Posted on 07/04/2008 4:34:10 PM PDT by Daffynition
After this weekend's barbeques and fireworks displays, you might wonder why some people wind up covered in mosquito welts and others are bite-free. It's not a coincidence. Each person's individual body chemistry determines how many mosquitoes will come calling.
According to Joe Conlon, a medical entomologist who advises the American Mosquito Control Association, the insects can detect their targets from nearly 100 feet away. But what are they seeking? Mostly the scent of carbon dioxide and lactic acid, two compounds that indicate to the hematophagous or blood-sucking pests that their next landing pad is nearby. (It's worth noting that when a female mosquito latches on to you, she's not looking for food; instead, she sucks out blood to help fertilize her eggs... that's why males don't "bite").
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Earlier this year my husband was afraid that our dog had fleas I told him absolutely not because I didn’t have even one flea bite.
Mosquitoes don’t bother me either.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR - I hate people like you. (j/k)
All kidding aside, I really envy folks that either are not biting insect magnets or who do not suffer from the after effects of said bites/stings/whatever.
I am the only one who will get bit repeatedly even if 50 other people are outside. I use Off and it helps. The spray similar to Skin so Soft is completely ineffective.
If you’d like to be on or off this Upper Midwest/outdoors/rural list please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.
My dad is one of those mosquito magnets.
You know, it’s weird-but when I was younger, I would literally draw ‘em like a magnet. Now that I’m gettin’ old, I’ve realized they haven’t really bothered me since I was about in my fifties. System changed somehow and smell different to them now, I would guess. ;)
garlic
You got it,
Thank you for the ping.
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