No one wants to be that person at the barbecue that mosquitoes love to bite. You don’t feel like you’ve done anything to deserve mosquitoes attracted to you while others are enjoying their afternoon outdoors totally untouched. The question “Why me?” begs for a scientific answer.

How Mosquitoes Find You

First of all, only female mosquitoes are biters. They bite to access the protein in your blood for their egg production. They then find people using a combination of smell, sight, and heat. According to research, mosquitoes are attracted to humans more than other animals.

Mosquitoes first pick up on our exhaled carbon dioxide. The females have a receptor that detects carbon dioxide over 30 feet away. Once carbon dioxide is detected, they follow our odor until they feel body heat. Once a mosquito lands on you, the taste receptors on its feet and tongue can taste you before it bites.

Are You a Mosquito Magnet?

Many factors go into whether you are a mosquito magnet—your body chemistry, natural odor, and genetics. Situationally, it also depends on whether other people near you are a stronger magnet than you.

• Higher Carbon Dioxide – People with a higher metabolic rate, who have been working out, are pregnant, or are drinking alcohol emit more carbon dioxide and are thus more attractive to mosquitoes.
• Skin Microbiota & Odors – Microorganisms live on everyone’s skin; some are a signal to mosquitoes. This includes lactic acid, a factor in mosquito attraction. Our bodies produce lactic acid during intense exercise. Mosquitoes can smell our sweat and are attracted to it.
• Body Heat – Mosquitoes can sense infrared radiation from our body heat. Whether from the hot weather or because some people run hotter than others, body temperature lets mosquitoes know they are near live hosts.
• Blood Type – Although inconclusive, some science suggests that people with blood type O are more attractive to mosquitoes, while a different study found that mosquitoes preferred those with blood types A and AB.

What You Eat and Drink Attracts Mosquitoes

The simple act of eating raises one’s metabolism, which, in turn, increases the production of carbon dioxide, a mosquito attractant. What you eat and drink is also a factor in whether mosquitoes are attracted to you.

• Sugary foods, such as desserts and fruit, can attract mosquitoes as well as other flying pests as they can smell sugar.
• Salty foods, such as chips and pretzels, attract mosquitoes because salty foods increase human production of lactic acid.
• Alcohol raises our body temperature, making it easier for mosquitoes to home in on us. Since alcohol dilates blood vessels, it’s also easier for them to drink our blood. So, while we may want to have an ice-cold brew or two, there might be itchy consequences to pay.

It was once believed that eating garlic and onions would ward off mosquitoes, but there is no scientific evidence of this.

What You Are Wearing

The clothing and scent choices we make when getting ready for our day can influence mosquito attraction. Perfumes, soaps, and lotions with a botanical smell will attract mosquitoes. Research conducted by the University of Washington shows that mosquitoes like the color red best, followed by orange, black, and cyan. They tend to ignore green, purple, blue, and white, so choose your outfit carefully.

Mosquitoes can also bite through tight clothing. A loose-fitting outfit with long sleeves and long pants can lessen mosquito bites.

Effective Mosquito Protection

Getting bitten by mosquitoes not only diminishes the pleasure of spending a summer day outdoors but can impact your health as well. A handful of mosquito-borne illnesses, such as West Nile virus, Zika virus, or dengue fever, are spread through mosquito bites, so taking precautions is a smart move.

Tips for Preventing Mosquito Bites

• Wear tightly woven, loose clothing, preferably a white, green, or purple color.
• Shower with unscented soap, and wash clothing in unscented detergent.
• Skip the perfume.
• Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk, so try to avoid those hours.
• Sit in the shade. The cooler you stay, the less you’ll sweat.

Mosquito Repellents

The most effective mosquito repellents are bug sprays that contain DEET. When used according to directions, it is a safe and effective method. A little goes a long way. It’s best not to spray it on yourself, but to spray a little on your hands and then rub it into ankles, wrists, and forehead. If you are reluctant to use DEET, there are herbal options.

Create a Mosquito-Free Environment

• Eliminate standing water from your yard. Mosquitoes need as little as a bottle cap full of water to lay their eggs. Bird baths, pet bowls, clogged gutters, and flower pot saucers are all examples of stagnant water that can be a mosquito breeding ground.
• Plant mosquito-repelling gardens, such as citronella, lavender, lemongrass, basil, and marigolds. While these plants won’t eliminate all mosquitoes, when combined with other tactics, they will keep the numbers at bay.
• When outdoors in your yard, create a breeze. Wind makes it difficult for mosquitoes to fly. Set up a couple of fans in the yard when entertaining or lounging about. Mosquitoes like to fly close to the ground, so point those fans downward.

For optimum enjoyment of your outdoor space during the summer, we recommend getting professional mosquito control for your yard. Two treatments are available

• Mosquito traps that look like flower pots are installed at intervals around the yard. They contain eco-friendly ingredients that are not harmful to people, pets, or other wildlife
• Mosquito barrier treatment that uses botanicals that repel mosquitoes when sprayed along the perimeter of your yard.