Any idea why mosquitoes tend to gravitate toward one person over another?

Question

I can go somewhere & there be 50 people outside with me & I will get bit repeatedly while no one else is touched. Why is that?

Answer 1

Zhi has it -more CO2 -coming out of you!

But that still leaves open the question of why some people put out more CO2 than others, or why some carbon dioxide is seemingly preferable to others (from the mosquito's point of view).

To get to an answer, we need to know a bit more about the skeeters themselves. For example, it is ONLY the girl skeeter that "bites."

And she's not really biting. What she's doing is sipping your blood. Why would she do that?

Because she need protein. And why does she need protein?

Because she is pregnant and needs food for her kids, who are in eggs she's about to lay in some wet place, like inside an old tire, a puddle, a birdbath, a backyard pond -or wherever.

So, the whole blood sucking thing is driven by being pregnant! This is the truth. You can look it up!

In fact, the female mosquito doesn't really need YOUR blood, because there is plenty of protein elsehwere in nature. It is just that YOU are an easy target. She could just as well fly over to a big fat flower blossom and suck down some dead bug juice buried in the petals somewhere.

But go figure: suppose YOU'RE hungry. Are you going to go dumpster diving? Or are you going to drop into a big steak house that magically appeared in front of you, where you'll be served INSTANTLY -and eat for free (unless somewhat swats and kills you -but you don't know about that possibility).

Long story short -YOU are a target of opportunity; easy pickin's.

But that still begs the question -why YOU instead of the person next to you?

The answer is -you smell good. You are probably wearing a sweet scent somewhere on or in your body; be it your shampoo, deodorant, perfume or the sweet drink you just had. Or you may be slightly diabetic, or on a strict diet, so there are ketones on your breath. Or maybe you -as just good old you- smell sweeter than that ugly troll next to you. In the wild, mosquitos like sweet things -so that's where they hang out. And in doing so, they serve a useful purpose, pollinating flowers and plants, just like honey bees.

They also like CO2, because it is a naturally created gas made by things that decay, specifically, PROTEIN. This is why the skeeters hang out around dirty water -their larve eat the junk in the water and clear it up -another useful function of the mosquitos.

And so, when you take your sweet scent and add the CO2 from your exhaled breath, the hungry female skeeter is thinking "BIG BUFFET" and flies to you. Its just that you are sweeter than the other person, so your "first choice."

You can use products that contain DEET (Meta-N,N-diethyl toluamide) to repell the little buggers. The Cutter brand has the scent of martinis, which the skeeters don't care about, but which would attract ME.

I hope that helps.

Answer 2

It depends a great deal on what you eat and what you are wearing. Certain scents draw them, certain foods and clothing color. Put one of those fabric softner sheets in your pocket, the things that are used for anti-cling and add a scent.

Answer 3

You smell sweeter to the mozzie than the others. What you eat will make the smell coming out of your skin/pores different to someone else.

Answer 4

It is very simple
Example :
Human beings try to eat what they like more and which is very testy.
It is same with every living being on the earth.

Answer 5

It's because they think you taste sweet.

Answer 6

more carbon dioxide coming out of you.

Answer 7

sugar in your blood or a certain smell on you

Answer 8

b/c ur sweet and hot!