First Aid Bites & Stings 7 Reasons Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others By Melissa Breyer Melissa Breyer Melissa Breyer is a sustainability expert and author with a background in food, health, and nature. Her work has been published in the New York Times and National Geographic, among others. Learn about our editorial process Updated on October 04, 2022 Fact checked by Nick Blackmer Fact checked by Nick Blackmer LinkedIn Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker, and researcher with more than 20 years’ experience in consumer-oriented health and wellness content. Learn about our editorial process Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Apparel Blood Type Gas Heat and Sweat “Lively” Skin Pregnancy Beer If it seems like mosquitoes love you more than other people, they very well might. Studies show that around 20% of people are particularly irresistible to these insects. Mosquitos may be more attracted to you for various reasons, including your blood type, your clothes, your breathing, or even the bacteria living on your skin. John Tann / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 If you are a magnet for mosquitoes, read on to learn more about what may be luring the insects to you more than the people around you. Aside from satisfying your curiosity, understanding these factors can help you identify ways you can try to avoid mosquito bites and lower your risk of the illnesses mosquitos can carry. What Are Vector-Borne Diseases? Vectors are living organisms that can transmit disease. Mosquitoes are vectors that transmit vector-borne human illness through their bites. Examples include: Zika virus West Nile virus Malaria Dengue fever Apparel Mosquitoes use their eyes to target victims. Research shows wearing dark colors (green, black, and red) makes you easier to spot. Opt for softer colors like pastels, beige, or even white instead. Blood Type Adult mosquitoes survive on nectar for nourishment, but females rely on the protein in human blood for egg production. Interestingly, mosquitos find some blood types more desirable than others. Research has found that different species have preferences for different blood types. For instance, the Aedes albopictus mosquito favors type O blood, while the Anopheles gambiae favors type AB. In addition, around 80% of people produce a secretion that signals what blood type they are. Mosquitoes are drawn to these people more than others, regardless of blood type. Gas Mosquitoes can sense carbon dioxide from a significant distance. In addition, they can see humans from a distance of 5 to 15 meters (about 16 to 49 feet). These two cues help them track you down. Also, the more you exhale, the more attractive you become. Larger people exhale more, so they’re more likely to attract mosquitoes. Since you exhale carbon dioxide through your nose and mouth, mosquitoes are especially attracted to your head. Heat and Sweat Mosquitoes have a nose for other scents as well. For example, they can sniff out lactic acid, ammonia, and other compounds emitted in sweat. Strenuous exercise increases the buildup of lactic acid and heat in your body. In addition, genetic factors affect your “odor profile,” which can affect how attractive you are to mosquitoes. These things make it easier for mosquitoes to find some people than others. “Lively” Skin Your skin is naturally teeming with microscopic life. These bacteria mixed with sweat create a distinct fragrance. Some research has shown that the types and amount of bacteria on a person’s skin can play a role in attracting mosquitoes. In one study, researchers divided participants into those who were highly attractive to mosquitoes and those who were not. The first group had a larger community of microbes, but it was less diverse than those who were not as attractive to mosquitoes. The bacteria factor could also explain why some mosquitoes are drawn to ankles and feet, an especially ripe spot for bacteria. Pregnancy It turns out that pregnancy attracts some mosquito species. There hasn’t been a lot of research on this, but a study in Africa in 2000 found that twice as many mosquitoes gravitated towards pregnant people compared to non-pregnant people. Researchers believe this may happen for a couple of reasons, including: Carbon dioxide: People in late pregnancy exhaled a 21% greater volume of breath than non-pregnant people.Heat: The abdomens of pregnant people were about one degree warmer. Beer Who knew mosquitoes had a taste for beer? In one study, researchers found that significantly more mosquitoes flew toward study participants who had drunk one liter of beer than participants who had drunk a liter of water. However, the reason for this increase remains unclear. Neither carbon dioxide exhalation nor skin temperature showed any correlation between alcohol consumption and mosquito landings. Even so, the findings suggest that you should take precautions against mosquitoes when drinking alcohol. Summary If it seems like mosquitos always bite you and not the people around you, you might not be imaging it! It's not always a mystery as to why mosquitoes prefer some people over others—it turns out science can offer some clues. Dark clothing, blood type, sweat, carbon dioxide, pregnancy, skin bacteria, and beer consumption are some things researchers have found tend to attract mosquitoes. A Word From Verywell Getting lots of mosquito bites can result in significant itchiness and redness around the bite areas. But if you have severe reactions to mosquito bites that seem out of the norm, you may not only be extra-attractive to these bugs but allergic to them. See your doctor about mosquito allergy symptoms such as bruises, rashes, and significant swelling. 11 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Guelbéogo WM, Gonçalves BP, Grignard L, et al. Variation in natural exposure to anopheles mosquitoes and its effects on malaria transmission. Elife. 2018;7:e32625. doi:10.7554/eLife.32625 World Health Organization. Vector-borne diseases. Pollard EJM, Russell TL, Burkot TR. Maximising mosquito collections from barrier screens: the impacts of physical design and operation parameters. Parasit Vectors. 2019;12(1):31. doi:10.1186/s13071-019-3291-4 Khan SA, Ombugadu A, Ahmad S. Host‐seeking behavior and fecundity of the female Aedes aegypti to human blood types. 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Lancet. 2000;355(9219):1972. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02334-5 Hawkes FM, Hopkins RJ. The mosquito: an introduction. In: Hall M, Tamïr D, eds. Mosquitopia: The Place of Pests in a Healthy World. New York, NY: Routledge; 2021:16-31. doi:10.4324/9781003056034-3 Additional Reading Lefèvre T, Gouagna LC, Dabiré KR, et al. Beer consumption increases human attractiveness to malaria mosquitoes. PLoS One. 2010;5(3):e9546. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009546 See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit