If you still thought that the light emitted by your lamps, computers and other devices was the reason mosquitoes managed to find you, it’s time to mourn this misconception and take a closer look at what the science.
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Three factors seem to guide the mosquitoes to us: emissions of CO2our body odors and the heat that we release. This small insect uses, concomitantly or independently, a combination of olfactory, visual and thermal signals to locate its victims. Its modus operandi has been demonstrated in this study from California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
CO emissions2
The flight of the mosquito (female) is determined by an increase in the level of carbon dioxide in theair (due to our shows and those of other mammals). It is thanks to this precise signal that the mosquito sets out to hunt in order to find prey in order to suck the nutrients necessary for egg laying.
Estrogens
Estrogen secretion could also play a role in the mosquito’s “choice” of who to bite. Women would be more prone to bites in the middle of their menstrual cycle and when they are pregnant.
Sweating and body temperature
A profuse sweating and an body temperature high are attractive signals for the mosquito. Avoid activities physical intense because the humidity attracts it and you can then be certain of constituting a meal of choice. Conversely, people who sweat little seem less prone to bites.
And our own smells
Of the peculiar smells specific to the host or taking certain medications or supplements that may slightly alter body odor (steroids, amino acids) are a key indicator of the mosquito to know who to bite, as highlighted by this dermato-allergology study and research group in this book. It seems that we can hardly stand up to the mosquito because the human being secretes about twenty odors able to alert thesmell mosquito.
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