Our Adversary the Mosquito
Our War Against the 100 Million Year Old Blood Sucker

Anyone who's been faced with the decision of being chased indoors or being covered in large purple welts,  knows that the mosquito is perhaps the most annoying insect on the planet.  But mosquitoes are more than just a biting nuisance, mosquitoes are also notorious carriers of serious illnesses.   Malaria is historically the most famous such disease.  But mosquitoes also carry:

• dengue fever
• yellow fever
• West Nile virus
• encephalitis
• heartworm

Even when not deadly, their attacks on livestock can cause decreased milk production and weight reduction. 

Interestingly, not all mosquitoes can carry the deadly diseases.  In fact, each of the above-mentioned illnesses can only be carried by one or two kinds of more than the 2,500 different mosquito species throughout the world.  Meaning, not all mosquitoes are deadly killers, but they are all annoying--or at least the females are. 

Only female mosquitoes bite.  Both male and female mosquitoes survive primarily off of nectar, much like a honey bee.   However, the female mosquito must also search out a blood meal containing essential nutrients for egg production and breeding.  Female mosquitoes feed through a long tube, called a proboscis, through which she sucks out her blood dinner. 

As the female mosquito feeds, she regurgitates saliva into the open wound through another tube.  It is through the saliva that diseases are transmitted.  It's also where the purple welts and itching come from--it is not the bite itself that causes them, but rather an allergic reaction to the mosquito's saliva. 

Why do they love me so much?

Ever wonder why there is that one person in the group that tends to get more bites than anyone else?  That's not your imagination, that's chemistry.  What you eat or wear, how active you are, your metabolism and body chemistry can all be factors in determining how attractive you are to mosquitoes.  According to the AMCA (American Mosquito Control Association), human skin emits some 350 chemicals that singly or together can be a mosquito's final determinant in their blood source choice.

It may come as a surprise that humans are not usually a mosquito's first food choice.   Mosquitoes actually prefer horses, cows and dogs, but when none of those blood sources are around, mosquitoes will certainly make due with a what's available.  Mosquitoes first queue that there is a warm-blooded mammal in the area is carbon dioxide.  Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide from over 35 meters away.  People who are more active or who have higher body temperatures will give off more carbon dioxide and will be more likely to attract mosquitoes.

Some mosquitoes are attracted to sweet, floral scents such as perfume.

Yet there is more to it than that.  Mosquitoes are also attracted to:

• perfume
• dark clothing
• people drinking beer
• people eating salty foods
• sweat
• sweet smelling hairsprays
• aromatic sunscreens
• floral fabric softeners

Feet and ankles are often favorite mosquito targets.

There is also some evidence that mosquitoes are attracted to Limburger cheese, a cheese that gives off a smell similar to unwashed feet and which could be one of the reasons mosquitoes tend to congregate around bare ankles and toes. 

The species of mosquito also matters.  Different species can be attracted to different chemicals, can be active at different times of the day, and can prefer warmer or colder skin temperatures.

Learn More about Mosquitoes:  Mosquito Havens