Why do mosquitoes bite some and not others?

According to experts, approximately 20% of people use special attention in mosquitoes

Intrusive insects constantly bite their victims. Despite the fact that scientists have not yet been able to develop a specific effective protection against intrusive insects, other than the use of special sprays (to which mosquitoes are gradually beginning to acquire immunity). Researchers claim that there are some reasons that explain the tendency of some people to get mosquito bites.

Blood type is important, since mosquitoes bite people to get protein from the blood. The results of one study suggest that under controlled conditions, mosquitoes are twice as likely to bite people with the first blood group than representatives of the second group. Carriers of the third blood group are also very popular with mosquitoes.

Based on the work of certain genes, approximately eighty-five percent of people through the skin can signal mosquitoes about their blood type, the remaining fifteen percent do not give such a reason to mosquitoes. It is not surprising that mosquitoes bite more those whose blood type they know.

One of the highlights, by which the insect finds its prey, lies in the smell carbon dioxide, produced by representatives of the human race when breathing. When searching for the most delicious blood, insects use an organ called the maxillary palp (a certain structure oral apparatus), which helps mosquitoes find carbon dioxide even at a distance of fifty meters.

As a result, people who exhale significant amounts of carbon dioxide (mainly large people) are the most attractive to mosquitoes. This is why children are bitten by mosquitoes much less often than adults.

Exercise and metabolism play a big role for insects, because thanks to the smell of lactic acid, uric acid, ammonia and many other substances that are released along with sweat, they find their prey . Blood of people with high temperature body is also very appetizing to mosquitoes. People who exercise heavily, thereby increasing the accumulation of lactic acid in their body and raising their body temperature, attract mosquitoes to their skin.

It is impossible not to take into account the role of genetic factors in influencing the amount of uric acid and other substances that are naturally released by each person, which also serves as a kind of tip for mosquitoes. In general, genetic factors account for eighty-five percent of human attractiveness to mosquitoes, regardless of whether factors such as blood type or metabolism are involved. However, on this moment researchers do not have the ability to fully analyze these factors.

Based on other studies, individual species bacteria living on human skin influence human attractiveness to insects. A study conducted by researchers two years ago found that the presence of significant numbers of certain types of bacteria on the skin attracts mosquitoes.

Interestingly, the places where the least amount of bacteria accumulates attract almost no insects, which is why mosquitoes love to bite people on the ankles and feet, because this is where the largest amount of bacteria accumulates.

Half liter bottle of beer turns a person into a potential victim of mosquitoes. Although scientists believed that this was due to an increase in ethanol excretion through sweat or an increase in body temperature, it is not directly related to the consumption of an alcoholic beverage.

Therefore, scientists are still thinking about why people who have drunk alcoholic beverages are much more attractive to mosquitoes than teetotalers.

In connection with numerous studies, scientists can confidently say that pregnant women are twice as likely to be attacked by mosquitoes, and all thanks to the symbiosis of two factors, since they exhale twenty-one percent more carbon dioxide, and the body temperature in pregnant women is much higher. higher.

According to James Day, a medical entomologist at Florida State University, insects can use sight (along with smell) to find their prey, which is why clothing in black, dark blue and red is more noticeable to intrusive insects.

According to many experts, natural repellents also play a serious role. Today, most experts are engaged in research into the reasons why some people are completely unattractive to insects in order to create the next generation of insect repellents.

By using chromatography to identify the essential substances that some people secrete, they are completely unattractive to mosquitoes. According to scientists from the Rothamsted Research Laboratory (UK), such people are carriers of natural repellers that secrete several substances that mosquitoes cannot tolerate.

As a result, by adding these substances to well-known mosquito sprays, it is possible to relieve people with the first blood group, sports fans, pregnant women, adherents dark colors in clothes against the bites of annoying insects.

Zika, malaria, dengue fever - the catalog of diseases spread by mosquitoes is constantly expanding. These harmful insects do not allow you to sleep, squeaking in front of your face all night long. People are looking for and using all kinds of remedies for them.

But why do they bite some, while others are of little interest to them? Research shows that 20% of people are especially fond of mosquitoes. Jay Jonathan, a professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida in Vero Beach, calls this group losers. And he says that there are two most attractive factors for mosquitoes - the type of person and.

There are many myths about what attracts and repels these mosquitoes, for example, some believe that bananas and vitamin B12 help. However, scientists name other factors. Some of them can be adopted to avoid pests and reduce the use of harmful chemical substances to scare them away.

What attracts mosquitoes - scientists' opinion

Man's clothes

Mosquitoes choose their prey visually, with their own eyes. Jay says: "especially in the afternoon main way searching for people through vision." Wearing dark-colored clothing (black, dark blue) and red makes it easier to spot a person.

Blood type

Blood is a kind of nectar for mosquitoes. Adult mosquitoes use nectar for nutrition, and females- proteins in our blood for the production of eggs. So it's not surprising that some types may be preferred over others.

It has been proven that people with the first blood group (type O) are twice as attractive to mosquitoes as those with the second; with the third group (type B) - located in the middle. In addition, 85% of the population produces a secretion that signals what kind of blood they are, and is therefore more vulnerable to mosquitoes.

Carbon dioxide

Mosquitoes sense carbon dioxide at a distance of up to 50 meters. And the more people exhale it, the more attractive they become. But since a person exhales carbon dioxide through the mouth and nose, mosquitoes hover around the head, squeak and land on the face.

Sweat and heat

Mosquitoes sense other odors besides carbon dioxide. They can sniff prey from top to bottom, attracted by lactic and uric acid, ammonia and other compounds released by sweat.

Mosquitoes also love running people: a hot, sweaty person turns out to be tasty prey for them. Vigorous exercise increases the accumulation of lactic acid and heat in the body. Of course, genetic factors also influence the amount of uric acid and other substances, which is why some are more attractive than others to these insects.

Skin bacteria

According to scientists, the types and amounts of bacteria on human skin also have a certain effect on mosquitoes. Our skin is replete with natural microbes and has a special smell. This also explains why some mosquitoes are drawn to ankles and feet, a particularly fresh source of bacteria.

Pregnancy

It turns out that some types of mosquitoes are 2 times stronger than others in attracting pregnant women. Experts attribute this to an increase in the exhalation of carbon dioxide (20% more than normal) and an increase in body temperature. It has been established that the belly of a pregnant woman is 0.5 ° C warmer, and mosquitoes, as already mentioned, love a warm body.

Beer

Experts found that significantly more mosquitoes attacked study participants who drank 0.5 liters of beer compared to those who did not drink it. Scientists believed that this was due to the increased ethanol content in sweat and temperature from the consumed drink, but they could not find definitive evidence for this.

So no one yet knows why cunning pests target beer lovers. But research continues.

The question of who gets bitten by mosquitoes has long occupied scientists in many countries. Serious research has been done and the results are amazing. Not everyone is bitten by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes have distinct preferences, and by and large, they are foodies.
Some statistics, according to the latest scientific data, only every tenth person becomes a victim of mosquitoes.

You've probably noticed that during a picnic in nature, no repellents can save someone, while mosquitoes stubbornly ignore others. Yours plays a big role biological features, your health, your metabolism and your unique body chemistry, as unique as your fingerprint.

Who gets bitten by mosquitoes - some facts about what makes us especially tasty

Mosquitoes bite people with a certain blood type. It has been established that mosquitoes bite people with blood groups I and II more often. Most people secrete substances that tell mosquitoes their blood type before they bite. In addition, mosquitoes choose people with obesity and atherosclerosis.

Moreover, over time, the degree of your attractiveness to mosquitoes may change in one direction or another. Interesting Facts about mosquitoes Already within a radius of 50 meters, the mosquito “senses” its victim, focusing on exhaled carbon dioxide, movement, heat, and the smell of lactic acid.

Beer lovers in nature should beware - mosquitoes love beer too

Sipping a bottle of beer in nature significantly increases your risk of being bitten by a mosquito. As a result of the experiment, a group of volunteers who drank beer were attacked by mosquitoes much more intensely.

Watch out for the full moon - mosquitoes react to the moon

Tiny bloodsuckers become 500 times more active during a full moon. The greatest risk of being bitten is at dusk and dawn.

Put on clean socks

One brave American scientist spent interesting experiment. All day long, Bart Knoll sat in the laboratory in his underwear and socks (most likely dirty). The purpose of the experiment: to find out which parts of the body are preferred by mosquitoes.

As a result of scientific observations, 75% of mosquitoes preferred the feet, but after washing the feet, changing socks and using deodorant, mosquito attacks on the feet became random. A whole scientific team has found that mosquitoes are attracted to the smell of fragrant cheeses, which have the same fragrant compounds as the smell of sweaty feet.

Mosquitoes prefer to bite pregnant women

Expectant mothers are at risk of being bitten by mosquitoes 2 times more often than other women. Studies have shown that women in late pregnancy exhale 21% more carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes. A pregnant woman's belly is 1* warmer, and mosquitoes are sensitive to thermal radiation.

Mosquitoes love athletes

When you run, you present a tasty morsel for mosquitoes. While running, a person exhales large quantity carbon dioxide, and then lactic acid is released. Mosquitoes can smell lactic acid from several kilometers away. That is, when you work for fresh air, or are you doing physical exercise, the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes increases by 50% compared to the resting state.

Mosquitoes prefer to bite people dressed in dark clothes

Have you noticed that all clothing designed to protect against mosquitoes is light in color? This is no coincidence. As a result of the study color preferences An attractiveness scale was compiled for mosquitoes.

• Black- most attractive.
• Red is very attractive.
• Gray and blue are neutral.
• Khaki, green, yellow are less attractive.

Remember that only female mosquitoes bite. Blood, as a protein substance, is necessary for females to mature fertilized eggs. Male mosquitoes are peaceful vegetarians that feed on pollen and plant nectar.

A mosquito under an electron microscope.

How nice it would be to be in the forest or on the shore without mosquitoes! But a mosquito is part of a biocenosis, a self-regulating natural system that inhabits a certain natural territory, the chains of which are closely interconnected. We can’t get rid of mosquitoes, but knowing that you, the tasty morsel, will take preventive measures! Dress in light clothing and use special repellent.

It has long been noticed that in a company of several people, blood-sucking insects persistently attack some and are practically indifferent to others. Such observations interested scientists, and as a result, numerous experiments and studies were carried out that made it possible to establish who is bitten by mosquitoes.

Statistics show that flying “vampires” are very demanding and selective. On average, only every tenth person is bitten. What is noteworthy is that if a person is at risk for one or more reasons, in most cases even the most powerful repellents cannot protect him.

Factors that arouse the interest of mosquitoes are based on the physiological characteristics of the organism. However, they can change with age, increased or decreased physical activity, diet, or medication.

• Insects prefer people with blood group 1 or 2; they are attacked twice as often as others. Each person secretes substances characteristic of a certain group, which allows mosquitoes to determine this moment before they bite.
• Mosquitoes love the smell of malt drinks, so they are more likely to attack people who regularly drink beer or kvass.
• At dusk or dawn, especially at night full moon, almost everyone has a risk of being bitten, because... At this time, mosquito activity increases 500 times.
• Mosquitoes are equally attracted to the smell of sweat, characteristic of an athlete after intense exercise, and the “aroma” of an unwashed body (especially dirty socks).
• Bloodsucking insects “love” pregnant women, especially their warm bellies. In recent weeks, women also exhale more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which also attracts mosquitoes.
• Mosquitoes are sensitive to flowers. They especially like black and red.

• Increased interest in insects has been noted in people with high content B vitamins in the blood. This is especially noticeable after a cycle of taking vitamin preparations.
• Children are of greatest interest to mosquitoes. They have thin skin and a slightly elevated body temperature. But for people aged 55 years and older insects lose interest.
• In addition to natural odors, mosquitoes also love various perfumes, balms, and deodorants. The smell of heart medications causes an inexplicable craving for them.
• Those who do not fall into any of these groups, but who are bitten by mosquitoes, should think about their health. Often insects choose people with a tendency to obesity or atherosclerosis.

Mosquitoes are practically indifferent to people falling into the following groups

• Smokers are very annoying to mosquitoes. Moreover, it’s not even a matter of the smell of tobacco smoke, but rather the structure of the blood and the structure of the blood vessels.
• Mosquitoes don't like it light colors, yellow is especially unpleasant.
• The smell of medicine repels insects, causing a decrease in cholesterol levels in the blood.
• People with blood groups 3 and 4 are attacked by mosquitoes half as often.

In the warm season, walks near water sources and in parks are a favorite ritual for many. But such great opportunity admiring the beauty is marred by one, at first glance, small nuance - mosquitoes. These small insects can ruin anyone's mood, it becomes especially offensive when a whole swarm flies above you, and others don't even notice the presence of bloodsuckers - they simply don't attack them. Here the question arises: why do mosquitoes bite some and not others, and what you need to know about the preferences of these insects in order to protect yourself from their attacks.

Who do mosquitoes bite more?

There are several factors that influence the choice of mosquitoes when searching for prey. Some of them cannot be influenced, others are quite correctable. But, knowing about the basic preferences of blood-sucking insects, you can develop your own tactics for protecting against them. Let's consider each preference separately.

Blood type

The main goal of a mosquito is to get a portion of protein from the blood, which allows them to divide blood groups into appetizing and not so appetizing. And scientists have long determined what blood type mosquitoes love. Here is the same ranking of preferences by group (in descending order):

• Group I;
• III group;
• IV group;
• Group II.

Smell of carbon dioxide

This is what often attracts mosquitoes. To catch the carbon dioxide exhaled by people, mosquitoes use a special palp, with its help they catch this “aroma” even several tens of meters from the potential victim.

Those who are more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes for this reason are overweight people, as they exhale more carbon dioxide.

Acids

Sports activities or just leisure, involves an increase in metabolic processes: along with sweat, lactic and uric acid, ammonia and other substances that attract mosquitoes are released. Added to these factors is an increase in body temperature, which also creates favorable conditions For " delicious landing» insects.

Bacteria

Some types of bacteria that live on human skin also attract mosquitoes. And the more there are, the more bloodsuckers attack you. The favorite places in this case are often the ankles and feet, as this is the part of the body where bacteria accumulate the most.

Drinking alcohol

This is still a mystery to scientists, but it is those who like to drink alcohol that often become victims. Regardless of what kind of blood mosquitoes love, they swarm over a person who has consumed even a small amount of alcohol. And the point here is not a great love for ethanol released with sweat; insects do not react to it if you simply wipe the skin with alcohol-containing liquids.

Pregnant

An increased amount of carbon dioxide released and an increase in body temperature caused increased attention bloodsuckers to pregnant women. Even if they avoided you before, now is the time for mosquitoes to feast on the blood of the expectant mother.

Color

It may not be the smartest idea, but the color of clothing can play an important role in the choice of a victim’s mosquito for dinner. To determine “yummy”, he uses not only smell, but also vision. You should prepare for close contact with bloodsuckers if you choose clothes for an evening walk. Colors that attract mosquitoes:

1. red;
2. black;
3. Navy blue.

Other shades do not particularly attract them.

We invite you to watch a video from the Galileo program:

Who gets bitten less by mosquitoes?

Research by many scientists has found the answer to the question: why some people are not bitten by mosquitoes at all. During subsequent experiments, natural repellents were discovered on the bodies of people who were not susceptible to insect attacks using a chromatograph. They secrete substances that are clearly not to the taste of mosquitoes, which is why they do not bite such representatives of humanity, avoiding them.

This leads to the conclusion that if these substances were added to mosquito repellents, they would be able to protect even the people most susceptible to attacks by bloodsuckers: athletes, people with the first blood group, fat people and pregnant women. But various insecticides and folk remedies no less effective.

In general, mosquitoes cannot tolerate strong odors; the strongest aromas are: basil, cloves, eucalyptus, valerian and tea tree. The oils of these plants, applied to bare areas of the body, or placed in aroma lamps around the perimeter of the room, will repel uninvited guests.