Any new research this year?
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.
Interesting article. Not sure about the soap thing as I have a coconut body wash and they still love me. But I have used all kinds of soaps over the decades (I’m old) and they have always bitten me. Going to try some new soaps.
There’s definitely the genetic component too, but the scents from soap is an interesting thing to test out.
And for what it’s worth some types of oil of lemon eucalyptus works reasonably well, if you don’t want to use DEET. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/insect-repellent/oil-of-lemon-eucalyptus-insect-repellents-a7989538414/
Some friends really like this stuff “Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent2 Pump” and consumer reports also thinks it works pretty well.
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.
Mosquitoes generally feast on dweeb lords.
Not really new info.
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.
(P<0.05; 0.00) seems incidental with the study size and honestly I can’t see how could they smell the blood type.
(I’m not saying they can’t, I’m saying I would like to know how.)
I’m saying it may be incidental because the paper doesn’t define if the population from where mosquitoes fed had a higher or lower O-type density, nor their distribution.
Yes, you’re absolutely right.
I read the claim about the correlation between mosquito bites and blood type in a news article where this paper was linked as the source. This teaches me (again) to not blindly trust any news articles without verifying the information.
Thanks for pointing it out.
I was once told by a doctor that everyone gets bitten about the same amount, but some people just don’t get a reaction.
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.
