You're probably not imagining it if you feel like a Mosquito Magnet
Have you ever gone on a group hike and forgotten to carry insect protection, or perhaps had a backyard BBQ when the bugs swarmed? By the end of the day, some people may be covered in bites, while others will just have one or two itchy patches. "Mosquitoes love me," the unlucky among you would say. And it's most likely correct.
We've known for a long time that mosquitos favor certain people over others, but figuring out why has been challenging. While scientists have not yet solved this riddle, we do have a number of hints.
Body mass index and physical activity
For instance, we know that mosquitos find humans by detecting the carbon dioxide we continually breath. The more oxygen you breathe in and the more carbon dioxide you expel, the larger you are. This means that adults are more easily found by mosquitoes than children, larger adults are more quickly found than smaller people, and pregnant women are an easier target for mosquitoes than non-pregnant women.
When we exercise, we also breathe more deeply because we require more oxygen to burn the calories that fuel the exertion. As a result, more carbon dioxide is produced. When you exercise, you become more of a target than when you sit idle. Mosquitoes can detect the warmth of our bodies, which rises with exertion.
Wearing dark clothes
Mosquitoes will fly toward huge, dark objects after they have discovered our approximate vicinity. Mosquito bites are more common on those who wear dark clothing than on those who wear bright clothing. Consider wearing bright colors when the mosquitoes are out. According to some study, red or orange clothing is highly appealing to Aedes mosquitoes (the striped ones seen in southern areas of the United States), so stick to blues and greens when selecting your pastel outfit.
Just like you smell
There are additional criteria that impact who mosquitoes like, but scientists are still trying to figure out what they are. For one thing, drinking alcohol appears to have an influence on how appealing humans are to insects.
But wait, there's more. In one recent study, participants were encouraged to wear stockings on their arms for many days to absorb their aroma before being exposed to mosquitoes. The skeeters favored certain stockings over others, which was not surprising; the scientists' objective was to genetically change mosquitoes' sense of smell and determine if this prevented them from smelling certain or all individuals. That element of the experiment failed.
However, it was discovered that the distinctions between people were not subtle. One sample from Subject 33 was 100 times more appealing to mosquitos than the least appealing sample. As the researchers explained to Sci Tech Daily:
Because the samples in the experiments were de-identified, the experimenters had no idea which subject wore which nylon. Nonetheless, scientists would realize something peculiar was going on in every study including Subject 33 because insects would flock to that sample. "Within a few seconds of commencing the experiment, it would be clear," says [researcher Maria Elena] De Obaldia.
Chemical study revealed that the more appealing stockings were rich in carboxylic acids, a chemical family produced by human sebaceous glands. The bacteria and other germs that live on our skin most likely have an impact on this chemical profile as well (and perhaps vice versa). So we're still understanding why certain individuals smell better to mosquitos, but the difference is undeniable.
#Mosquito #MosquitoBite
SOURCE: lifehacker
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