Mosquitos - Those Pesky Little Bug-ers!

A few of my favorite summer pastimes are---were---sitting with my family outside on the porch at dusk when the hot summer temperatures have cooled to the 70s, outdoor barbecues, reading and relaxing on the deck—that is until the mosquitoes began using this time to feast on my entire body.

Now let me be a bit clearer.  One time I counted over 15 mosquito bites on my legs alone after just one half hour of sitting outside with mosquito repellant spray on.  Meanwhile, my husband, who has no protection, gets off easy with maybe one small bite.  What is it about some of us who attract these pesky insects to feed off of our blood more than others do?  My personal theory is that some blood types are more “pleasing” to mosquitoes than others, but research doesn’t exactly back me up on that.

There is some evidence that certain blood types are more attractive to mosquitoes than others, but other factors play a much larger role when the mosquito chooses her target.  Female mosquitoes use a number of environmental clues to identify their victim: body heat, lactic acid, carbon dioxide, water vapor, sweat, sebum and other chemicals produced by the human body.  Humans breathe out warm moist air rich in carbon dioxide, so our breath is a large part of the attraction. 

Visual stimulation also plays a role.  A mosquito that feeds on us during the day (different species feed at different times of the day) identifies its target by its motion and they are more attracted to dark clothing.  Once the mosquito gets closer, it uses a more precise identification using our smells.  Different species may also bite different parts of the body, depending on which environmental clues they are using.  Certain perfumes used in body care products like shampoo, lotion, etc. also attract mosquitoes.  In general, men are bitten more often than women are (though I beg to differ) and adults get bites more than children do.  This is likely due to the differences in physical size, with larger people providing more body heat and exhaling more carbon dioxide to attract more mosquitoes.  Ultimately it is your unique smell that draws in mosquitoes for lunch. 

Pregnant women also attract up to twice as many mosquitoes.  The mosquito, again, senses the extra body heat emitted and the extra carbon dioxide on the breath, making moms-to-be a favorite snack. 

What can we do to enjoy our times outdoors with fewer mosquitoes interfering?  Build a screened in porch (not happening at my house), wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts (in August???), use repellants containing small amounts of DEET (not if you are pregnant though), and limit your time outside at dusk during prime mosquito feeding time.   Other mosquito repellents including bug zappers, citronella candles and the mosquito plant may also help keep them away.  They work by interfering with the female mosquito’s ability to use the environmental clues to find her targets and by luring her away from you.    

I am not going to let these small pests ruin my quiet summer nights under the star-lit skies anymore!  There I’ll be with long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, bug zappers zapping in the background, wearing my DEET perfume, sitting next to my citronella candle and mosquito plant…and I won’t be scratching.