Mosquitoes are a group of about 3,500 species of small insects that are flies. Within Diptera they constitute the family Culicidae. The word “mosquito” is Spanish for “little fly”. Mosquitoes are an incredibly rude bunch. They don’t even offer to take you to dinner before biting, draining your blood and exposing you to all sorts of nasty diseases.
Speaking of blood, did you know that mosquitoes actually have a preferred type? 85% of people secrete a chemical through their skin that mosquitoes use to gauge what type of blood lies underneath - Type A, Type B or Type O? That will make you the most popular dish in the blood buffet.
In one controlled study by the Journal of Medical Entomology, mosquitoes landed on people with Type O blood twice as often as those with Type A.
But Why?
Contrary to popular belief, mosquitoes aren’t actually feeding when they bite humans. In fact, females are the only ones that consume human blood. That’s because they need it to maintain fertility.
Type O blood, for reasons researchers aren’t entirely sure of, helps them do that better than any other type.
Type O individuals get turned into a pin cushion at dusk but they’re also the least likely to die from the most severe forms of malaria.
The malaria-causing compound RIFIN bonds weakly with Type O blood but links strongly to Type A, the type least likely to be attacked by skeeters. Maybe the little buggers are a bit more considerate than we originally thought.
Other Risk Factors for Mosquito Bites
While blood type is a major consideration, it’s not the only thing mosquitoes care about. They also keep an eye out for the followings:-
Pregnancy
Pregnant women exhale 21% more air than your average human. Along with that air comes carbon dioxide, which mosquitoes love. That’s particularly concerning because Zika causes birth defects.
Exercise
When you exercise, your body temperature rises and your skin releases certain chemicals such as lactic acid. Both of those factors make you more visible and attractive to mosquitoes.
Alcohol Consumption
Ever notice how Uncle Bob can’t stop swatting the air around him after a few beers at family barbecues? It is the alcohol that’s causing him to flap so recklessly, but not in the way you might think.
For some reason, mosquitoes are especially attracted to tipsy human beings. Researchers aren’t entirely sure what makes the connection.
Ways to Prevent Mosquitoes from Biting You
These methods will help prevent the mosquito from directing his anger to you.
With warm weather, we spend a lot of time outside, and we would also like to open our windows at night to let in the cool air. The result: mosquitoes are coming from a far and widely to taste our blood. For mosquitoes, this is a nice meal, but for us, it means a handful of itchy red bumps. What can you do about it? Well, there are a few ways to keep those bad bugs away from you as much as possible. Have you tried these five tricks before?
Fan
Mosquitoes can’t fly well when it’s a storm. Even the light breeze is too much for them already. You can definitely use this vulnerability against them: just turn on the fan! Try pointing the fan down a bit because the mosquitoes will try to fly a little to avoid the breeze.
Light clothing
These bad insects often collide when the sun is either shining or just setting. They will look for colors that contrast with the horizon, such as black and other dark colors. If you are wearing light colors, they will be less visible in front of them than mosquitoes and therefore less appetite. White clothes may not be useful when it comes to barbecue sauce and marinated meat, but they are definitely a good trick if you don’t want to bite.
Lavender
Insects hate the smell of lavender, so if you plant some lavender plants in your garden, they will repeat a lot. You can also rub lavender directly on your skin with some essential oils if you want to keep mosquitoes at a distance. This is especially nice if you are about to go to bed because the smell of lavender relaxes people. So, the sounds will come out of your mouth instead of the mosquito’s mouth.
Garlic
This method may avoid people as well as mosquitoes. Having warned you that we can confirm that eating too much garlic will cause your pores to release the smell of garlic. Because of this, you will smell like a human smell, and the mosquito will be tempted less to you.
Clove
Besides lavender, mosquitoes also hate the smell of cloves. You can fill the pot with water and add some cloves for this. Put this on a table or on your table and the bad swamps will stay away and motivate you a lot.
Protection
If you want to prevent mosquitoes from roaming your house frequently, you’ll need to make sure there is no standing water around your home. This is where mosquitoes lay their eggs! Replace bowls of water for pets every day and clean them properly. Another tip is watering your garden or garden in the morning. This way, it will dry all day. Mosquitoes love moisture, so the more dry it is around your home, the fewer the mosquitoes will be. You can also use a mosquito net around your bed. The good old citronella candles and mosquito repellent spray will help you as well!