Study reveals why mosquitoes bite some people more than others (and some ways to fight them)

Nothing spoils an afternoon outdoors like mosquitoes. You hear its buzz and you know that out of all the people around you they will surely sting only you. Why does it happen? A group of scientists asked themselves the same question and decided to research to find an answer.

O incredible.club wants you to enjoy the great outdoors without worrying about mosquitoes and mosquitoes. So it will tell what these scientists researched. Don’t miss the bonus at the end of the post, where you’ll find practical suggestions to avoid this inconvenience.

There are about 3,000 species of mosquitoes all around the world. Although they are very small insects, they cause more deaths in humans than any other animal. The discomfort you feel when they bite is nothing compared to the amount of diseases they transmit, including dengue, malaria, yellow fever, zika and chikungunya.

According to the World Health Organization, only yellow fever, which is transmitted by the famous and feared Aedes aegypti, kills 30,000 people a year. With the mission of reducing these numbers, a group of scientists from the University of Texas, USA, wanted to know why do these insects bite humans and how to stop them.

The first thing to know is that the ones that bite are the females, not the males. When you feel close to the pre-sting buzz, it means a female is looking for a male to mate with. And they need blood to reproduce, but how do they decide who to sting?

The researchers found that mosquitoes they have a kind of radar to detect the subtle chemical signals emanating from our bodies. When we breathe, we release carbon dioxide (CO2) and it doesn’t immediately mix with the air around us. That’s what the mosquito needs to track us. Just as a bloodhound sniffs the air to find its prey, mosquitoes “sniff” the environment to find their victims. Once the target is located, the insect approaches and chooses where to direct the sting.

Mosquitoes don’t bite just anyone. Within a group of people, they choose the most suitable prey🇧🇷 The system of choice was unknown until a study unraveled what determines that a mosquito bites you, not the person next to you.

At a short distance, mosquitoes take into account different factors to decide, such as body temperature, the color of clothing or the presence of sweat. But the researchers found that what stands out the most are the subtle chemical signals that the bacteria housed in our skin release into the environment.

Yea, we have colonies of microbes on the skin which we obviously cannot see, but which perform many functions. One of them is to transform sweat drops into volatile compounds, which are detected by mosquitoes thanks to the olfactory organ they have in their antennae. These compounds are very diverse, depending on the genetics of each person and the environment.

The study in which this discovery took place, published in the journal plus one, concluded that the more diverse and populated the colonies of microbes on the skin, the less likely mosquitoes are to decipher the chemical signals they release. If they can’t identify our scent, they can’t sting us. So it all comes down to the bacteria we do or don’t have on our skin. Scientists are working to alter the bacteria’s chemical signals and thus create effective repellents to avoid such pesky bites. If mosquitoes don’t bite, they can’t transmit disease.

Obviously, we cannot control the number and diversity of microorganisms that live on our skin, but we can take action. to prevent mosquitoes from approaching and finish stinging us:

indoor plants: mint, rosemary, lavender and geranium are some of them. Placing them near windows helps keep mosquitoes out of the room.

Lemon with cloves from India: keeping by the bed is very effective for a peaceful sleep without fear of buzzing or stinging.

aromatic oils: lavender, geranium, rosemary, mint, bay leaf or citronella. You can soak cotton wool in the oil and place it on the windowsills to ward off annoying insects.

mosquito trap: with a bottle cut in half and a mixture of water, sugar and yeast, it is possible to create an effective trap. The carbon dioxide released by the yeast is irresistible to mosquitoes, who fall into the mixture and become trapped.

Clothes: If you are outdoors, avoid wearing black or dark clothing. These shades attract swarms of mosquitoes right to you. Use muted colors and natural fabrics that don’t make you sweat a lot.

Are you often “the chosen one” of mosquitoes? Do you know other methods to avoid being stung? Share your wisdom with us in the comments section.