scabs and put yourself at risk for infection and scarring.\u201d <\/p>\n

But there are a few simple things you can do to alleviate the itch, like putting an ice cube on it. \u201cThe sensation of cold travels on the same nerve as itch, so you cannot feel both at the same time,\u201d Piliang said. \u201cEven a drink with ice on it will help relieve itch immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve received several bites after a morning or evening outside, she also recommended over-the-counter anti-itch creams with a mild topical steroid like hydrocortisone. \u201cYou can apply that two to three times a day to reduce itch,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the last thing you can do if you\u2019re really bit up is take an antihistamine<\/a>,\u201d she added. \u201cIt can counteract the reaction a bit.\u201d While OTC types that make you drowsy \u2014 like Benadryl \u2014 are more common, you can take non-drowsy antihistamines like Zyrtec or Allegra for daytime relief.<\/p>\n

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Of course, prevention is always better than treatment, so use these tips to stave off bites in the first place as you head out for the season\u2019s remaining BBQs and tailgates. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve ever been at an outdoor party or BBQ during the fading hours of daylight and don\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":171943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[98169,210,53723,67,132,68,3149],"class_list":{"0":"post-171942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-blood-type","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-mosquito","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us","14":"tag-wellness"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115084320035831995","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}