7 Reasons Why Mosquitoes Like You More Than Others

I went camping this weekend up in Traverse City State Park. And while I love camping, there is one thing I absolutely hate about it; Mosquitoes.

I am a mosquito magnet. No matter where I go or who I'm with, I will always be the one who's getting eaten alive by those blood suckers. And it doesn't matter what kind of precautions I take either. I can have sprayed myself with a good deet bug spray from head-to-toe and be standing next to someone who hasn't sprayed a single drop of bug repellant on themselves, and I'll still get bit instead of them. So I had to find some answers. Why, oh why, do these horrid creatures prefer my blood to others? I asked the internet, and here's what I found.

The Smithsonian Magazine online said that there are a few key factors that make some people more appealing to mosquitoes than others.

1. Blood Type - A study found that mosquitoes tend to prefer Type O blood over the other choices out there. (Which is weird because I'm not Type O)
2. Carbon Dioxide - Mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide and can smell it "as far as 164 feet away." Typically a larger person will exhale more, and therefore, emit more carbon dioxide.
3. Exercise - When a person exercises, "lactic acid, uric acid, ammonia, and other substances are expelled via their sweat," which are all very appealing substances to a mosquito.
4. Body Temperature - Those with a higher body temp tend to attract more blood suckers than those who typically run a bit cooler. Or, if you've just exercised, you'll be warmer than usual.
5. Beer - Apparently even one beer makes someone "more attractive" to mosquitoes.
6. Clothing color - Yes, even the colors of your clothes may be affecting your attractiveness to these horrible insects. Mosquitoes tend to be drawn more towards those wearing "colors that stand out", like black, dark blue, or red.
7. Genetics - "Genetic factors" make up a majority (85%) of the reasons why you're so attractive to mosquitoes. Whether it's your "blood type, metabolism, or other factors", it seems like most of the reasons are out of our hands.

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