In late summer, mosquitoes, wasps & Co. become really annoying for humans and animals. Stitches are pre-programmed. Or do they consciously choose their prey?
Who does not know it? While you yourself have the feeling that you are covered with mosquito bites every year, there are friends who seem to be spared the annoying beasts. This raises the question of whether the small insects are deliberately trying to find a host? Do some groups of people actually actually magically attract mosquitoes?
Are there people who actually prefer to bite mosquitoes?
Yes, says entomologist Joseph M. Conlon, who works as a technical advisor for the American Mosquito Control Association. "There is no question that some individuals are more attractive to mosquitoes than others because they secrete chemicals through their skin or skin surface ." This is especially the case with people who meet the following five criteria:
1. You are pregnant
Female mosquitoes are said to be craving carbon dioxide. Special nerve receptors help them to detect the gas in their environment. But what does that have to do with whether you're pregnant or not?
According to a 2002 study published in The Lancet, women are expected to exhale 21 percent more carbon dioxide in the later stages of their pregnancy (usually around the 28th week) than non-pregnant women . The researchers therefore concluded that this physiological difference could explain why pregnant women who participated in the study attracted twice as many mosquitos .
Laura Harrington, professor of entomology at Cornell University, believes that not only carbon dioxide, but also a certain scent that emanates from pregnant women can make them more attractive to insects.
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2. You are sweating profusely
If you are frequently bitten by mosquitoes, you should consider whether you should do sweaty workouts in the summer within your own four walls. The reason for this: Lactic acid , a by-product of strenuous physical activity that is excreted through sweat, is also supposed to attract mosquitoes as if by magic, says entomologist Joseph M. Conlon.
In addition, body temperature rises during exercise . This warmth that you radiate also draws the beasts' attention to you, continues Conlon.
3. You have blood type "0"
As far as the distribution of blood groups is concerned, type "0" has the edge. Around 45 percent of the world's population have this blood group characteristic. But to the chagrin of many when it comes to mosquito bites.
These seem to have particularly "sweet blood", as the saying goes, for the pests - and rather tempt them to suckle blood. This has now been shown in a study in the Journal of Medical Entomology. " People with blood group 0 seem to give off scents that mosquitoes find attractive, " believes Conlon.
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4. You just drank alcohol
What sounds strange at first should be scientifically proven. A study carried out on male study participants in West Africa and published in the online specialist journal PLOS ONE showed that mosquitoes were more interested in those who drank beer instead of water . "But how widespread this phenomenon actually is remains unclear," explains entomologist Laura Harrington.
5. Your genes are to blame
You really can't do anything for this - studies on unidentified and dizygotic twins want to have found that there is an underlying genetic mechanism that determines whether you get stung or not. Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have been able to show that some people's bodies are more capable of producing natural mosquito repellent than others. They suspect that this ability is genetic.
If you are one of the "lucky ones" who are constantly bothered by pests, you should heed the following tip from Nora Besansky, Professor of Biological Sciences in Notre Dame: "The easiest way is to always wear a kind of protective layer around your body, to keep mosquitoes from biting you. The best way to do this is to wear long clothes, "she explains. "Effective mosquito repellent sprays that you can use to impregnate clothes offer better protection ." Besansky finally recommends a product that contains diethyltoluamide .
Also read : These ten home remedies help against mosquito bites.
More on the topic : Wasps are attacking again: With this ingenious trick you keep the insects at a distance.
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Bloodthirsty pests: Little mosquito customer
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