Why do mosquitos love me?
I get about 5-20 mosquitos bites every time i go out in the summer. It's rediculous! Someone sitting right NEXT to me won't get bitten at ALL. Do i taste delicious or something..? What can i do to avoid this, it's seriously a problem for me.
Comments
There are a number of cues that mosquitoes use to home in on their prey.
Differences in body heat, flowery perfumes, even the colour of your clothing or subtle changes in body chemistry due to your diet can all have an effect on how attractive you are to mosquitoes.
There is also the question of sensitivity. Some people simply notice mosquito bites more than others. It's possible that other people near you are getting just as many bites as you, but just don't realize they're being sucked dry, while you feel every bite. I myself rarely even notice mosquito bites anymore, unless I'm being attacked by hundreds of them simultaneously.
The best ways to avoid mosquito bites are:
Don't be outside when mosquitoes are most active. Staying indoors at dawn and dusk will reduce a lot of the biting. Although it works, it's not terribly fun. Hard to have a nice summer BBQ if you're hiding inside from the buggies.
Cover up. Wearing thick, long pants and long sleeved shirts, long hair, beards, and hats can all cut down on the available area that mosquitoes can bite you. Again, not often practical or desirable in many climates.
Wear DEET. Repellents with DEET as the active ingredient are highly effective at keeping mosquitoes from biting you. The percentage of DEET in a product is indicative of how long the protection lasts, rather than how much protection it provides. Low concentrations will last for an hour or so (or less), while concentrations up to 40% will last for 4-6 hours. Concentrations over 40% haven't been shown to be any more effective or last any longer, they just melt any plastic you touch and expose you to more DEET.
Good luck!
It's not just your imagination, I'm the same way. No matter what I do, they select me before anyone else. I tried not eating bananas for a while, and using different soap and shampoo, but neither of those had any effect. There's a device called a thermacell, which heats a little scented packet of something, that actually tends to repel them quite nicely, though it only works in a small area around you.
wear long sleeve white cotton shirts... use deet.
You can come over and sit next to me on my patio any time this summer. lol
Because your body emits carbon dioxide...
Just like everyone else...