Scientists Discover Why 1 in 5 People Attract Mosquitoes Like Crazy It was once believed that mosquitoes were attracted to human sweat, but science has disproven that the sweat itself attracts them.
Instead, they are drawn by the chemical changes produced by bacteria in your sweat.3, 4
Sweat itself is odorless until bacteria act upon it. Although mosquitoes are not attracted to fresh sweat,
if you offer them up some "fermented sweat," they'll be all over you.A 1999 study5 found that human sweat was attractive to malarial mosquitoes after one to two days of incubation. During this time, bacteria in the sweat multiplied, which changed its pH from acidic to alkaline as sweat components decomposed into ammonia.
They also found that malarial mosquitoes flock to foot odor —they will even bite a pair of smelly socks if you hang them up after wearing them for a few days.
Not only do mosquitoes find some odors irresistible,
but others have been found to impair their ability to find their hosts—and some of these compounds are secreted by your body. One of these compounds is
1-methylpiperzine, which blocks mosquitoes' sense of smell so effectively that they are rendered oblivious to the presence of a juicy human hand nearby.6 Insect sprays containing 1-methylpiperzine are in the works, but thus far scientists have not been able to determine how to keep the substance from evaporating off of your skin, as naturally occurs over time.
Certain people seem to secrete more of these natural substances than others, making them essentially invisible to mosquitoes, which may help explain why some folks seem to be bitten more than others.
Mosquitoes Plan Their Attack from Behind the 50-Yard-LineMosquitoes are attracted to a number of chemical compounds that they can detect from an impressive 50 yards away. The males are not interested in your blood, but the females are a different story, thirsting after the protein and iron in your blood to produce their eggs.
At this point in our scientific knowledge base, we know that mosquitoes are attracted to the following:
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