Why do mosquitoes eat me alive and leave others alone?Edit: Looking for NEW information! Not the same ole.

Mosquitoes generally feast on dweeb lords.

Several factors.

1. Genetic trait that attracts mosquitoes and biting insects.

2. Dietary sugars including no-sugar supplements.

3. BO and FO as well as high metabolism that produces significantly higher body temps and CO2 volume in breath.

BO = Body odour. FO = Foot odour.

Mosquitoes find their prey using three senses:
First by CO2, as mammals will be releasing it in big quantities (though they also bite reptiles). Second, by body smell, which as others here have mentioned, diet and genetics may dictate how it is affected. Third by shape (that's when they are already there) and are trying to figure out where to stick it.

The first one is hard to fix, so for the second I'll recommend icaridin or, if not available DEET, and in gel form not spray. DEET can be a skin irritant, hence why is less preferred.

Spray though is sometimes used when applying it to clothing, as it also may have your smell attached to it.

For the third one, I haven't seen conclusive data but a lot of observational studies: from wearing light-colored ample clothing that doesn't define the limbs to (I guess) wearing stripes like a zebra.

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7945690/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4173961/ https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-mosquitoes-detect-people https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-22333-7 https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/the-chemistry-of-mosquito-attraction

And a lifetime in humid climates like the Bayou.

I was once told by a doctor that everyone gets bitten about the same amount, but some people just don't get a reaction.

I've definitely heard there's a genetic element where some people just smell or taste yummy to them. I don't have any research or anything tho. From personal experience, I think I get bitten more if I'm eating much sugar, or drinking alcohol, possibly because of a slightly higher body surface temp, or smell/taste different with more blood sugar.

Anecdotal, but I think there's some kind of immunity component. My parents grew up in a mosquito infested country. When we visited said country, us kids were bitten up while my parents were fine. If it was genetics, you think it would've been passed on to us. The locals commonly joked that mosquitos like "new blood." You could see tourists with itchy red bite reactions while the locals were fine.

Veritassium did a quit good video on this here

I had a friend who would catch them out of the air and eat them, said it kept them from biting him.

I don't know. If I am outside with others (like on the porch or in the yard - not counting wilderness areas where they are aggressive) I don't get bitten but if I am alone they do bite me.

I do run cold, can stay cool in warm weather, don't sweat easily, and I breathe quite slowly. So my money is on warmth and CO2 as the biggest factors. Other people are probably louder and distract them away from me.

ETA This was interesting too, maybe you really are mosquito bait.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/the-chemistry-of-mosquito-attraction

get tested for diabetes; you're probably not diabetic but an astoundingly large portion of the population is pre-diabetic.

Are you blood group O? Mosquitoes seem to have a preference for certain blood types, specifically group O.

Seems like the paper was missinterpreted by a news article and by myself.

source

Because only you can see the giant mosquitos

There's some reports that the interaction of soaps and shampoos influence how tasty a person smells, so it might be worth trying different products.

https://www.prevention.com/health/a43863971/different-soaps-may-make-you-more-attractive-to-mosquitoes/

Completely anecdotal but one summer I took B vitamins and they left me alone. Maybe not new info, and I've never bothered to try again, however my BO did smell noticeably different. I too am a mosquito magnet for life. B vitamins are water soluble to I THINK, so kind of no harm in them.

Mostly diet. (update: when I say diet, I mean the last 3 months of diet, not what you ate today)

Avoid sugars, eat garlic and spicy food.

There are some genes that affect how you smell, and how you perspirate. But diet dominates

Update: let me explain diet more, what you eat determines your body's metabolic state, and the body's hormones. Both of those have a huge impact on how the body off gases the pheromones released the heat produced the oils manufactured.

Mosquitoes literally when they suck my blood. It doesn't happen often but I make sure to let them bite me so I can watch them suffer.