It is rare to attend an outdoor party in hot weather without hearing people complaining about mosquitoes. They walk away, sit in the smoke of a campfire, cover themselves with blankets and eventually give up and go inside. On the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of people who don’t seem bothered by mosquitoes at all.
As a medical entomologist who has worked with mosquitoes for over 40 years, I am often asked why some people seem to be mosquito magnets while others are oblivious to these blood-sucking parasites buzzing all around them.
Most species of mosquitoes, as well as a host of other arthropods – including ticks, fleas, bedbugs, black flies, horseflies and biting midges – require the protein in the blood to develop a batch of eggs. Only the female mosquito feeds on blood. Males feed on plant nectar, which they convert into energy to fly.
Blood feeding is an extremely important part of the mosquito’s reproductive cycle. For this reason, enormous evolutionary pressure has been placed on female mosquitoes to identify potential blood sources, quickly and efficiently obtain a full blood meal, and then sneak away from the unlucky victim. If you check some or all of the mosquito search boxes, you may find that you are a mosquito magnet.
This video from Deep Look explains some of the ways mosquitoes feed on blood.
Detection of CO2 and olfactory signals
Depending on the time of day they are active, mosquitoes use visual, sound and olfactory cues to identify a potential blood source. Most night-active species rely on olfactory or receptor signals. The most important chemical signal is carbon dioxide, which all vertebrates, including humans, release with each breath and through their skin.
Mosquitoes are very sensitive to CO2 and can detect a source of CO2 from several meters away. Receptor cells in the mosquito’s antennae and legs bind CO2 molecules and send an electrical signal to the brain. When more molecules hit their receptors, the higher the CO2 concentration and the closer they are to the host.
However, there are many non-living sources of carbon dioxide such as cars, boats, planes and trains. To separate living and non-living sources of CO2, mosquitoes rely on secondary olfactory signals produced by living animals. Metabolic processes like breathing and movement generate these olfactory cues, including lactic acid, ammonia, and fatty acids that act as additional olfactory cues that help female mosquitoes focus on their next blood meal.
Thus, the production of carbon dioxide is the first mark of a mosquito magnet. Since the production of CO2 and secondary attractants is related to metabolic rate, the higher the metabolic rate, the more attractants are produced. Metabolic rate can be genetically determined, but it also increases due to physical activity.
The human mosquito magnets you may spot at summer parties may have a genetically high metabolic rate or may be more physically active than other attendees. They may also engage in other activities that increase their metabolic rate, such as drinking alcohol. The increased metabolic rate is why runners attract more mosquitoes during their recovery stretching exercises. Pregnant women, perhaps due to their increased metabolic rate, also attract a disproportionate number of mosquitoes.
This Business Insider video explains some of the factors that can make a mosquito magnet.
Natural body odors are also important cues used by mosquitoes to select a host. For example, some species of Anopheles mosquitoes are attracted to specific components of foot odor. These mosquitoes transmit human malaria and feed indoors in the middle of the night. By feeding on the feet of a sleeping person, mosquitoes avoid the head, where most of the CO2 is produced, and reduces the risk of waking the victim.
Visual cues
Mosquitoes active during the day and at dawn and dusk also use visual cues to identify a host. Mosquitoes generally fly close to the ground. From this vantage point, they see their potential hosts on the horizon. Dark colors pop and light colors blend in, so how a person is dressed will determine how many mosquitoes they attract. Wearing lighter colors can not only help you stay cool, but also help you escape the notice of a mosquito.
Mosquitoes can detect movement visually, again by contrasting a silhouette with the horizon. This is why people who walk near a salt marsh in the middle of the day after a large emergence of salt marsh mosquitoes are inundated with mosquitoes that visually detect their presence.
Psychological factors
There is also a psychological component to mosquito activity. Some people just don’t notice the mosquitoes around them. A single mosquito flying around some people will cause a strong reaction – you’ve probably seen someone go crazy trying to stalk a buzzing mosquito in order to finish off the tiny bloodsucker.
Other individuals are unbothered and do not notice mosquitoes that are attracted to them, even when the insects are feasting on their blood. Some mosquitoes specialize in feeding on hard-to-see and hard-to-crush body parts. For instance, Temples of the Egyptians is a species of mosquito that prefers to feed on humans, primarily around the ankles.
Whether or not you’re a mosquito magnet, their bites itch just as much!
Jonathan Day, Emeritus Professor of Medical Entomology, University of Florida
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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