Every year, it’s the same. Some of us get attacked by mosquitoes nonstop while our friends and family remain blissfully unaffected. But, the question remains: how do mosquitoes choose who to make a snack on? Is it women? Men? Marla Ahlgrimm answers below.
Q: Are mosquitoes more attracted to men or women?
Marla Ahlgrimm: Typically, mosquitoes are attracted to men and women equally. However, women who are pregnant are actually at an increased risk of being bitten by the tiny bloodsuckers. Science has yet to come up with a definitive reason for this, but it’s likely that it has something to do with elevated carbon dioxide levels output by women carrying a child.
Q: Why do mosquitoes target larger people versus smaller people?
Marla Ahlgrimm: This comes back to carbon dioxide, too. Larger people, such as men, output more carbon dioxide than their smaller female counterparts. A similarly-sized pair of opposite sex people, however, may find that the woman is bitten more often. This is because she likely shaves her legs and has less body hair, meaning there is more exposed skin for the mosquito to land on.
Q: Which mosquitoes bite?
Marla Ahlgrimm: Mosquitoes don’t actually bite. What they do is insert a small needlelike extension into the skin of their target prey. Female mosquitoes are the only ones that do this. Females are typically bigger than their male mates, and they live longer as well.
Q: How can I avoid mosquito bites?
Marla Ahlgrimm: You may not be able to completely avoid mosquito bites altogether. However, it’s possible to reduce the number of times you get fed upon by wearing long sleeve shirts and pants. You can also keep mosquitoes out of your yard by contacting your local pest control service and getting rid of any stagnant water that you have laying around.
Marla Ahlgrimm has co-authored two ground-breaking books,