Are You a Mosquito Magnet? Here’s How to Make Yourself Less Prone to Mosquito Bites

Key TakeawaysPeople with higher metabolic rates might be more attractive to mosquitoes.Wearing lighter colors and avoiding floral-scented soaps can help reduce your attractiveness to mosquitoes.Eliminating standing water and maintaining a dry environment can reduce mosquito breeding around your home.

Key Takeaways

People with higher metabolic rates might be more attractive to mosquitoes.Wearing lighter colors and avoiding floral-scented soaps can help reduce your attractiveness to mosquitoes.Eliminating standing water and maintaining a dry environment can reduce mosquito breeding around your home.

Some people attract mosquitoes more than others, but you can try to make yourself less appealing to these insects.

Female mosquitoes bite humans and other animals to get a blood meal, which they need to produce eggs.

Infected mosquitoescan spread diseases like Zika, West Nile, malaria, and dengue.Although these mosquito-borne diseases usually aren’t common in the United States, persistent high temperatures have likely contributed toa surge in dengue fever casesin Florida, Texas, and several other states.

Only about 12 out of the 200 types of mosquitoes in the U.S. carry diseases that make humans sick.However, even the relatively harmless mosquitoes bite, and they can cause mild reactions, such as painful, itchy bumps or blisters, or severe reactions, like hives or swollen lymph nodes.

Here’s how mosquitoes choose their prey—and how you can try to avoid getting bitten.

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Carbon Dioxide Activates Mosquitoes

Carbon dioxide, the gas you exhale with each breath, helps mosquitoes identify their host.

Clément Vinauger, PhD, a mosquito researcher and associate professor of biochemistry at Virginia Tech, told Verywell that carbon dioxide “activates” mosquitoes, prompting them to hunt for other cues that indicate a human’s presence.

Mosquitoes can detect exhaled carbon dioxide from 30 feet away.The amount of carbon dioxide exhaled influences how mosquitoes pick their host, according toEva Buckner, PhD, an assistant professor and medical entomology state extension specialist at the University of Florida.

“Carbon dioxide is a primary attractant to mosquitoes, so people with higher metabolic rates, such as those who are pregnant or working out, exhale more carbon dioxide and are more attractive to mosquitoes,” Buckner told Verywell in an email.

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Wear Lighter Colors to Keep Mosquitoes Away

Once mosquitoes detect carbon dioxide, these insects will seek certain colors that help them identify a host. A study published in 2022 suggests that mosquitoes are drawn to orange and red wavelengths, which are strongly detected in humans, regardless of skin tone.

While mosquitoes use visual cues to find their hosts, Buckner said they don’t have “super clear vision.”

“For them, it is easier to pick up contrasting colors. If you think of the sky as your background, lighter colors won’t be in contrast with the sky as much as darker colors are,” she said.

In addition to carbon dioxide and visual cues, higherbody temperature also attracts mosquitoes.Wearing light colors might help you stay cool and keep the mosquitoes away.

“Mosquitoes are attracted to heat, so if a person gives off more heat, he will be more attractive to mosquitoes,” Buckner said.

“Dark colors absorb heat compared to light colors, and mosquitoes are attracted to heat. Light colors reflect heat. This means mosquitoes will be less attractive to lighter colors,” Buckner said.

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Ditch Floral-Scented Soaps

Mosquitoes also use their sense of smell to pick a host. A blend of odors from sweat and the skin microbiota helps the mosquitoes decide where to land and bite. A 2022 study found an association between higher levels of carboxylic acids, a natural compound that contributes to human skin odor, on the skin and greater attractiveness to mosquitoes.

“Those different compounds that we produce through our skin tell them about the quality that we have as a host,” said Vinauger, who recently studied whether scented soaps could alter a person’s attractiveness to mosquitoes.

Vinauger’s research team found that soaps change a person’s “odor profile,” which could make someone more or less appealing to the insect.

“When you apply soap that is perfumed with other chemicals, you manipulate your odor signature to the mosquitoes, so the whole chemistry of how you smell changes,” Vinauger said.

While this study didn’t find which scented soaps were best at warding off mosquitoes, Vinauger said the mosquitoes in the experiments seemed most attracted to floral and fruity soaps but less interested in coconut scent.

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Make Your Environment Unappealing

Bacteria on your skin can also give off odors that might attract mosquitoes, but scientists are still learning how the skin microbiome and natural body odors appeal to these insects.However, what you can control is your home environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has anonline toolto help you pick amosquito repellantbased on how long you need protection and your preferred active ingredient, including DEET, citronella, and oil of lemon eucalyptus.

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What This Means For YouTo minimize mosquito bites, you can wear light-colored clothing, avoid using floral-scented soaps, and keep your surroundings free of standing water. Additionally, applying a DEET-based repellent can provide significant protection when you’re outdoors.

What This Means For You

To minimize mosquito bites, you can wear light-colored clothing, avoid using floral-scented soaps, and keep your surroundings free of standing water. Additionally, applying a DEET-based repellent can provide significant protection when you’re outdoors.

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About mosquito bites.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mosquito-borne diseases.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About mosquitoes in the United States.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mosquito control in a community.Bello JE, Cardé RT.Compounds from human odor induce attraction and landing in female yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):15638. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19254-wNIH MedlinePlus Magazine.How mosquitoes tell the difference between animal and human hosts (and why it matters).Alonso San Alberto D, Rusch C, Zhan Y, Straw AD, Montell C, Riffell JA.The olfactory gating of visual preferences to human skin and visible spectra in mosquitoes.Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):555. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28195-xvan Breugel F, Riffell J, Fairhall A, Dickinson MH.Mosquitoes use vision to associate odor plumes with thermal targets.Current Biology. 2015;25(16):2123-2129. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.046De Obaldia ME, Morita T, Dedmon LC, et al.Differential mosquito attraction to humans is associated with skin-derived carboxylic acid levels.Cell. 2022;185(22):4099-4116.e13. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2022.09.034VanderGiessen M, Tallon AK, Damico B, Lahondère C, Vinauger C.Soap application alters mosquito-host interactions.iScience. 2023;26(5):106667. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106667Showering A, Martinez J, Benavente ED, et al.Skin microbiome alters attractiveness to Anopheles mosquitoes.BMC Microbiol. 2022;22(1):98. doi:10.1186/s12866-022-02502-4

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About mosquito bites.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mosquito-borne diseases.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About mosquitoes in the United States.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mosquito control in a community.Bello JE, Cardé RT.Compounds from human odor induce attraction and landing in female yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):15638. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19254-wNIH MedlinePlus Magazine.How mosquitoes tell the difference between animal and human hosts (and why it matters).Alonso San Alberto D, Rusch C, Zhan Y, Straw AD, Montell C, Riffell JA.The olfactory gating of visual preferences to human skin and visible spectra in mosquitoes.Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):555. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28195-xvan Breugel F, Riffell J, Fairhall A, Dickinson MH.Mosquitoes use vision to associate odor plumes with thermal targets.Current Biology. 2015;25(16):2123-2129. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.046De Obaldia ME, Morita T, Dedmon LC, et al.Differential mosquito attraction to humans is associated with skin-derived carboxylic acid levels.Cell. 2022;185(22):4099-4116.e13. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2022.09.034VanderGiessen M, Tallon AK, Damico B, Lahondère C, Vinauger C.Soap application alters mosquito-host interactions.iScience. 2023;26(5):106667. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106667Showering A, Martinez J, Benavente ED, et al.Skin microbiome alters attractiveness to Anopheles mosquitoes.BMC Microbiol. 2022;22(1):98. doi:10.1186/s12866-022-02502-4

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About mosquito bites.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mosquito-borne diseases.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About mosquitoes in the United States.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mosquito control in a community.Bello JE, Cardé RT.Compounds from human odor induce attraction and landing in female yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):15638. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19254-wNIH MedlinePlus Magazine.How mosquitoes tell the difference between animal and human hosts (and why it matters).Alonso San Alberto D, Rusch C, Zhan Y, Straw AD, Montell C, Riffell JA.The olfactory gating of visual preferences to human skin and visible spectra in mosquitoes.Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):555. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28195-xvan Breugel F, Riffell J, Fairhall A, Dickinson MH.Mosquitoes use vision to associate odor plumes with thermal targets.Current Biology. 2015;25(16):2123-2129. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.046De Obaldia ME, Morita T, Dedmon LC, et al.Differential mosquito attraction to humans is associated with skin-derived carboxylic acid levels.Cell. 2022;185(22):4099-4116.e13. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2022.09.034VanderGiessen M, Tallon AK, Damico B, Lahondère C, Vinauger C.Soap application alters mosquito-host interactions.iScience. 2023;26(5):106667. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106667Showering A, Martinez J, Benavente ED, et al.Skin microbiome alters attractiveness to Anopheles mosquitoes.BMC Microbiol. 2022;22(1):98. doi:10.1186/s12866-022-02502-4

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About mosquito bites.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mosquito-borne diseases.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About mosquitoes in the United States.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mosquito control in a community.

Bello JE, Cardé RT.Compounds from human odor induce attraction and landing in female yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):15638. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19254-w

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine.How mosquitoes tell the difference between animal and human hosts (and why it matters).

Alonso San Alberto D, Rusch C, Zhan Y, Straw AD, Montell C, Riffell JA.The olfactory gating of visual preferences to human skin and visible spectra in mosquitoes.Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):555. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28195-x

van Breugel F, Riffell J, Fairhall A, Dickinson MH.Mosquitoes use vision to associate odor plumes with thermal targets.Current Biology. 2015;25(16):2123-2129. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.046

De Obaldia ME, Morita T, Dedmon LC, et al.Differential mosquito attraction to humans is associated with skin-derived carboxylic acid levels.Cell. 2022;185(22):4099-4116.e13. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2022.09.034

VanderGiessen M, Tallon AK, Damico B, Lahondère C, Vinauger C.Soap application alters mosquito-host interactions.iScience. 2023;26(5):106667. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106667

Showering A, Martinez J, Benavente ED, et al.Skin microbiome alters attractiveness to Anopheles mosquitoes.BMC Microbiol. 2022;22(1):98. doi:10.1186/s12866-022-02502-4

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