Why do mosquitoes like some people more than others?

Incredible facts

Although many of your friends may not even know what it is like to be bitten by a mosquito, you are not alone if you suffer from frequent mosquito bites.

Experts estimate that about 20 percent of people are particularly attracted to mosquitoes, which bite them repeatedly.

Despite the fact that scientists have not yet come up with any effective protection against these insects, other than the use of special sprays (to which, by the way, mosquitoes are gradually beginning to acquire immunity), they say that there are some reasons that explain the tendency of some of us to mosquito bites.

Here are the main ones:

Why don't mosquitoes bite everyone?

Blood type

Since mosquitoes bite us to obtain protein from our blood, it is not surprising that they find some blood types more appetizing than others.

One study showed that under controlled conditions, mosquitoes were twice as likely to land on people with blood type O.

than on speakers of the second group. People with the third blood group are the second favorites of sucking insects.

In addition, based on the work of certain genes, about 85 percent of people send a signal to mosquitoes through their skin that tells them about their blood type, the remaining 15 percent do not. Therefore, mosquitoes are more attracted to those who give them such signals.

Carbon dioxide

One of the key points on which a mosquito finds its victim is the smell of carbon dioxide produced by people when breathing. During this, they use an organ called the maxillary palp (a special structure of the oral apparatus), which helps mosquitoes detect carbon dioxide even at a distance of 50 meters.
Strange mosquitoes have been discovered that live without blood.
As a result, people who exhale more carbon dioxide, and these tend to be larger people, attract more mosquitoes. This is one of the reasons why children are less likely to be bitten than adults.

Exercise and metabolism

In addition to carbon dioxide, mosquitoes can smell prey from closer ranges by smelling lactic acid, uric acid, ammonia and other substances released in sweat.

They are also attracted to people with higher body temperatures.

Therefore, those who regularly pay attention to physical activity increase the accumulation of lactic acid in their body and raise their body temperature, which attracts insects to them.

Meanwhile, genetic factors also influence the amount of uric acid and other substances each person naturally excretes. This is why some people are very easy for mosquitoes to detect.

Flying laboratory

Every year, mosquitoes kill about 2 million people around the world, mostly in hot countries where there are problems with medical care.
The bite itself, of course, is not dangerous, but insects carry many diseases, including malaria, dengue fever and others. Fortunately, mosquitoes cannot infect humans with some very dangerous viruses such as HIV. Even if they first bite an infected person and then a healthy one, there will be no consequences - such viruses do not survive in the body of these insects. The COVID-19 pathogen is also not transmitted by mosquitoes (at first there was panic, but scientists are categorical - this is impossible). However, mosquitoes are “selective” when it comes to transmitting different viruses. For example, they can infect people with the Zika virus, but not with the Ebola virus. Why? The thing is that the mosquito’s body works like a complex distillation cube, and even with some nuances. When a mosquito bites an infected person, blood flows into the insect's intestines (yes, it has one). Here the virus must first infect the lining cells, but this is not easy. Next, it (if it survives) must enter the salivary glands. And not every infection is able to successfully travel this path.

Why do mosquitoes bite?

Skin bacteria

Other research suggests that specific types of bacteria that live on our skin influence our attractiveness to mosquitoes. In a 2011 study, experts found that the presence of large numbers of several types of bacteria on the skin fascinates mosquitoes.

Surprisingly, places where there is less accumulation of bacteria practically do not attract mosquitoes. This helps explain why these insects are so fond of biting our ankles and feet, since this is where the largest amount of bacteria tends to accumulate.

Beer

Just one half-liter bottle of beer and you have already become a potential victim of mosquitoes. However, while the researchers suspected it was due to increased ethanol excretion through sweat or increased body temperature, none of these factors directly correlated with alcohol consumption.
Treatment of mosquito bites: 13 natural and effective remedies
Thus, it is still a mystery to scientists today why people who have consumed alcohol are more attractive to mosquitoes than non-drinkers.

Pregnancy

Numerous studies have shown that pregnant women are twice as likely to be attacked by mosquitoes, all due to the confluence of two factors:

they exhale 21 percent more carbon dioxide and their overall body temperature is slightly higher.

Clothes color

It may seem absurd, but mosquitoes use sight (along with smell) to locate their prey, so if you wear colors like black, navy blue or red, the insect will find you faster.

This conclusion was reached by James Day, a medical entomologist at Florida State University.

Genetics

In general, genetic factors are responsible 85 percent of the time for our attractiveness to mosquitoes, regardless of whether we are talking about blood type, metabolism, or some other factor. Unfortunately, today scientists do not have the opportunity to fully analyze these factors.

Natural repellents

Many experts are currently busy studying the reasons why some people repel mosquitoes completely in the hope of creating the next generation of insect repellents.

By using chromatography to detect the corresponding substances released by these people, scientists from UK's Rothamsted Research lab in the UK found that such people are carriers of natural repellers, which tend to secrete several substances that mosquitoes do not like at all. .

As a result, if these substances are added to advanced mosquito sprays, even people with the first blood type, sports enthusiasts, pregnant women, as well as supporters of dark colors in clothing will be able to get rid of these annoying insects forever.

Pregnancy

It is known that males feed only on plant foods - nectar, pollen. Only females need blood.

What benefits do mosquitoes bring?

The protein contained in it is necessary for bearing healthy and viable offspring.

The female mosquito is attracted to the victim by the carbon dioxide released by the body, which they sense at a distance of several meters.

During pregnancy, especially in the third trimester, a woman exhales 20-25% more carbon dioxide. That is why expectant mothers often become the target of numerous mosquito attacks.

Mosquitoes have their own “taste preferences”

Step-by-step instructions on what to do if you are bitten by a mosquito

If you are bitten by a mosquito, swelling and redness immediately appear at the site of the bite. In addition, the bite site begins to itch very much, which causes a lot of discomfort to the person. And if you still have a tendency to allergic reactions, then a banal mosquito bite can result in anaphylactic shock.

How can you become infected with HIV?

To reduce the consequences of a mosquito bite, you need to take the following measures immediately.

If none of the above helps you, and your condition only gets worse, then you should immediately call an ambulance.

Why don't mosquitoes bite everyone?

Who bites - males or females?

Mosquitoes, like other blood-sucking creatures, require what runs through the veins of humans and representatives of the animal world close to them. Blood. Moreover, only the “weaker” sex needs it. Why? It is the female who requires an increased nutritional resource - she will have to give birth to offspring! Without foreign blood, they cannot lay eggs. Next you will find out why this happened.

Red blood is most rich in protein and iron. Mosquitoes don't have this. Moreover, reproduction by ovipositor is possible only in those in whom it flows. This is why nature equipped the female mosquito’s mouth proboscis both for absorbing nectar and for piercing the skin.

Flies also bite us, swallowing the dose they need. It's just that piercing them is not so sensitive for us. Unless, of course, we are talking about gadflies and tsetse - they, on the contrary, bite much more painfully than mosquitoes.

The male performs the function of accompanying the ominous huntress, diverting the attention of a person (or animal) to himself with the help of an annoying squeak. Its proboscis mouth is not at all suitable for piercing skin. Mosquitoes (like other dipterans) feed on pollen. On average, males live no more than 14 days. Evolution assigned them a short-term role. Trying to slam the source of sound, we miss the injection with a special stinger nose. “Komarikha” pumps blood out of capillaries located close to the layers of the skin. How does she feel about them?

How can mosquitoes infect humans?

A mosquito is not a harmless insect at all, but a carrier of dangerous parasites and infections. For example, a small mosquito can give you:

• Malaria;
• Yellow fever;
• Dengue fever;
• Tularemia;
• Lymphatic filariasis;
• Encephalitis.

Previously, this problem concerned only the regions of Africa and Asia, but now it concerns everyone. That is why the World Mosquito Program has been launched, in which they are trying to neutralize mosquitoes by infecting them with the bacterium Wolbachia. This bacterium prevents any infections from developing. We do not yet have such practice in our country, but many procedures under this program have already been carried out in Asian countries and Australia.

How can you get infected with AIDS: 4 options for catching the infection

Mosquito sense of smell

This sense organ is well developed in them, but they are only concerned about the smells of prey and repellents. This is the basis of the action of anti-mosquito sprays. The spray applied to the skin interrupts the natural scent of a person, which is regarded by the mosquito as the smell of prey. When regularly showering with aromatic gels, the mosquito is also less likely to find a person, since the first signal - sweat with lactic acid - is washed away.

On a note!

The mosquito loves the smell of bacteria feeding on sweat. Given a choice, the insect will prefer a person who has not washed for a couple of days.

Genetic factors

The genetic factor also plays an important role for mosquitoes. A study was conducted on twins at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. During the experiment, it was found that the body of some people produces certain substances that repel mosquitoes. Others lack them, making them very attractive to blood-sucking insects.

Mosquito bites can cause a severe allergic reaction

Blood type and Rh factor

Blood-sucking insects, like people, have their own “taste preferences.” According to the results of medical research, mosquitoes most often bite people with the first and third blood groups with a positive Rh factor. It has been established that people with this blood type secrete special chemicals that attract blood-sucking insects.

The exact cause of this phenomenon is unknown. Some scientists suggest that these blood types contain special proteins that attract female mosquitoes. At the same time, those with the second blood group are bitten by mosquitoes extremely rarely.

Why do they bite?

Mosquitoes are not as bloodthirsty as they might seem. All male mosquitoes feed only on plant nectar. Females need blood to produce eggs. Females of other species require protein to produce more eggs than if they fed nectar. The main goal of a mosquito when attacking a victim is reproduction and continuation of life.

How does a mosquito find its victim?

It's simple. Carriers of the necessary fluid attract bloodsuckers following the carbon dioxide exhaust - only in large animals and humans is it so abundant that it can be felt 50 m away.

Accordingly, the more often a creature breathes, the stronger the smell of others is. Because of this, children and pregnant women are more susceptible to mosquito bites (they breathe more frequently). And also those who are exposed to the most intense physical activity on the eve of a meeting with a mosquito.

However, even a frequently breathing representative of Homo sapiens is often of no interest to the female mosquito. Below we will explain the reasons for the circumstance just mentioned.

Bite mechanism

Having found a victim, the insect does not simply pierce the skin and drink blood. If you examine a mosquito under a microscope, you can see that the oral apparatus is of a piercing type and has a complex structure: it consists of 6 needles covered with a protective sheath.

The outermost pair of needles has teeth that help the insect pierce the skin. The second pair pushes the tissues apart after the bite to facilitate penetration of the main working tools into the skin - the middle pair of needles. These needles are hollow.

One of the main needles has receptors with the help of which the mosquito finds a blood vessel. She then uses the same needle to suck out the blood. The second needle from this pair simultaneously injects a secretion into the wound, which causes mosquito bites to itch.

Mosquito bite

Which people are the most delicious to mosquitoes?

Why are some people not bitten by mosquitoes? The highest representatives of the fauna have one blood. Red. Why are some animals and even some people not attracted to big-nosed pests at all?

The mosquito memory contained in instincts has been accumulating information in these insects for centuries about which blood is better for the ovipositor. Density, chemical composition, and temperature matter. The mosquito, with the help of a complex receptor apparatus (reminiscent of a mobile laboratory), already senses certain qualities of blood several meters away. Flying close to the victim, it identifies the others. Scientists have established: the real delicacy is people with blood group 1.

It remains to add that blood-sucking insects are represented on the planet by 3 thousand varieties. There are more of them in latitudes close to the equator (they are wetter there). But if we are talking about spaces within latitude, then bloodsuckers choose small bodies of water among dense forests. They require high humidity to reproduce. And they are afraid of the open Sun.

Dependence of the number of bites on blood composition

Methods of repelling mosquitoes with the help of herbs are known to many, but few people think that spices perform the same functions when they are regularly consumed with food. The saying “we are what we eat” is completely true. With regular use of herbs, the smell of sweat changes. Mosquitoes begin to fly around the spice lover.

Important!

A one-time ingestion of an edible repellent will not give any results. Therefore, there is no point in chewing basil or mint before a picnic. The result will be after eating these herbs daily for several days. And the dose should not be homeopathic.

The situation with cancer is similar. Once cancer is detected, even at the first stage, chemotherapy is started immediately. Medications change the composition of the blood and the smell of sweat. Mosquitoes do not find such an object. Therefore, stories about mosquitoes not biting cancer patients have a basis. But they only apply to those who have already been diagnosed and started treatment.

Mosquito bite

The only exception is patients with leukemia. The female mosquito needs red blood cells, the number of which is significantly lower than normal in leukemia.

On a note!

But mosquitoes don’t care about alcohol. The human body independently produces a small amount of ethyl alcohol, and mosquitoes have long adapted to this substance. Freshly drunk alcohol does not particularly interfere with mosquitoes, and then the alcohol is eliminated from the body.