Emily Chan
Spending late summer days outside doing barbecues and bonfires with family is the best way to bask in the warm weather we have left.
If you’ve noticed that you’re serving as the main target for mosquitoes, it can be difficult to enjoy the great outdoors when you’re too busy slapping the pests away and scratching your skin raw.
But why is it that some people get bitten by mosquitoes more than most? Researchers believe they have an answer to this frustrating phenomenon, and it may have something to do with your blood type.
According to a study from 2019, researchers concluded that mosquitoes found people with type O blood to be most appealing in relation to all other blood types. The mosquitoes figure out who has their favorite blood type due to the secretions that people produce.
More research needs to be conducted on the bugs’ potential preference for specific blood types over others, as the processes that qualify a person to be a mosquito magnet are likely more complex than just blood type.
There are additional factors, or cues, that can explain why mosquitoes are attracted to certain individuals.
“These cues let them know they are going to a blood source,” Jonathan F. Day, an entomology professor at the University of Florida, said. “Perhaps CO2 is the most important. The amount of CO2 you produce, like people with high metabolic rates—genetic, other factors—increases the amount of carbon dioxide you give off. The more you give off, the more attractive you are to these arthropods.”
Lactic acid production, clothing choices, and sweat can also contribute to your magnetism. Lactic acid is what makes our muscles cramp when we exercise, and it’s what helps mosquitoes separate us from non-living entities that generate carbon dioxide, such as cars.
The way you’re dressed also matters. Mosquitoes actually have sharp eyesight, so if you’re wearing dark clothes, they will be able to see you more clearly since you stand out from the horizon. Those wearing lighter colors won’t attract as many of the insects.
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