The Most Important Points at a Glance
- Some people are bitten by mosquitoes many times more often than others.
- Many pseudoscientific claims circulate as explanations, but they generally do not hold up.
- Sweet blood, overly bright light, and other factors allegedly attract these pests—but none of this is true.
- Read here about the real reasons why mosquitoes prefer some people and shun others.
Many myths surround mosquito bites, and they persist stubbornly—yet almost all of them are wrong. Sweet blood and gender are just as false as the assumption that people who sit in bright light are bitten more often. Mosquitoes do not even see particularly well; they rely solely on the odors they perceive.
Superstition About Mosquito Bites Persists
Even well-informed people fall for misconceptions about mosquitoes and cling to them despite the facts. It is often claimed that the insects emerge from the darkness and are attracted by light, which is why it is supposedly better to switch off the lights on a balcony or patio in the evening. But that is complete nonsense, because these bloodsuckers do not have a well-developed sense of sight.
The rumor that women are “deliberately” bitten by mosquitoes more often is equally persistent—and it is also false. Men merely have the advantage of being more heavily covered in hair, which means mosquitoes are more likely to get tangled in it and not reach the skin at all. The assumption that a person’s “sweet blood”—whether male or female—is responsible for attracting more mosquito bites is completely wrong.
Blood Type and Odors Make You Interesting to Mosquitoes
So much for the speculation; now let us turn to the scientifically proven facts. Blood does play a role in a certain sense—not because of any “sweetness,” but because of blood type. It has been observed that blood types O and B in particular are popular with mosquitoes—and certain skin signals reveal your blood type to them. If you have a different blood type, this signal is not produced at all. The mosquito therefore does not need to bite you to determine your blood type.
One decisive factor in whether you are attractive to mosquitoes is, not least, the odor you give off. People with a higher body temperature also sweat more, and sweating produces lactic acid, which mosquitoes are attracted to. Drinking alcohol does not inherently attract these little pests, but it raises body temperature and thus also contributes to sweat production. Using the right mosquito repellent regularly generally provides good protection.
Carbon Dioxide Is Also a Factor
Let us return once more to the subject of brightness. It naturally feels as though mosquitoes come swarming over when you sit outside on warm evenings and switch on the light. But that is not true: the mosquitoes fly toward you even without lighting; you simply cannot see them then.
What attracts the bloodsuckers much more is the carbon dioxide you exhale, a gas that definitely makes you a target for bites. This is also one reason why pregnant women are bitten more often: women who are pregnant exhale around one-fifth more carbon dioxide than women who are not pregnant. This gas is also why mosquitoes constantly buzz around our heads—they simply orient themselves toward the place where they detect our breath.
