Mosquitoes choose hosts based on carbon dioxide output, body heat, sweat, and skin chemistry. Some people produce stronger versions of these signals, which makes them more attractive targets, and there's not much you can do to change it.
Getting bitten by every mosquito from here to Dallas while your friends sit on the patio unaffected is tremendously annoying. So it’s worth knowing what’s going on when mosquitoes choose to bite you more than other people. Most of the factors, unfortunately, are out of your control.
Mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide. It’s part of how they find hosts to bite. Every time you exhale, you release a plume of CO2 that mosquitoes can detect from up to 100 feet away. The more CO2 you produce, the more mosquitoes you draw. This is bad news for larger adults, pregnant women, and people who have been exercising.
Sweat and body heat can also draw in mosquitoes. Once a mosquito has followed the CO2 plume close enough, it uses thermal sensors and chemical receptors to zero in on exposed skin. Lactic acid, uric acid, and ammonia in sweat are all attractive to mosquitoes at close range. People who sweat more, or who have a sweat particularly attractive to mosquitoes, get more unwanted attention.
Also important to know is that every person is a biome for a number of skin bacteria, most of which are entirely harmless. But the specific mix of microorganisms produces volatile compounds, some of which are attractive to mosquitoes. Research suggests that people with less diverse skin bacterial communities tend to attract more bites. This is partly why mosquitoes seem to target feet and ankles disproportionately.
You can’t change your skin microbiome or how much CO2 you exhale, but that doesn’t mean you have no power here. If you're tired of being the target on your Houston property, Mosquito Squad of Houston can help. Mosquito Squad reduces the mosquito population across your yard by up to 90% for 21 days at a time, which means fewer mosquitoes choosing anyone.
