7 Reasons Why You Get Bitten By Mosquitoes More Than Everyone Else

For all those who have been personally victimised by mosquitos.

Hands up if you’ve ever been personally victimised by gnats and mosquitos.

Universal PicturesDo they seem to gravitate towards your warm, delicious blood, and leave everyone else untouched and un-itchy?

Have you ever wondered what it is that makes your blood so damn delicious for the little pesky flying bastards?

1. Turns out there are a bunch of reasons! How much carbon dioxide you exude makes a difference to how appetising you are to the buggers.

Nickelodeon NetworkPeople with a larger body mass and pregnant people produce more carbon dioxide, which means they’re also more likely to be bitten.

2. A higher body temperature could also mean you are more likely to be bitten.

Cartoon NetworkWhich again, makes people with a larger body mass and pregnant people more susceptible as they generally have a greater body temperature. Everyone is also at greater risk when they’re exercising, because this also raises your body temperature.

3. Your blood type is also a factor in how likely you are to be bitten.

Twentieth Century Fox Film CorporationThis study concluded that people with type O blood are significantly more attractive than people with type A blood to mosquitos. However, this was a very small study that hasn’t been repeated since, so take these results with a pinch of salt.

4. The same study also showed that only some people secrete chemicals through their skin that indicate what blood type they have.

Fox Film CorporationSome people do not secrete those chemicals at all, making them less likely to be bitten, the lucky bastards.

5. The composition of the microbes on your skin is another factor.

Paramount PicturesWe all have a unique and beautiful flora of microbes living on our skin. In fact, we have more microbes on our skin than actual skin cells. We’re actually just walking masses of germs. Anyway, the unique composition of our microbes affect how much mosquitos want to bite us.

6. Exercising also makes you more appealing.

youtube.comTo other humans, but also to mosquitos. This is because exercise increases the amount of lactic acid your skin secretes, as well as increasing your overall body temperature. For mosquitos, this is the equivalent of wafting delicious baked goods and fresh coffee in front of someone who’s just rolled out of bed.

7. Lastly, drinking beer may also contribute to your status as mosquito bait.

Fox Film CorporationThis study found that one bottle of beer is enough to make you more attractive to insects in general, although no one conclusively knows why that is.

So, if you don’t want to be bitten, avoid drinking beer, going to the gym, and getting pregnant. Also, be sure to change your genetic background!

Paramount Vantage / DreamWorks DistributionYou can also use a repellent if you can’t do all of the above.