While sharing a room on holiday recently, my sister was plagued by mosquito bites, no matter which b

Publish date: 2023-12-12

While sharing a room on holiday recently, my sister was plagued by mosquito bites, no matter which bunk she slept in, while the rest of us escaped unscathed. Why is she so much more attractive to the bugs?

Jess Hindes, London

Mosquitoes are also attracted to those who've eaten bananas.
Anna, Kiszt, Australia

I was told by a pharmacist to take B12 supplements, as mosquitos hate it. I've also been told that they're attracted by people with higher skin temperatures. I don't know the answer... all I know is they adore me, and they prove it with their love bites from April to October every single year. :-(
bernardlion, Rome, Italy

My father and I both have dark olive skin and are always plagued by mozzies, while my fair-skinned mother and brother revel in bite-free smugness. This is why I have always thought it might be to do with skin types - darker, more oily skin is going to be more attractive to mozzies because that is the skin type most commonly found in Mediterranean and other hot countries.
Helian, Cardiff Wales

Incresed carbon dioxide production and a higher body temperature will attract mosquitos. Not surprisingly when you contract malaria and get a fever your body temperature goes up and your respiration tends to increase. I'm a blond European and tend to suffer more than most others from mozzy bites - so I don't hold with the olive skin theory. My wife who has a low normal body temperature can share the same bed and not get touched while I'm left scratching all over for days.
Grogsy, Hanmer

Perhaps her blood was thinner than everyone else's. I use a blood thinner (due to a mechanical heart valve) thus I have regular blood tests to tell me how thin by blood is, aka the INR level. When it's thinner than normal, in the INR range of 4.7-5.7 or higher, I tend to get a ton of bites. When it's thick, below 2.5 INR, I don't seem to get any bites at all.
Andy, USA

I would bet i get more bites than anyone. I take lots of B12 and eat a ton of garlic, i also love bananas. I have a high body temp. My girlfriend says they like sweet blood. I was told to take vitamin E but it does not help. I'll probably get a deadly virus and die - if anyone finds a cure please tell me! (Besides using DEET).
Matt, Lake Tahoe, USA

I've just read that Avon skin so soft body wash deters them! Not sure if it will work but I'm certainly going to try it. I'm confused about the conflicting theories listed above - ie that they like B12 and also that it deters them? I can nix the dark skin theory as I am very fair skinned (irish complexion) and I not only get bitten to death but also react very badly. I take an antihistamine every day to try and protect myself but it doesn't always work. My husband is dark skinned and they leave him alone.
Sharon , Sheffield, UK

Nah, these are all old wives tales about garlic, bananas, B12, hair-colour, skin colour, what you eat, what you didn't eat, freshly-laundered body or stinking like poo, and any other hokus-pokus witches-brew thing you can dream up. Tried them all and they are clearly not a factor. Yeah, so they just happened to work for the odd sod on some occasion so to them they have become the gospel. Keep using them if you think it works for you, chances are you are not part of the "true" bug-bait group of sufferers like me. Not too sure about the blood type thing, more likely to have some merit to it, although seems questionable given the variance of different people claiming they get eaten alive regardless of their blood type. As for the studies that claim that CO2 and body-temp are the deciding factors, well duh, of course a mosquito will always hunt down a living, breathing being rather than a dead one, so that's only a partial answer. So yes, the CO2 and heat will definitely attract mosquitoes to a group of people, but then, given equal opportunity, the bugs still always find their way to me. So explain that? I do firmly believe that it is something in the blood or endocrine system, perhaps a protein or hormone or maybe it is genetic, something in the DNA that gets expressed in certain people (as in Punnetts Square for you geno-types) but not in others. Its randomness seems more likely to support this theory than any others. Maybe because of some gene (who knows which one?), it causes certain people to excrete pheromones or possess extra flavouring (proteins or whatever) in the blood that attracts them. We'll probably never know. Good luck and keep swatting!
al, toronto canada

I lived in South Africa for 3 years in my early twenties. I got bitten by mosquitos the same as everyone else there but didn't usually react badly to the bites. Totally different story now 20 years later when I go on holiday in Europe, I always have an allergic reaction now. Does this mean the mosquitoes are worse in Europe or have I become more sensitive to them?
Darren Gibson, Crook, UK

I friend of mine swears that killing mosquitoes will only attract more, so embrace your inner hippy and be kind to the biting menace; try asking it nicely if it would be so good as to not bite you next time.
Laura, London, UK

It is Vitamin B1 not B12! Start taking it 2 weeks before you go away and carry on until you get home. It works!!
Sally, London UK

Deet works but can be masked by the lotion or cream that holds it. 100% Deet works best on cotton clothing apply it to collars, cuffs, waist band and socks. 100% deet on skin gets rapidly lost with perspiration. Therefore exposed skin needs something to hold it in place. US army issue repellent (33% Deet) sold in outdoor shops and Internet is reasonable but use 100% deet on clothing as well. The best commercial brand I have found is Tabard lotion but unfortunately it can only sourced in South Africa. Avoid anything with scent, deodorants, lanolin or skin care additives. That includes soap and shower gels. Spray your room two or three hours before you go to sleep.
Parshu, Hyderbad India

Scientific American says that the mosquito has receptors in the head that detect CO2 - carbon dioxide - indicating a mammal is present if the concentration increases. You can test this theory by holding your breath before entering an area of roosting bugs - they won't move! Then exhale and they will all start flying around until they detect an increase in water vapour - also indicating a mammal exhaling. Then they keep flying into increased zones of moisture and finally bump into the skin of a mammal. The secret: Hold your breath around swarms and they will pass you by!! Repellents are selected for their molecular weight - around 140 - which fits the receptor opening, blocking the detection!!
Jim Johns, Temecula, CA, US

A genetic component determines the hormones that mosquitoes can detect on your skin. Those who have a vitamin D deficiency are particularly vulnerable and will attract the swarms.
Andy, New York, US