5 things that make you a Mosquito Magnet!
Are you a magnet for mosquitoes? The heat and humidity of summer is fast approaching, a favorite time of year of mosquitoes, understanding what attracts mosquitoes can be useful in avoiding them.
Often, however, just knowing what to look for isn’t a plan you can count on. The best defense against mosquitoes is a good old-fashioned Mosquito Control plan administered by Sigma Pest Control. Controlling mosquitoes effectively requires a comprehensive approach that has been scientifically tested and proven. Successful mosquito management requires intervening at some point during the mosquito’s life cycle before they bite and infect a human.
Mosquito Magnets
If you are hotter than the person next to you, mosquitoes will target YOU. Physical activity increases body temperature, thus giving turning your body into a homing beacon for mosquitoes. That heat also creates sweat. They’re smelling for lactic acid, uric acid, ammonia, and other chemicals in sweat. If you’re a person who sweats easily or often, chances are you give off more lactic acid than the average person. Mosquitoes around you will smell that lactic acid and prioritize you as a food source, often even if there are other people in your vicinity.
Every time we exhale, we’re expelling carbon dioxide. Since mosquitoes don’t see well, they sense prey from the smell of carbon dioxide. They can detect carbon dioxide from up to 160 feet away. The more carbon dioxide you produce, the more mosquitoes will smell what you’re producing and come looking for a meal.
Mosquitoes are more attracted to some blood types than others. One study found that mosquitoes land on people with type-O blood twice as often as people with type A blood. While people with type B blood were bitten more often than type As and less than type Os. The real mystery behind blood type identification is … How can a mosquito tell what your blood type is? Once again, it comes down to sweat, heat, odor, and physical activity. 85% of people secrete chemical signals through their skin that indicate what their blood type is. Mosquitoes can sense these chemical signals to learn what flavor you are and whether they want a taste.
Mosquitoes are attracted visually. In addition to smells, mosquitoes find their prey from movement. If you’re moving, but the person next to you is not, you’re more likely to be the prey. In addition, mosquitoes are drawn to the brightness of the color. Because of their poor eye sight, they use silhouettes to zero in on their target. If you have dark clothing, they will be able to find you easier.
If you are drinking alcohol, mosquitoes will take notice. When it comes to reducing mosquito bites, it helps to be the designated driver at the party. In a Japanese study, researchers found that those who had consumed a bottle of beer were more attractive to mosquitoes. It is believed that the mosquitoes were drawn to the increase in body temperature and the increased alcohol content in body sweat.
The Last Word ...
There you have it! Don’t sweat, don’t over heat, don’t smell, don’t move, don’t drink alcohol, and MAYBE those mosquitoes will leave you alone. Sounds like a boring evening to be honest.
OR, you could just forget about all those ‘Mosquito Magnets’ and call Sigma Pest Control at 540-94-SIGMA. Purchase our Sigma Mosquito Control plan and that next beer is on us.
