Why Do Mosquitoes Bite Some People and not Others?

It appears that mosquitoes are more likely to bite some people than others. Science tries to give answers to this very interesting selective phenomenon.

Reviewed and approved by the biologist Samuel Sanchez.

Written by Santiago Cardona

Last update: 22 December, 2022

Mosquitoes, because of their tiny size, appear harmless to our eyes. However, they are one of the animals that transmit the most diseases in the world and, as a consequence, cause many deaths too. This is where the following question arises: Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?

First of all, you should know that these insects choose who to bite taking into account their blood type, the smell of their skin and the clothing that the person is wearing at the time – who would believe it?! There are more reasons why mosquitoes select their victims when it comes to biting: learn a few of them in this article.

The general reason for the bites

Carbon dioxide in the air is invisible to people, but it’s the ocean that mosquitoes inhabit. They take advantage of it and the spring environment to activate their sensory organs and find the victims of their bites. They do it guided by the chemicals released from the body of human beings.

When people breathe with their lungs, they inhale and exhale carbon dioxide. This mixes in the air and forms particles that are like breadcrumbs for mosquitoes. Thus, these winged insects manage to find the person they want to bite.

Why do mosquitoes bite?

There are about 3,500 species of mosquitoes on the entire planet, of which 200 feed on human blood. It’s important that you know some information about them:

• Female mosquitoes need to bite humans and animals to feed on their blood and thus lay their eggs in ponds or streams.
• These invertebrates prefer people who have a high temperature and, even more so, when they’re sweating. They’re attracted to body moisture.
• Tall people, adults, pregnant women, and people who are overweight are attractive to them because they breathe out more lactic acid. Oddly enough, mosquitoes love this.
• Mosquitoes prefer to bite people who wear black clothing, although they choose others for their body odor.

These are some of the reasons why mosquitoes bite certain people. Even so, there are many factors that define their bite.

What diseases do mosquitoes transmit?

The reason why mosquitoes bite and transmit disease is because they bring different bodies and blood types into contact. The most common diseases resulting from mosquito bites are chikungunya, dengue, Zika, and malaria. They all have symptoms such as fever, headache, and arthralgia in common.

How to prevent mosquito bites

Now that you know that mosquitoes bite people, prepare to write down the following recommendations to avoid coming into contact with these insects:

1. Avoid stagnant water in buckets, pots and gutters, among others. Be careful with the elements with water that are in the garden or patio.
2. If you have air conditioning in the house, this is a good tool to scare off mosquitoes. Otherwise, use a fly-killer lamp.
3. Use repellents that contain lemon eucalyptus (Corymbia citriodora) and apply it to your arms and legs.
4. When you go out to wooded areas or meadows, cover yourself with clothes: pants, long-sleeved shirt, sweater (if it’s cold) and socks.

Finally, if you go for a walk, find out if the place you’re going to visit is free of mosquitoes that can transmit diseases. If not, you can get a vaccine to prevent mishaps.

Who do mosquitoes bite?

As you can already see, the reason mosquitoes bite people is to do with their body condition, pregnancy status, blood type and even the color of their clothing. On the other hand, mosquitoes don’t tend to bite people who don’t sweat so much, do not have bad body odor, and so on.

In particular, these insects don’t bite people who have a low alcohol consumption, since they have eliminated the chemicals in their sweat and, as you’ve already seen, that quality is an attractive factor for them.

Finally, these invertebrates also tend to avoid people who are in a place where floral and citrus perfume odors predominate and those who have a blood type other than group (B) negative and group (A).

Companions for life

Mosquitoes are part of people’s lives, they’re traveling companions and even annoying sleep companions. The key isn’t to destroy them, but to be well protected with special products that take care of their skin, and last, but not least, understand their behavior to avoid their irritating bites!