Mosquito Mysteries: Exactly What Types of People and Things Attract Mosquitoes?

While most of us fear beasts like tigers and bears, there’s a much smaller culprit that we should be focusing on: mosquitos. The tiny, unforgiving killers claim over 700,000 human lives every year – killing more people than other people do.

If you’re one of the unlucky ones, you may have noticed that you attract more mosquitoes than other people do. We’re going to discuss why that may be, and the kinds of environments where mosquitoes thrive.

Let’s get to it:

“Why do I Attract Mosquitoes More than Other People?”

A lot of people find that they go on a walk or attend a bonfire and get swarmed by mosquitoes, only to look around and find that others are totally unaffected by them.

Here are some of the things that mosquitoes are attracted to and why they’re attracted to them.

1. You’re Hot

Well, we know you’re hot, but that’s not the kind of “hot” we’re talking about. The more heat you release, the more likely mosquitoes will be to flock to you.

You may notice that you get swarmed immediately after working out or while you’re out on a walk. Because mosquitoes feed on blood, they’re attracted to creatures that have blood.

A common denominator among most creatures that have blood running through them is that they exude heat. At least, most of the creatures that mosquitoes could possibly feed on exude heat. So, the warmer something is, the more mosquitoes have adapted to identify it.

In fact, these little pests have thermal vision. They’re equipped with vision that allows them to isolate heated things and ignore cool ones. So, whenever you’re panting and sweating, full of heat, you look like a big, beaming god of blood to the mosquitoes.

2. You’re Drinking

The last thing you want is to feel a bite while you’re trying to relax and enjoy a beer. That said, there’s evidence to suggest that consuming alcohol increases your chances of attracting mosquitoes.

Whether they can identify a particular byproduct of the alcohol in your system or you release a little more heat when you’re drinking is up for debate, but the fact is that booze brings on the bites.

3. You Have Moisture on You

Mosquitoes love moisture of all kinds. Other than the smell, that’s part of the reason that you attract more when you’re sweating and exercising.

That also means you’re going to get more action if you’re swimming or have just taken a shower. This may have something to do with the fact that mosquitoes breed in standing water, so they’re motivated to be near water and moisture of all kinds.

Additionally, the smell of sweat signifies to the mosquito that there’s a living animal nearby. Sweat and heat are the two biggest ways you can become attractive to a mosquito.

4. Heavy Breathing

Another byproduct of living creatures is carbon dioxide released while breathing. Any amount of breathing could hypothetically attract mosquitoes, but breathing heavily and large groups of people breathing will certainly draw some attention.

There’s not really that much you can do to prevent this one, but know that controlling your breathing could cool you down, slow your heart rate, diminish the amount of carbon dioxide released, and ultimately reduce the number of mosquitoes that land on you.

5. A Yard of Flowers

Flowers are beautiful to look at and many people have dozens of flowers in their yard. It might be a good idea to keep those flowers away from your bonfire pit and patio, though, because some variety of mosquitoes are attracted to nectar.

This one is as simple as reducing the number of flowers in your yard and replacing them with something else or simply making sure that your flowers aren’t next to the areas that you want to spend time.

6. Standing Water

As we mentioned, mosquitoes tend to breed in standing water. This largely relates to people who live on or near ponds and lakes. Living in close proximity to a breeding area will attract mosquitoes and naturally produce more and more of them.

You can reduce that attraction by ensuring that there aren’t any significant pools of standing water near your home. Lakes and ponds aside, that means emptying out the water in your canoes, dumping out buckets after it rains, and generally checking over your house’s exterior to get rid of standing water.

It doesn’t matter how deep it is, just try and remove water that’s exposed to the open air and seems like it could sit still for a few weeks.

7. Tall Grass and Shrubbery

Grassy, shaded areas are great spots for mosquitoes to hang out and avoid the sun. If your home and yard have a lot of grasses, shrubs, and untamed areas, you’re likely to have a heap of healthy mosquitoes flying around at night.

There are a lot of benefits to letting your yard grow out and allowing tall grasses to form. Just know that doing this will attract mosquitoes and help them live their best lives, which, as it happens, can be a real buzzkill for you.

8. Genetics

There’s still work being done to understand exactly what it is about a person that could attract mosquitoes. In other words, we don’t understand precisely which genetic traits contribute to a person being more attractive to these bugs.

At the same time, we know that there are inherent qualities of a person’s genetic makeup that make mosquitoes love them. Whether it’s a smell they release, a body temperature issue, or some chemical contained in their sweat, we aren’t positive as of yet.

Need a Solution?

Whether you’re attracting too many mosquitoes or you have an infestation of other pests, there are ways to experience some relief. We’re here to help you with any of your pest-related questions and concerns.

Explore our site for all the information you need to identify the problem and start moving forward with solutions.