Summer Tips to Avoid Being Mosquito Food

BBQ, Summer & Mosquitoes

Summer is here and the days are getting longer with more outdoor activities to enjoy. Especially with Fourth of July right around the corner, most everyone is thinking outdoor activities and barbecues. Many of us when we think outdoor activities also think about mosquitoes, pesky devils that love to feast on some of us more than others. Mosquitoes can take a wonderful family adventure or outdoor meal and make it torture. We want you to enjoy your summer outdoor outings more, so we are sharing some tips that might help you avoid being bit and suffering through the itching and pain of mosquito bites.

Who Are Mosquitoes Attracted to?

Knowing why mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others, lets you get ahead of one of late spring’s through early fall’s outdoor annoyances. Unfortunately mosquitoes are not just annoying but they carrying disease also. For many of us mosquito bites are just an annoyance that we would like to avoid. The two most important factors in a mosquitoes being attracted to you has to do with sight and smell. We provide some information that will help you make yourself less attractive to mosquitoes and help make outdoor activities more fun!

Mosquitoes & Blood Types

Mosquitoes are little vampires, they love blood, that’s what they feed on. Blood and nectar are their favorite foods to ingest. Adult mosquitoes live on nectar, but female mosquitoes mainly rely on blood for food and for production their eggs.

So some blood types are more desirable than others to female mosquitoes. So the blood type that is most prevalent is O-Positive blood type and the blood type that mosquitoes are most attracted to. Type O blood types positive and negative are nearly twice as likely to get bit than people that have Type A blood.

Mosquitoes & Clothing Color

Mosquitoes use their eyes to target their victims, uck! Mosquitoes are one of the most highly visual bugs. Especially in the late afternoon and into early evening, mosquitoes favorite feasting time, they rely on their eyes to target their prey. When you wear dark colors or red, it makes you a much easier target for the mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes & Exercise

Mosquitoes can detect lactic acid, uric acid, ammonia, and other chemicals that are given off by our sweat glands. Mosquitoes love people with higher body temperatures because strenuous exercise raises your body temperature plus it raises lactic acid, both of which make you stand out to mosquitoes and make your a mosquito magnet.

Mosquitoes & Beer

One 12-ounce bottle of beer can make you more attractive to mosquitoes, welcome to the backyard barbecue feast zone! Scientists figured that it might have something to do with increased ethanol content in sweat and higher skin temperature from drinking the brew, but were unable to draw an exact match up, just that it seemed to play out that way with mosquitoes, beer drinking and outdoor activities.

Mosquitoes & Carbon Dioxide

This is where smell comes in for mosquitoes finding their targets. Mosquitoes locate their targets by smelling carbon dioxide that is emitted through our breath. Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide as far as 164 feet away according to the Smithsonian. People who exhale more someone playing sports or running will exhale more than someone who is a couch potato. Larger people also emit more carbon dioxide than slimmer people because they exhale more.

Mosquitoes & Pregnancy

In many studies roughly twice as many pregnant women have been found to attract mosquitoes than their non-pregnant women. When you’re pregnant you exhale more because of increased body weight and less room at different times in your pregnancy for lung expansion. So with more exhaling, comes more carbon dioxide being emitted making you more attractive to mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes & Skin Bacteria

Bare feet in the summer feel good in the grass and sun, but mosquitoes tend to ravage our feet and ankles. Why? Most of us have a higher concentration of skin bacteria around our ankles and feet and why mosquitoes are drawn to that area of body to feast on our blood. Bare feet make us an easy target even though it’s really relaxing to go barefoot!

Since most of us spend more times outdoors during our great Pennsylvanian summer and fall we thought finding out what makes mosquitoes more attracted to you would help you dodge the little biting critters easier. Make your summer one of the best with Tastealotta vinegar, olive oils, pastas, slow cooker soups, and so much more. Remember we are closed on july 4th to celebrate our National holiday! Happy Fourth of July!