And by "some people" I mean me. Why is it that an evening
stroll leaves me feeling eaten alive while my companions are left
blissfully un-bitten?
First of all, it's probably not all in my head (although it could be — most people are
bad sources about their own mosquito attractiveness).
Studies
suggest that about 20 percent of people are "high attractor types" who
are especially appealing to the female mosquitoes seeking out blood for
the extra protein they need to lay eggs. Of course, not all mosquitoes
are the same. There are
150 different species
in the United States, each with their own blood-sucking proclivities.
But since you probably won't know — or care — if the bugger biting you
is
Culex pipiens or
Aedes aegypti, let's consider some of the more general properties that affect your mosquito appeal.
Clothing Color
It's true, mosquitoes have discerning fashion taste. Or at
least, they're more likely to spot you as a target if you stand out from
your environment. Dark colors, especially, will attract more of the
insect.
Movement
Similarly, the more you move, the easier you are to identify as a living, breathing, vessel full of delicious blood.
Body Heat
Visual clues allow the mosquito to locate you from
relatively far away, but as she approaches, it's your body heat that
draws her in. This puts pregnant women, who average about 1.26 degrees
Fahrenheit warmer than others, at a particular risk — a fact which has
been substantiated by a number of
studies.
Carbon Dioxide
This is another reason pregnant women are at a disadvantage. Mosquitoes can
detect carbon dioxide using a special organ called a maxillary palp
from as far as 164 feet away. Since everyone emits CO2 simply by
exhaling, it comes down to relative amounts. Unfortunately for
mothers-to-be, pregnancy causes women to emit 21 percent more CO2. This
is also why kids are often safe from bites, when bigger, more
CO2-emitting adults are around.
Alcohol Intake
On the flip side, pregnant women are (presumably) avoiding another mosquito attractor: alcohol.
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