why do mosquitoes like some people [like me] more than others?

Question

put 9 people + myself in a windowless room by a stagnant pool in a costa rican rain forest ... and i will be the only one covered with mosquito bites ... what's up with that?

Answer 1

It's about that time folks--
so thought I'd send out this reminder!!!!

OK, mosquitoes...
prepare to be repelled!!!!!

Use Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets...Best thing ever used in
Louisiana...just wipe on & go...Great for Babies

Bob, a fisherman, takes one vitamin B-1 tablet a day
April through October . He said it works. He was right.
Hasn't had a mosquito bite in 33 years. Try it.
Every one he has talked into trying it works on them.
Vitamin B-1( Thiamin Hydrochloride 100 mg.)

If you eat bananas,
the mosquitoes like you, - something about the banana oil
as your body processes it.
Stop eating bananas for the summer and the mosquitoes
will be much less interested.

This is going to floor you, but one of the best
insect repellents someone found (who is in the woods
every day), is Vick's Vaporub.

Plant marigolds around the yard, the flowers give off
a smell that bugs do not like,
so plant some in that garden also to help ward
off bugs without using insecticides.

"Tough guy" Marines who spend a great deal of time
"camping out" say that the very best mosquito
repellant you can use is
Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil mixed about
half and half with alcohol.



One of the best natural insect repellants that I've discovered
is made from the clear real vanilla. This is the pure Vanilla that is sold in Mexico. It works great for mosquitoes and ticks,
don't know about other insects.
When all else fails--get a frog



Fight West Nile...pass this along to
all your friends in skeeter land!!!

Answer 2

So if you want to avoid an onslaught of mosquito bites at your next outdoor gathering, stake out a chaise lounge rather than a spot on the volleyball team. Here's why. As you run around the volleyball court, the mosquitoes sense your movement and head toward you. When you pant from exertion, the smell of carbon dioxide from your heavy breathing draws them closer. So does the lactic acid pouring from your sweat glands. And then -- gotcha.
Where Mosquitoes Lurk

Answer 3

mosquitoes need to bite you, not to protect themselves or their homes as bees do, but for their dinner. That's right, female mosquitoes rely on human and animal blood for their meals (male mosquitoes don't ever bite humans, instead relying on plants and flowers for food).

Mosquitoes actually find you by detecting the carbon dioxide that you breathe out when you exhale. They can "smell" a human from more than 90 feet away, making you a sure target as long as you're breathing outdoors (which is pretty hard to avoid doing!). In fact, the reason some people get bit more than others has to do with the amount of odors that come from their bodies.

Answer 4

You must be a foreigner. Mosquitos bite foreigners over Natives as they like the diversity of taste. They get tired of the same old flavours. The same thing happens in Jamaica. The locals hardly get bitten but the Mosquito Express alerts all resident mosquitos as to the exact location of all the tourists so each gets a bite. It's called the equity program for visitors. No-one is left behind. Equal bites for all ;-) lol

Answer 5

outside of the tropics overwinter as eggs, but a significant minority overwinter as larvae or adults. Mosquitoes of the genus Culex (a vector for St. Louis encephalitis) overwinter as mated adult females.The females of blood sucking species locate their victims primarily through scent, they are extremely sensitive to the carbon dioxide in exhaled breath, as well as several substances found in sweat. Some people seem to attract mosquitoes more than others. Being male, being overweight, and having type 'O' blood may increase the risk of being bitten. Mosquitoes can detect heat, so they can find warm-blooded mammals and birds very easily once they get close enough.
Source(s):

Answer 6

Mosquitoes actually find you by detecting the carbon dioxide that you breathe out when you exhale. They can "smell" a human from more than 90 feet away, making you a sure target as long as you're breathing outdoors (which is pretty hard to avoid doing!). In fact, the reason some people get bit more than others has to do with the amount of odors that come from their bodies.

Answer 7

Wow. 182 answers so far. I doubt I will be able to shed any light on it but I will toss in y two cents. I get bit by anything. In the dead of winter someone will come out of hibernation just to take a bite.

It got so bad that I went to see a doctor and he came to the conclusion that it was my blood type and that I tend to sweat a lot in the summer. It doesn't matter if it is a spider or a mosquito, horse fly or flea, I am the one that gets bit. Things did improve when I started eating more garlic but at the same time, no one wanted to be around me unless I downed a gallon of mouthwash. I guess you have to trade popularity for being bite free ...

Answer 8

Most mosquito species outside of the tropics overwinter as eggs, but a significant minority overwinter as larvae or adults. Mosquitoes of the genus Culex (a vector for St. Louis encephalitis) overwinter as mated adult females.The females of blood sucking species locate their victims primarily through scent, they are extremely sensitive to the carbon dioxide in exhaled breath, as well as several substances found in sweat. Some people seem to attract mosquitoes more than others. Being male, being overweight, and having type 'O' blood may increase the risk of being bitten. Mosquitoes can detect heat, so they can find warm-blooded mammals and birds very easily once they get close enough.

Answer 9

Hate to spray or slather yourself with any product, either chemical- or plant-based? Mosquito traps, a relatively new product, may be the answer. They work by emitting substances that biting mosquitoes find attractive -- such as carbon dioxide, heat, moisture, and other mosquito-friendly byproducts. They attract, then trap or kill female mosquitoes. When placed strategically near breeding spots "they have knocked [mosquito] populations down," Conlon tells WebMD.

Answer 10

It's all in your attitude. I can have a very mean attitude, and it is detectable in the hormones, etc., that your body produces and comes out in your perspiration / sweat. The mosquitos come around me and many of them "light and leave" quickly. Other "newbies" actually land, only to regret what they taste or get their feet into, and they take off quickly too. If anyone of them senses how mean I am (actually just an attitude I contrive for them alone), and lives through it, they go run and tell their friends, so they all stay away, except the daring and dumb ones. Of course, what you eat also is evident in your perspiration and sweat, so they don't like a lot of what I eat too. Very spicey foods especially with garlic and onion and tobasco sauce and various taco sauces. You can keep mosquitos away with what you eat, and your attitude. Actually, I'm not very mean, so I have to work up an attitude against them as I prepare to go outside. Give it a try. God Bless you.