Mosquitoes buzz: Whom they love to bite, where they like to hang out, and which repellents they hate the most.
1)Hate getting bitten up?
Blame the ladies. We don’t like to admit this, but male mosquitoes do not eat human blood: They get all their nutrition from plant nectar. We females need your blood, which contains a protein that helps our eggs develop. After we have a blood meal, we can lay anywhere from 100 to 400 eggs.
2)When it comes to West Nile, end-of-summer bites may do more harm
It’s simple logic: We bite birds who have the West Nile virus; then we bite humans and spread it. By summer’s end, we’ve had more chances to bite infected birds.
3)We love when you work up a sweat
You think we’re drawn by the aroma of your “sweet blood,” but it’s really the carbon dioxide you exhale that makes us beeline toward you. The harder you breathe, the more CO2 you emit, so you’re especially attractive after a jog. Here's how your microbiome makes you a mosquito magnet.
4)Smelly feet are simply delicious
In fact, scientists have shown that we find your tootsies ten times more alluring than Limburger cheese (but really our favorite body part is your hand). Here's how to avoid Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes, who particularly love smelly feet.
5)If your home’s landscaping is well tended, we won’t like it as much
We like to hang out in thick, overgrown vegetation. The darker and more humid, the better. If you keep your lawn mowed, pool skimmed, and bushes trimmed, your backyard won’t be very appealing. Removing puddles of stagnant water is also a great way to repel us—that’s where we like to lay our eggs.
6)We’re thrilled when you buy DEET-free repellent
DEET, along with picaridin, is among the stronger types that help keep us away. Each type blocks different receptors that allow us to track you down. We’re also not big fans of lemon eucalyptus and the compound IR3535, although these are a little weaker than DEET and picaridin.
