Why Do Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others?

May 24, 2019


Imagine yourself waking up in the morning with reddish and itchy bumps on your body or not able to sleep at night because of tiny insects biting your skin. In fact, these tiny pests that love biting us every minute of every day are called mosquitoes. These are blood-sucking insects that can be dangerous because they bring serious diseases. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) had a slogan about mosquitoes, “Small Bite, Big Threat” during the World Health Day 2014. They are dubbed as the deadliest creature in the world. WHO declared that mosquito bites result in the deaths of more than 1 million people every year.

Surprisingly, only a few of the 3,000 mosquito species specialize in biting humans. And most of them are opportunistic feeders. Did you know that the two deadliest diseases that mosquitoes bring are malaria and dengue? These are spread through the female Anopheles mosquito and Aedes Aegypti respectively. This mosquito is also linked to zika and dengue. While Anopheles gambiae carries the parasite, which causes malaria.

Why Are Some People Mosquito Magnets?

There are people who call themselves “Mosquito magnet.” Some people think that it’s crazy. Actually, it is not all in the mind. It is backed by science. No matter how much they want to avoid getting bitten, they will always end up with these tiny mosquito bites.

You may be speculative why mosquitoes bite some people more than others. According to Jonathan Day, a professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida, the two most common mosquito attractants are visual and nasal stimuli. Mosquitoes rely on their vision most of the time, their first mode of search for humans is through the colors they see in the environment. Dr. Day added that people wearing black, navy blue, red, and other dark colors, stand out to mosquitoes.

Did you know that only female mosquitoes bite? Once she gets attracted to a promising visual target, the mosquito will do its best to get a distinct scent. According to experts, one of the main mosquito attractants is the rate of carbon dioxide production of human beings. Those with higher metabolic rates manufacture additional Carbon Dioxide, as do larger people and pregnant women. Secondary smells, however, include those that come from your skin and breath, also attract mosquitoes.

Lactic acid (produced when exercising), acetone (a chemical excreted by your salivary glands), and estradiol (a breakdown product of estrogen) can all be released at varying concentrations and can lure mosquitoes, says Day. Your body temperature, or warmth, can also make a difference. Mosquitoes might flock pregnant ladies because of the estrogen and their above normal warmth.

To a large extent, our metabolism is predetermined by our genetics but we do have the power to alter it in a way. Drinking alcohol and breaking a sweat through exercising will raise your resting rate and therefore allows you to attract mosquitoes more often. Who would have known that working out was such a bad thing? Just kidding! But remember to wash off the sweat, especially before bedtime. This will prevent mosquitoes from feasting all over your skin.

Some pregnant women might think that mosquitoes love to bite them because they can sense the sweet blood of the babies inside them. There might be truth to this story. But there is a greater reason why mosquitoes prefer to target pregnant women.  Pregnant women on average have higher metabolic rates than nonpregnant women. One study found that pregnant women exhale 21% more carbon dioxide than nonpregnant ladies. Plus, being pregnant means your body temperature rises to a significant degree which is normal but disadvantageous when talking about mosquitoes.

Dr. Jonathan Day clarified that the fact that mosquitoes love to bite some people more than others is not an old wives’ tale. “And that point your gran told you your skin was simply sweeter? There’s some truth to that,” Day added. Some people just manufacture additional chemicals inside their skin. And a number of these chemicals, like carboxylic acid, attract mosquitoes.” Some people might not believe this but mosquitoes might be real-life vampires. They can sense the blood type of a person. For some reason, they are more attracted to those with Blood Type O over the others. If you are in the suburbs or you’re on a hiking trip, it would be a bad day to be a blood type O. If you can change it for just a minute, why not? As long as you can ward off mosquitoes just once. 

The Need For Help

There was a time when my sister and I lived in Mooresville for a couple of days last December. We visited our cousins and stayed in their family home. Their house was wooden in nature and had several twigs and bushes overlapping the windows. Little did we know back then that mosquitoes hid in those bushes. They come out mostly at night and they remained dormant during daylight.

One evening, my sister was complaining that she was always bitten by mosquitoes. She had red, itchy marks on her arms even though she barely exposed it. She must have been bitten when she was concentrating on the movies we were watching. We sat together during those hours and I was shocked I never got a bite. She told me that it was so unfair that I was the only one who doesn’t attract mosquitoes. It could have been a superpower, I thought. But through researching these data, I found out that it was not only in our heads. There was a scientific proof on the phenomena.

Throughout the day, we would always use mosquito repellants just to avoid any more mosquitoes from biting us. We did everything like move the bushes far from the house, and to cover every entrance where mosquitoes can enter. But it was no use. 

Call For The Best Pest Control Service

Nights have passed and my sister got really obsessed with trying to keep mosquitoes out. But they were opportunistic, so she had no choice but to call a pest exterminator near Mooresville, NC. It was the same pest control service we used to call back in Denver, and as per usual, they do not disappoint.

Lake Norman Pest Control has been praised by many people for so many years. They have been giving competent and high-quality service for 50 amazing years. To me, that was the first and only company I have heard without any negative reviews. Which is why I guarantee your 100% satisfaction when you call for Lake Norman Pest Control to take care of your problems for you.

There are so many more reasons to choose this company:

1. Skill. You’ll never see other exterminators work as skillful as those in Lake Norman Pest Control. All of their staff are highly trained in doing their job. So, in just a swoosh, all your pest problems will melt away.

2. Knowledge. Lake Norman Pest Control adheres to their scientific and societal responsibility to always keep updated data about their line of work. Lake Norman Pest Control prides themselves for their unending research and innovation of their methods and knowledge in their field. So, wherever you are, whatever season it is, Lake Norman Pest Control will know what to do.

3. Safety. Lake Norman Pest Control prides themselves in using safe and guaranteed methods for extermination. Unlike most pesticides and insecticides out there, they use one-of-a-kind chemicals that are totally safe for your children and your whole family. If you have pets, you have nothing to worry about at all. They make sure that no residue will make you or your loved ones sick.

4. Affordability. This might probably the best criteria that a pest control company in Mooresville should have. Each and every person has their own set of financial obligations. But the need for pest-extermination must not be the last priority. We have discussed earlier that mosquitoes are one of the deadliest pests. Would you rather risk your family’s life just to save more? Luckily, Lake Norman Pest Control provides their services as affordable as it can be. They pride themselves in their need to be in action just to see families safe and sound without any intrusion from pests.

5. Professionalism. Last but not least, Lake Norman Pest Control is one of the most professional companies, not only in the field of pest control but also in all fields of business. They are very honest, trustworthy, and polite in dealing with their clients. They will tell you everything you need to know. They will answer each and every question you have. You can change your mind if you want to, but I do believe they have nothing to say that can turn your back to such good-quality service.

The staff at Lake Norman Pest Control do not only do their duty because it is their job. Just like you, they have their own families they want to protect from pests. The reason why they are loyal to Lake Norman Pest Control is the pride they acquire for giving their 100% to save families like yours from all kinds of diseases, and from all kinds of pests. So, there is no reason not to call. I should know. Because just like the million people who would vouch for Lake Norman Pest Control as your go-to for pest extermination, they saved my family’s lives too.




Previous Next

Request Your Free Quote

go to top